When removing mortar from between bricks you need to remove a depth of 20-25mm – this is usually twice the height of the mortar joint.
A brick rake is designed for raking out an even depth around bricks to a maximum of around 50mm. Brick rakes are not designed to reach the full depth of the brick.
The robust pin can be adjusted by unscrewing the spade bolt and positioning the pin to the depth you require and then tightening up the spade bolt again.
You need to clean the mortar out to a squared back rather than a concave one.
It is important all loose brick dust and debris is removed as water will find its way into any gaps and freeze, expanding and causing the bricks and mortar to crack. This is called ‘freeze thaw action’ and will damage the brickwork meaning you will have to replace the whole wall as opposed to just the mortar.
