When calcium carbonate (whether in oyster shells, limestone or TUMS tablets) 
is raised in temperature to the point of dissociation, a significant volume of 
carbon dioxide gas is liberated. POP.

Any free water in the stone or shells is long gone before this temperature is 
reached.

As for sea salt in mortars, we know that it was intentionally incorporated in 
19th century natural cement/lime mortars without apparent detrimental effect. 
Of course those structures had no steel reinforcement to corrode either. 

Lime restoration mortars, on the other hand, do not seem to handle salt 
environments well. I understand that Gulf Coast fort restorations performed in 
recent years with lime are already rapidly failing, and that hydraulic lime is 
failing in similar coastal applications after only a few years. Serves em 
right for using the historically and technically wrong materials!

As for lime production methods, it has intrigued me for some time that while 
good, reasonably accurate production data is available for cement going back 
to the 1820's, there is almost no data before 1900 for lime. Lime was 
evidently a cottage industry without significant centralized manufacturing for 
a long time.

One last observation, as a non-historian. I don't know exactly when the lime 
production process in the United States went from piles of burning logs to 
stone kilns, but I suspect it was sometime in the 18th century. It seems to me 
that there weren't very many large masonry structures being built here before 
that.

Edison Coatings, Inc.
Michael P. Edison
President
3 Northwest Drive
Plainville, CT 06062
Phone: (860) 747-2220 or (800)697-8055
Fax: (860)747-2280 or (800) 697-8044
Internet: www.edisoncoatings.com
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]

---------- Original Message -----------
From: Gabriel Orgrease <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 11:42:35 -0200
Subject: Re: [BP] making lime

> Brian,
> 
> Two more thoughts:
> 
> I heard recently re: Lake Pnchatrain that it is salted water and 
> mortars being made of the sand therefrom. So my question is if in 
> traditional work there was knowledge of or consideration of effect of 
> salts on mortar. When did the materials science come along to 
> understand salt in sand in mortar? Are there climatic/environmental 
> factors that would make a salt in mortar in New Orleans behave in 
> masonry different than say in New York.
> 
> I'm reminded of the fort in Hudson's Bay that is falling apart because 
> partly after 200+ years it is melting now w/ gobal warming... having 
> been sort of frozen together in the mean time.
> 
> Fresh oysters may have their own water content and will burst in a 
> fire just like w/ wet rocks? I suppose they might have been shell shocked?
> 
> ][<en
> 
> --
> To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
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> <http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>
------- End of Original Message -------

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