Gallery Pictures Displayed on the Right are Thumbnails. Click on Image to Expand.
  Information by Jim Stringer
In studying chimneys of Hampton Court in England, I found the shapes were manufactured in the brick.  Essentially is brick was hand made centuries ago.  I wanted to duplicate the shapes as close as possible to get the same effect.  The brick shapes you see below are hand carved.  Each brick took about 10 minutes to shape and will vary according to design.  
   
   
brick-shaping-5-w.jpg (49426 bytes)  brick-shaping-4-w.jpg (53071 bytes)  These models are made out of real used brick.  Notice how each brick has a slight design modification to allow for consistent rotation when laid into the column to give the end product a swirl or twist effect.
brick-shaping-2-w.jpg (23339 bytes)  brick-shaping-3-w.jpg (26582 bytes)
brick-shaping-w.jpg (49962 bytes)  brick-shaping-1-w.jpg (42638 bytes) The photo on the right:  Each 'half' square was made from a full brick.  Once the shape is roughed in, the faces are bullnosed.  The white brick inset is Summits Alaskan White.  Each brick is cut down to 2 1/4" square with the ends split off for rough texture.  
lamp-6-w.jpg (82819 bytes)  lamp-7-w.jpg (51237 bytes) The cement is Riverside Portland White with lime and 20 grit Silica Sand.  The reason I choose Silica Sand is for the 'whiteness' and the 'fineness' for a smooth texture.  
used-brick-shapes-on-column-2.jpg (101218 bytes) Used brick shapes on column.