Gun grouter

Frustrated by a mortar injection gun that kept breaking down, a team of British builders has developed an award-winning version of their own for pointing brick, stone and paving work.

In tests at construction trade shows, an operator using the patented Pnu-Point Pressure Pointing Gun completed in just two minutes a section of pointing that took 45 minutes to do by hand, according to the manufacturer, Pnu-Point.

The beauty of it is that there are no moving parts to go wrong or get clogged up, said company partner John Williams. The gun requires less skill than traditional methods, but enables greater output with improved quality, so virtually anyone can use it.

Winner of the small company prize at the North East (England) Spirit of Innovation Awards, the hand-held pointing gun uses low-pressure compressed air from any standard low-cost compressor to propel mortar into the joint, completely filling it from the back.

Unlike piston devices, the Pnu-Point tool offers no risk of repetitive strain injury to hands or wrists when used for long periods.

The gun operates with most standard mortar and grout mixes, as well as with lime-based mixes, and performs particularly well when applying high-strength mortars to bridges, tunnels, and chimneys, the company added.