Diane Hoadley splattered mortar on her black pants as she attempted bricklaying.

Luckily, the mortar had no cement and was a sand and lime mix that does not stain.

Hoadley said laying bricks was harder than it looked.

Hoadley, dean of Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences, participated in the bricklaying portion of the hands-on training event that the School of Technology Construction Club hosted yesterday.

Approximately 50 students gathered in the Construction Lab in Klehm Hall for the first-ever event.

Wafeek Wahby, industrial technology program coordinator and Construction Club faculty adviser, started the event by clanging two bricklaying trowels together.

Wahby then introduced the trainers from Lincoln Land Building and Construction Trades Council, Bricklayers Local 8 and Local 149, there to teach bricklaying and pipefitting.

Students divided into two groups. Those wanting to lay bricks stayed with Allen Wente, Pete Spence and their five apprentices from Bricklayers Local 8.

The apprentices stood around the two stands set up for bricklaying and provided tips.

Wente said at first students seemed reluctant to try bricklaying. After Hoadley and a couple people attempted to lay bricks, everyone joined in.

She said there was a lot of technique involved in laying the bricks and spreading the mortar properly.

“It really is a challenge,” Hoadley said.

Wente said students gave their best try at bricklaying.

“Naturally, they’re not going to pick this up in the few minutes we have,” Wente said.

He said there were a few who tried it several times, which was encouraging.

The students not laying bricks went into an adjacent room for the pipefitting component of the event.

Two sections were set up for the pipefitting session.

Those with more welding experience went with Nick Carpenter and Ryan Crackel for the medical gas process.

Carpenter and Crackel, both on their last year of apprenticeship with Local 149, led the medical gas procedure. Both are certified in medical gas.

They showed students how to braise a joint as well as showing them the medical gas outlets seen in hospitals.

After showing what a poor joint and a good joint look like, students could then try the medical gas process hands-on.

Carpenter said the students did well, considering it was their first time.

Matt Langendorf, training director for Local 149, showed the students with less experience how to weld pipes.

Students were required to wear professional eyeglasses or a welding helmet.

Langendorf and another Local 149 instructor demonstrated to students first the process of welding.

From behind the helmet, the sparks shone blue and green as they flew onto the floor.

The smell of smoke filled the room.

After Langendorf and his instructor finished their demonstration, students were allowed to take turns welding the pipe.

Blue jackets and protective gloves were put on to better protect the students.

Hoadley was just an observer for the welding session.

She said she found it a “little intimidating.”

Colby Esenther, president of the Construction Club, said students who attended learned things normally not taught in classes and at a hands-on level.

Wahby said people experienced the motion of the skills.

“They took out of it the real feel – the muscle when it pulls,” he said.

He said attending students should now understand what the process is and how it feels to do it.

Hoadley said people take these skills for granted, not noticing in buildings how all the bricks are straight. She said the work that goes into skills such as bricklaying and pipefitting are not appreciated.