I was born in it, as a child played in it and managed to make a living in it. As kids we weren’t afraid of it—but then, we really didn’t know any better. Most people hide from it and can’t understand how we even tolerate it. In Arizona, it is referred to as dry, the preferred form, but really isn’t very preferable at all. I’m talking about heat, specifically the intense version us plasterers in Arizona deal with four to five months out of every year. I have learned a thing or two about spreading mud when it’s hot and would like to share some of my “hot” tips.
We got to work before it was light and had mud to the end of the hose, or in the mixer when we were hand jiving, by the time it was light enough to see what we were doing. In the middle of summer we were usually spreading about 4:30 a.m. or so, breaking for lunch at 9:00 a.m. and getting off around noon. When it got to be crunch time, we would work at night too.