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Random Rubble Stonework

Stonework used rough unshaped stones in a random manner. Not laid in courses.

Porcellanite

A hard and dense rock that is a variety of chert that often contains clay and calcareous matter. Also spelled Porcelanite.

Random rubble using very wide and rough mortar joints.

Strictly utilitarian, no fuss stonework fairly roughly cut at the quoins. This particularly wall is less than twenty years old but it has been built to match up with heritage buildings in the nearby area. Almost certainly using Portland cement mortar.

This photo and the one below are of a common type of rock in my area (Darwin NT. Australia) called Porcellanite, which is said to be named for it's resemblance to unglazed porcelain.

I have come across Porcellanite many times in excavation work and it is always greeted with groans of dismay, it means hard, hard excavation. Jackhammers and the like.(In the old days we used blasting to break it up, but that is a "no no" nowadays).

One of my mates in the game tells me that once removed from the ground it does soften up, and it is fairly poor as a building stone. The photo of the tool marks below seems to bear out the fact that it does get softer.

A random rubble gateway to a Chinese garden.

This wall and it's gateway is also built with our local stone Porcellanite. To my mind this is a fine example of stone masonry. The mason has used the stones well and with judicious cutting he has managed to keep the joints remarkably even.

Tool marks on the face of the stone.

These tool marks are typical of this type of work where the stone is left in a fairly rough state. They are made mostly by a Scutching Hammer. Regular and more controlled marks like this are made with a Scutching Chisel

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