Thank you Anna. So if they are chemically similar, why is it necessary to use
lime putty rather than simply mix sand, hydrated lime and water?

If you buy hydrated lime then ts best to soak it in a tub of water for
a day or two which makes it nice and plastic

remarkably like lime putty ;-)

Lime putty gets better with age as it soaks in the water so bought
lime putty will be a better quality than a quick two day soak will
provide. I like to use lime putty which is at least six months old.

Anna



~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England
|""""| ~ Plaster conservation and lime plaster repair
/ ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc
|____| www.kettlenet.co.uk 01359 230642