A. Brassy yellow particles.
B. Opaque both in 1 and 2.
Calcite.—Not found in burnt bricks, nor indeed in any except those that have been sun-dried, or have been subjected to very little heat. Small pellets of lime are of common occurrence in poorly-burnt bricks. In reflected light such pellets are generally of a dirty white tint; opaque in transmitted light.
Dolomite.—Practically the same observations apply as to calcite, crystals of dolomite not being found except in sun-dried bricks and the like. Under the action of much heat the mineral, like calcite, is reduced to lime.
Selenite.—This is not rare in the commoner class of bricks, though the application of much heat reduces it to the state of powder. In reflected light it is found to be present as extremely minute specks or “tears” of whitish powdery plaster. Opaque, of course, in transmitted light.
The description of the micro-appearance of many other minerals which occur but rarely in bricks does not fall within the scope of the present elementary treatise; for practical purposes they may be ignored.
CHAPTER XIII.
ABSORPTION.
The advantage of knowing the relative absorptive capacity of bricks has been stated in these pages in divers connexions. The means of arriving at the total capacity for absorption of water, as generally practised by experimenters, are very incomplete and founded on an erroneous principle. It is admitted by all that absorption is one of the very best tests as to the quality of a brick, but such tests are meaningless unless they imitate one or other or several of the influences to which the brick would be subjected on being used in the building, or other structure.
A common method is to weigh the brick when dry and then to immerse it in water for periods varying from one to three days, subsequently re-weighing it, the difference in weight between the dry and wet states being termed the brick’s “absorptive capacity.”