Bagged Lime Mortar (from putty) useable after a year?

[gsport george]

Hi Just a really really quick question...

I have a bag of Bleaklow "coarse stuff" that is approx a year old. (has been stored in a cool cellar) The consistency seems fine. will this be OK to use if I mix it up a bit before use?

I tried ringing Bleaklow to check but they are on Holiday...

I cant really see why the lime would be any different to if it had been stored as putty (at least on the inside of the lump where the rest of the mortar should do the job of the water in keeping CO2 out) but then lime is funny stuff...

Many Thanks

George

 

[biffvernon]

Is this dry or wet stuff?

 

[gsport george]

Wet.

I decided not to risk it in the end and mixed up a new batch of lime putty and sand... But I still have the bag of readymixed so may use it on something non-critical eventually...

George

 

[biffvernon]

Oh, if it's wet there's no problem. Like a good claret, it improves with age. You pay extra for 'mature' putty. If it were dry powdered hydrated lime then there might be an issue with some of the lime carbonating on exposure to the air so it's best to use it as fresh as possible.

 

[Nemesis]

I know this isn't - but to add - hair will vanish if lime is kept.

 

[Gervase]

As Biff says, no worries. I'm using some stuff for repointing at the moment which is three years old. It's a bit harder to knock up, as the sacks have been compressed over time, but it's still perfectly serviceable.

 

[gsport george]

Excellent. Thanks for the advice guys... Finished setting the ridge tiles now, so just hoping for a bit of light rain to keep the mortar from drying out too quick...

George.