Why is gypsum used instead of lime?

I've noticed patching compound is sometimes now made of lime instead
of gypsum. I think lime won't crack like gypsum (which is why gyspum
needed asbestos or horse hair or straw before today's plastics).

In Greece, the preferred building material is quicklime. But USA
(dolomitic) lime has magnesium, while Greek is almost pure calcium.
THey even use it in making fruit preserves. When I had a dog we
painted his house with lime because he bit it and I felt it was
safest. (I added some food oil to the conventional lime sold for lawns.)

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Vasos Panagiotopoulos, Columbia'81+, Reagan, Mozart, Pindus, BioStrategist
http://www.panix.com/~vjp2/vasos.htm http://www.facebook.com/vasjpan2
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