Old pointing trowel snapped clean in half mid-repoint on Tuesday

I was working on a 1920s brick wall in Arlington finally finishing up a repointing job that's been dragging for three weeks. The handle just gave way on a piece of mortar that wasn't even that tough and the whole blade flopped onto the ground. Anyone else have a favorite trowel just die on them after years of use or am I the only one stuck borrowing from the truck?

2 comments

2 Comments

kim_martin1mo ago

Slap a new handle on the old blade, makes a good spare.

the_jake1mo ago

And that's honestly the best way to keep a good tool in rotation. I've got a couple knives in my kit that are basically ship of Theseus at this point, new blade, new handle, but they still work just fine for backup duty. Plus it's way cheaper than buying a whole new knife when all you need is a fresh edge and a comfortable grip. I usually keep one of those rebuilds in my truck or in my camping gear where it'll see some abuse but I don't want to risk my main blade.