Brick question...

[VTdigger]

today while walking in the river at the former site of the Norton pottery, I found a stack of 3 fire/kiln bricks mortared together i've been debateing rather or not to try and chip one off and see what brand of fire brick it was. whats the best way to get a brick off with out damgeaing the embossing and destroying the stack to badly or should I just leave them mortored would trying to pry one off ruin it?

I found a loose brick dating form between 1845-50 that was used in the kilns after a fire in 1845 that was very faded, I want a better version of this brick and wonder if one could exist under the mortar of the stack of 3 I'm at least curious to know what brand of fire brick it was

 

[surfaceone]

Only one way to find out. They can be a tad heavy 3 at a time. Or will you be talking hammer & chisel to them?

 

[VTdigger]

I've decided to leave all 3 together since I already have 3 local fire bricks from this pottery, this stack of 3 was alost surely used in the pottery since it was found one the banks where they threw there waste along other shards of pottery, 1 loose local Fire brick was also found in the stream by the ex pottery and used in the kilns there according to a book on the subject, the other two bricks where found down the river from the pottery in area where there's been a big population for 200+ years, where other old structures stood and
were demolished. The production of fire brick locally lasted from roughly 1837-1858 and believe me, these bricks look this old.