Clay plugs

A rare sunny evening...

So, the resin is a pain. I have vowed never again to work with resin. I get stressed because if I don't use it fast enough it hardens in the nozzle. I thought I could use it to bridge the gap between the bricks, but it often won't build up enough to reach the two surfaces and it gets messy really quickly. Plus it smells very toxic. It is useful for immobilizing the brick and it is very strong, so I will continue with it for now. But I have decided to only put resin where the bricks are close enough, and then plug the hole from underneath with clay. Clay is actually an excellent plugging substance. It is sticky and grippy when it is moist, so I can fill the mortar from the top without any falling out. Then, when the clay dries, it shrinks and pulls away from the brick, so I can collect it for soaking and reuse. 

The underside of the formwork. It doesn't look like much, but the clay has been essential for me.