Edison Coatings wrote:

> Corps of Engineers specifications called for only two days of slaking, 
> and strictly for the purposes of lump reduction. For the same reasons 
> our $8/bag Home Depot dolomitic Type S mason's lime is every bit as 
> good as the $110/5-gallon bucket lime putty that is being hawked as 
> the definitive choice for historic work. It doesn't need to be putty 
> and it doesn't need to be aged to work perfectly well in mortar.
>
Mike,

Does Home Depot sell a Type S mason's lime? I have not found it there. 
Neither in Lowes. In fact, the most sophisticated mason's yard in our 
area of LI (cash only) quite often does not have hydrated lime in stock 
at all. The mason's around here do not know what to do with it. The 
supplier is curious why I keep asking for it. If I want to get anything 
but agricultural lime at Agway I need to go into the city for it. Same 
goes for non-staining Portland or a case of urethane caulk that is not 
shelf weary, or lead coated copper. Which goes again to my focus 
pertaining to geographic determinism. Seventy miles out from NYC the 
common masonry practice these days is not nearly as sophisticated as it 
was in Ken's 19th century books. A major portion of activity on the 
earth is not documented.

As I see it the lime guys come from areas where the masonry stopped as a 
main-stream convenient building technology in preference for wood 
structures. Though they may have had 19th century banks & courthouses 
built w/out lime for the most part when they are thinking historic they 
are seeing all around them structures built with lime mortars.

][<en

--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>