lime putty quality and how to store it?

[robgil]

quality first , jewsons want 27 quid for 25 litres , local lime specialist in sudbury want 11 quid for 20 litres , thats a big difference.
are some puttys better then others? i have bought putty with a lot of lumpy bits in the bottom of the tub , is this normal , or is it caused by how i store it? or is it just poor quality putty?
also storage , whats best? i tend to try and keep it covered in water and just leave it in the kitchen/store room.

also , a lady next door to me has some tubs under her stairs and she has had them for , i think she said 8 years , are these well past their shelf life?

 

[MdB]

Jewsons are quite happy to charge a lot for the same thing. I would ignore their high price.

I believe that at all putty is made from quick lime so there is no issue of it carbonating. I guess that there is some differences between different suppliers but I've not heard of anyone mention them. As for the age, many people say older is better - mainly the experts so I guess we have to listen to them. Personally I've not noticed any difference between new and one year old.

I've not noticed any lumps in any lime I've bought nor putty I've made myself.

 

[Gervase]

Haggle. I've got Jewsons down to £9.75 plus VAT for tubs of lime putty. You need a trade account and, ideally, to be spending a fair bit with them, but you must haggle.
Providing putty is kept underwater it lasts indefinitely - if the lids are on tight and the water hasn't evaporated, eight years is no time.

 

[Flyfisher]

Yes, get a trade account Rob, it makes a huge difference.

 

[robgil]

trade account could be a good idea guys.
i had a chat with my local supplier and i think the lumps came from dry bits in the tub falling down into the putty so i need to be quite careful with this next one , my last tub lasted several months or more with me only using little bits at a time.

 

[Nigel Watts]

If the putty is kept under water it has a more or less infinite life. Its quality is supposed to improve the longer you keep it.

 

[biffvernon]

Buy a bag of hydrated lime for £7 or less. Empty into a dustbin full of water. Stir well. Leave a little while to settle. Voila...cheap lime putty. Keeps forever if there's water over it.

 

[robgil]

is the 3 month maturing period necessary?

 

[biffvernon]

No.

 

[robgil]

but it helps? still , sounds like a much better and cheaper idea , thanks Biff.

 

[biffvernon]

Apparently it helps to store certain red wines for a few years too. Evidently they can also be drunk today.

 

[MdB]

but it helps? still , sounds like a much better and cheaper idea , thanks Biff.

The experts here think it makes a difference (both using hydrate instead of putty and keeping it for a while before using). Like Biff, I don't and make putty from hydrate and use it straight away but it is only fair to give the other point of view. There was a recent thread on it.

 

[Flyfisher]

What's the theory behind lime putty maturing? Hydrated lime and water are pretty simple and, these days, very pure ingredients so what's going on during 'maturing' that might improve the putty?

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Everything gets better with age (except my temper, and Penners' back, though he doesn't like to mention it. Oh, and cream cakes)

 

[Moo]

.

 

[philpjuk100]

My last bag of lime was"castle cement hydrated lime"cost me nearly £9 with the vat. I use it as putty mixing it in a plastic bin and topping it up when I have used any.It has not given me any problems but I see in the "old house handbook" it states-a fresh bag of hydrated lime can be soaked for a few days in a container and will thicken up to form a lime putty.However if the hydrated lime is not fresh,or has been stored in damp conditions,the quality of the putty produced will be inconsistent and may be less durable in the longer term.It is not recomended to use hydrated lime as a substitute for slaked lime putty since the risk of failure is not worth the small cost saving.Oh dear! I do not use a great deal but will buy a tub of putty when my current bag is used up.phil.

 

[biffvernon]

If you buy a bag of hydrated lime and use it soon or at least empty it into a bin of water and then use the putty, rather than leaving it in its bag in a damp shed for a year, the risk of failure is approximately zero.

 

[philpjuk100]

It is storage before I buy it that I have no control over.At the yard near me you pay get a "chitty" over the counter and give it to mr forklift who scratches his head and says "lime?" :roll:

 

[MdB]

Our local Jewsons has a pallet of hydrate delivered every 2 weeks. It claims to have a 3 month shelf life unopened (some claim 12 months I think) so I don't think there is an issue of it going off in the bag. I do turn all of it into putty straight away though and store it as putty. I wouldn't buy it from anywhere that has a low turnover of hydrate though.

Putty made from hydrate is about a third of the price of buying putty and I can get it locally where as putty is a 50 mile round trip.

 

[philpjuk100]

Every two weeks sounds great!will do a search for my nearest Jewsons,phil.