Fantastic videoMake up an air tight bucket from Hydrated lime and leave it to mature in the back of the garage.
That's what a I do. It's fairly cheap and you can buy it from local builders and avoid shipping.
Cheers,
Richard B.

Fantastic videoMake up an air tight bucket from Hydrated lime and leave it to mature in the back of the garage.
That's what a I do. It's fairly cheap and you can buy it from local builders and avoid shipping.
Cheers,
Richard B.
Razorpig, I'm not sure how cold it is where you live, but my putty bin lives in the (detached, unheated) garage in the north of Scotland at 100m above sea level and I've had no issues with it surviving the winters. As long as the putty is covered by a layer of water, the bin doesn't need to be airtight. I can't swear by it keeping indefinitely, but I've never seen any evidence of it deteriorating and I have some that is several years old.Fantastic videoThanks Richard. I had no idea it was so simple to make. He mentions in the video that it shouldn't freeze. The only place I could store it is in the cellar, but with a small light well and an iron entrance gate it's partially open to the elements. If it did freeze is it ruined? Also, once made, does it keep indefinitely and does it have to be kept airtight at all times?
Yeap, I'd second Worms. It should be alright in the cellar natural ground temperature will probably keep it above freezing as well.Fantastic videoThanks Richard. I had no idea it was so simple to make. He mentions in the video that it shouldn't freeze. The only place I could store it is in the cellar, but with a small light well and an iron entrance gate it's partially open to the elements. If it did freeze is it ruined? Also, once made, does it keep indefinitely and does it have to be kept airtight at all times?
Don't we all! But my recollection, from the published tests, is that the improvement-with-time for lime putty plateaus out at about 3 or 4 months, so there is little to be gained by maturing it beyond that.It gets better with age...
Hello stripy friend, long time no see….. ( says she who was missing in action for ages ).Aww thanks twig........malcolm also has a similar trench. What do you think malcolm, shall we patent it, the "Zebcolm trench"?
I think Malbra rolls off the tongue betterAww thanks twig........malcolm also has a similar trench. What do you think malcolm, shall we patent it, the "Zebcolm trench"?
But we'll not be able to sponsor McLaren or Ferrari Formula 1 cars if we choose that name. For me it's very much the Zebra Trench. Especially when you have a nice stripy grating to finish it off. I had been trying to work out a way of lowering all the exterior ground level by 18 inches but a trench beside the wall was a far better solution. It has worked very well and I'm very thankful for the idea.I think Malbra rolls off the tongue better
I'll need may need to dig some trenches soon, both external and internal. Is this the 'Zebcolm' trench being discussed? And where can I purchase those natty metal supports and grills, can someone link me the thread please? CheersI got the idea from you. The fibreglass grating looks really good. Nobody has told me off for not investing in cast iron.
Thanks for this video. I'd been thinking about making my own plaster, at least for base and float coat. I assume its a 3 sand to 1 putty mix.Make up an air tight bucket from Hydrated lime and leave it to mature in the back of the garage.
That's what a I do. It's fairly cheap and you can buy it from local builders and avoid shipping.
Cheers,
Richard B.
...remembering, of course, that a 25kg bag of lime will make about 53kg putty. So using these figures (and ignoring the cost of a bin and the water), DIY putty works out at £0.34/kg and bought at £0.84/kg (plus delivery).A 25Kg bag of hydrated lime is about £18 from the likes of B&Q (ouch)... A 20Kg tub of lime putty from Mike Wye, £16.80 plus shipping. I had purchased some tubs from a local builders merchant (Mike Wye brand) a couple of months back for around £13.
I'll need may need to dig some trenches soon, both external and internal. Is this the 'Zebcolm' trench being discussed? And where can I purchase those natty metal supports and grills, can someone link me the thread please? Cheers
Thanks MalcolmA search for Fibregrid on here should pull up the information about the grating. It is normally supplied in huge big sheets but Fibregrid will cut it to the width you need. Though it seems to have become green in colour now https://www.fibregrid.com/search-results/?ap-q=square mesh grating
I used a short retaining wall to mount one side of the grating and fabricated some stainless supports because I was worried about water settling on top of support built into the wall. I don't think that would have been much of a problem in hindsight. The galvanised part is a "21mm Top Hat U bracket" that can be found on Google. Zebra's supports were probably more sensible.