FW: Cob: clarification on Quick lime vs hydrate

[Charmaine R Taylor]

Hi Matt, you misread what I wrote  I did NOT say it's quick lime AFTER
it's slaked in water (hydrated.)..I know better.

I have not read anything anywhere about  freshly made quicklime being
added  DIRECTLY to clay. If this is a new process, it's new to me.  None
of the National Lime inst. info details use this way to my knowledge.

Now, freshly slaked quicklime is left in sufficient water to be a lime
putty/paster, and that is added to high clay soils to stabilize them.
Stickly Gumboil or Montmorillonite clays are so water loving they need
the lime to balance them.

In your method/ description where does the quicklime GET its water?

As for the LIME :WATER warning asked by Ocean..ALWYS add lime to water,
even dry hydrate that HAS been processed. You never know if an unslaked
bit will "pop" exploding lime powder into you face.  This can burn you.
Here is the slaking process:
Fresh roasted Quicklime "thirts" for water..that's why it's called
"slaking" when the hot lime is put into water...the lime "takes" the
water it needs, and drives off the rest in an exothermic reaction
(heat:steam) until a dry powder is achieved.  Sometimes it is left in
enough water to be a lime putty.  Too much water or too cold of water
"drownd" quicklime so it is unreactive, to little water to to high a
heat generated is called "dead burned", and is also unreactive. This is
why the ASTM guidlines are strict to produce a perfectly useable, fine
powder lime.

Messing with quicklime for the averageperson  can be dangerous, and the
results uneven at best. Even Ianto and others who ARE savvy make
mistakes... quicklime can boil off and melt stuff, explode, start fires,
and injure people.

Charmaine  Taylor/ Taylor Publishing
http://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com
http://www.papercrete.com
PO Box 375, Cutten CA 95534
707-441-1632