"G&M" wrote in message
...

"Peter Taylor" wrote in message
...
Question for Anna really, but also anyone else who knows the answer:

What is the "ready mixed" lime mortar you can get from people like Tilcon
or RMC
and how does it differ chemically from lime putty mortar? I guess it's a
mixture of sand and hydrated lime, but can it be used as lime mortar in
the same
way as lime putty? If not, why not? I'm confused about this as all the
suppliers' literature I've seen seems to assume it is going to be mixed
with
cement on site.

It uses hydraulic lime which is similar to cement - add water and use
quickly. Mostly comes from France under St.Austier label I believe. Don't
use it myself - only a few miles from the Bleaklow site which sells the
authentic English non-hydraulic lime.

Yes that's right, but it's not the product I meant. From people like Tilcon and
Readymix Concrete Ltd you can get bulk deliveries of wet lime/sand mortar which
can be stored on site almost indefinitely (as long as it's protected from the
weather). This is mixed with Portland cement before use for bricklaying - I
don't think it will set without the cement, but maybe I'm wrong there. This
website shows what I mean: http://www.mortar.org.uk/wm_hom01.htm

I don't quite understand the difference between this product and the lime putty
mortar you would make using the Bleaklow putty, which sets on its own without
cement.

Peter