Trying to buy lime!

[Jon Maine]

The hydraulic limeworks was based at Tout Quarry Charlton Mackrell about 12 miles south of me on the blue lias beds. South somerset DC decided that a lime kiln in a quarry contravened planning so HL2 moved up north. Not sure if they are still going or got swallowed by Singleton Birch.

 

[Gervase]

Mildly hydraulic lime was made all over the UK - the NHL1-2 limes that built London were quarried from the Thames Valley (particularly around the Goring Gap), with Blue Lias limestone being particularly favoured (Smeaton built the Eddystone Light using Blue Lias lime, and many of London's great buildings had Blue Lias foundations).
If you want a DIY mildly hydraulic lime, however, ordinary wood ash may not be good enough - what makes the lime hydraulic is the addition of burned silicates and magnesium salts, so coal ash would be preferable. One of the best quick pozzolans is brick dust, which is burned clay. And burned is the clue - ordinary clay or soil won't have anything like the desired effect, as the pozzolan has to be fired to at least 900 degrees to be made reactive.

 

[biffvernon]

a bit worried that just lime alone might not be robust enough in the dampness that is a dark corner of my garden.

Have faith. It will be fine. Lime, dirty sand and water. You only need stronger materials for motorway flyovers, nuclear power stations and airport runways. And we don't need them, do we?

 

[Ian Bond]

Brick dust sounds good to me Gervase. Perhaps I'll give it a go. I suppose it's just a case of pounding the brick into submission with a lump hammer? Perhaps that's how they did it in the past, when the nearest source of suitable limestone was still too far by horse and cart.

I agree with Biff about the privy project - ordinary lime mortar should be OK. I've just used a non-hydraulic lime to seal the largest gaps around some windows, before sealing with a linseed mastic. One window was below ground, in a damp light-well. It took much longer for the mortar to set around the cellar window. I could mastic the other windows the next day no problem, just had to wait a couple of days with the cellar window. It looks fine to me though.

 

[Nemesis]

We have used boiler ash in the past, mixed with proper pit lime putty, when we needed rather more rapid cure for wall building as opposed to pointing.

It's possibly not as reliable as the stuff from Mike Wye though. A feebly hydraulic should be OK too, but see my original post...

However - unless the privy is permanently damp then non-hydraulic on its own (ie without a pozzolan) should be fine, especially at this time of year.

 

[plumbers mate]

I was going to say that as you (Nemesis) live in a region which has over 280 limekilns still standing to a lesser or greater extent and which used to have many more you should be able to get some lime...
Then I got to the pic of Crindledykes. There should be a plaque on it saying that it was surveyed by a group from Newcastle Uni Adult Education who slogged away in horizontal icy rain with 'orrible slush on the ground and with wet gloves freezing on their fingers....
It was one of the better preserved kilns though not the biggest or architecturally nicest looking, but sticks in the mind as does the remembered feel of icy, clammy socks and frozen bootlaces.
Holy Isle kilns were the best - we were allowed to camp there (a rare priviledge) and we used the "facilities" in the Castle. Lutyens was a clever so-and-so. The room housing the loo we used had a circular window which, when you were enthroned, was at eye level. Perfectly framed in the window was Bambrough Castle. Fantastic! You lingered longer than you needed to.

 

[Nemesis]

That's about 360 days of the year then...

horizontal icy rain with 'orrible slush on the ground and with wet gloves freezing on their fingers....

Sadly, many are simply slipping back into the ground from whence the stone came.

 

[Pford75]

I can echo the earlier comment re: trade accounts at Jewsons. Alternatively, sign up for a national 'Buildstore' account (which is also valid at Jewsons and gets you a discount on the standard retail price)...this also includes free delivery.

 

[Nemesis]

So - anyone can just get one of these accounts then?

Simply walk in and ask for one?

 

[glayzell]

yep, anyone with a good credit history that is.

I have one with jewsons and one with buildcentre. I got it for doing the extension/restoration of my house. You fill a credit form out, if you are not a company, fill it in as a self builder. it goes off to a head office and you get a letter back within the week saying you now have an account and can go spend. You can either pay cach on the account or 'on tick' for 30 days and they post you an invoice. You get better prices on all materials, and as it is on account you seem to have more barganing power on materials and get much better discount.

 

[MdB]

yep, anyone with a good credit history that is.

If you don't or don't want credit, they also do cash cards which give you the price reductions and free delivery but you have to pay as you order.

 

[Gervase]

An account does give you more leverage. I need some lime putty in a hurry recently, and one of my local Jewson's branches stocks it. I rang to ask how much per tub - £22 I was told! :shock:
Seeing as I can get it from Ty Mawr for £8 or so, I asked them to see how close they could get to that for 20 tubs. They rang back within 15 minutes with a deal for £9 a tub, delivered. Bless their little cotton socks.

 

[MdB]

I understand why you buy yours but I recon my mortar costs me around £2 per tub. (and may 5 times that in my time in getting the materials and mixing....)

 

[Flyfisher]

I can second (third?) the ease of opening an account at Jewson. You have to pay attention to the discounts though and be prepared to haggle. I was getting 40% off trade prices until I said I needed a better price and was immediately offered 60% off. Actually, it was so easy I now suspect I could have done a bit better!

 

[MdB]

Speaking to our Jewsons manager he told me to haggle.