Les chevillette

[Pierre ZFP]

Anybody know what a 'chevillette' is used for?  I have just received the latest Brico Despot catalogue (a nice phone book sized item) and it has these in it.  You know the thing, it's a spike of steel about 20cms long with a loose fitting bent piece at right angles to one end.  I'm sure it's something to do with bricklaying but I've never seem them in the UK.  It's probably incredibly useful, if I only knew what for ..........

[Loopy Lou]

Piton en acier, avec un fer de maintien coulissant utilisé en maçonnerie pour fixer temporairement un coffrage ou une règle de niveau

Here's Babel Fish's clarification!

Steel piton, with an iron of sliding maintenance used in masonry to temporarily fix a formwork or a boring rod

Love it!!!

[Pierre ZFP]

Yeah, that's the thing alright.  I'll rephrase my question...... HOW do you use it ????????

[Department71]

Interesting, can you get the Brico-Depot catalogue delivered then? If so how can I go about it. Is there a form to use or do you talk to them nice at the shop.

Thanks for interesting posts.

 

Steve

[Pierre ZFP]

Well it must be my winning smile and personality!!!  I never requested a catalogue and the one in my postbox is not addressed or even wrapped, it just appears by magic!!  (along with 300 flyers every month)  Since I'm at least 30Kms from the nearest Brico Depot I can only assume they cold drop everyone which must be incredibly expensive.  They do not have everything that they sell in the catalogue but very nearly and it has grown from a stapled little book (remember the first Screwfix catalogues?) to a phonebook, albeit a slim one.

So, what can I do with a chevillette?  (no rude answers please )

[Punch]

I use them regularly. They are primarily for holding a shuttering board against a wall while you plaster or ciment infil. I have a photo of a large window we have just created for a client with them in place. You hammer the pointed end into the wall joint and then tap the sliding section against a board, which locks it in place.

Here's a recent example of a job we did using them, in this instance they were used as a guide for our stonework to follow an irregular wall;

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/Etvoila/DSCF0002-1.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com"> You can just see the grey and red chevilletes in this photo.

During...................

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/Etvoila/DSCF0003.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

 

And here's the job nearly finished, oak lintels in place, albeit for re- pointing and fitting the window!

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/Etvoila/c0521380.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

Amazing how much stone comes out of a hole that size!!!!

Paul

[napoleon]

Paul,

      Your pictures are very helpful and clear, not only to answer the original question but also to guide any other potential builders like me. Could you please explain what happens to the supporting acros as you get from picture two to picture three?

      A builder in the UK gave me an account of how you knock a secondary hole through the wall above the opening and support the wall while the lintel is put in place. I have never needed to try it but is this your method?

 Thanks, Alistair

[Pierre ZFP]

Paul

Many thanks for the photos.  3 pictures = 3000 words !!!  It looks like a nice job you did too.  When I think of the times when I've tried to cobble together some shuttering by jamming it in place with old bits of timber and brick when I could have used these handy devices. Ah well, I guess that's why I'm not a builder..... 

Alistair, as for temporary support while you put a lintel in,  USE THE FORCE,  (sorry, I saw Stars Wars last night and got a bit carried away)

Beautiful weather for my last week in Luxembourg - back over the border to La Belle France next week!!

[Motorhead]

I can third that, mega pics indeed. I've already printed them up as an inspirational poster.

But, that does look awfully like cement round the edges of a lime mortared wall. To hear some folk talk, this is a complete no-no but I've never thought anything wrong with it myself as long as the stone was hard. Can you confirm this?

[Punch]

Alastair, to answer your question, I build up the sides first, sets the lintels (either in oak or in some cases cast a concrete one, or sometimes both) and then block between the lintel and the stone above with chocks or small acrows, depending on the hole size. I then pack stonework in as I go along making good.  In fact the French method I use is almost opposite to how you would do this in the Uk - ie place lintels first and then knock out below.

In those pictures what you didn't also see is some steel pins that are inserted into the wall under some of the larger stones on the interior of the property. It does depend very much on several factures, type of wall, size of stones, what is above, strength of existing infill etc etc, and each job is done on it's merits. every job is different.

Narachan, the wall is built up with a lime based ciment (with added plasticiser) and sand -NEVER use pure ciment and sand. This allows for any movement and letsmoisture in and out of the wall. Incidentally the surrounding areas at low level had been bodged with ciment by the previous owner and it is showing as damp on the interior.  The joints on this particular wall will be pointed with a cream coloured ready mixed joint probably parexi parlumiere or similar.

Hope this helps,

Paul

[napoleon]

Paul,

       Thanks for the advice. I will start looking for an easy opportunity to practice it before taking on a large opening.

The other comments about your photos show how helpful they have been. It was very generous of you to pass on these tips.

Good question Pierre ZFP! Great answer!!

                          Alistair