Almost used a batch of crumbly old bricks, but tapping them first made all the difference
I mean, I was grabbing bricks from a pile we got from a demo site. Maybe it's just me but I started tapping them lightly before laying. A lot of them sounded wrong and felt weak in the middle. So I set those aside and only used the good ones. It took a bit longer, but the whole section feels solid now, which is a win.
Ever have one that sounds okay but still feels sandy when you handle it? I've been there, sorting through iffy bricks from an old pile. That hollow thud instead of a clean tap is a dead giveaway. Glad you caught it before laying them, saves a lot of headache later.