I’m slaking quick lime to calcium hydroxide (lime putty). Lime putty gets better with age as the particle size shrinks. Can anyone think of any way to speed the aging process? 1 day old lime putty is chemically identical to 10 year old lime putty. So far, I’ve tired using a hydraulic press, extensive mixing, heat, and cold with no luck The only possible thing I can think of at this point is using a concrete vibrator. I’m asking here as there is barely any research on the subject…
No help on your question, but I recall seeing slaked like mentioned on Townsends for preserving eggs without refrigeration so this may be of interest to you also.
https://vintagerecipesandcookery.com/preserve-eggs-slaked-lime-water-glass/
It would seem that starting with the finest Quick Lime would help. I did read about how the Romans required the lime putty to stand for 4 years before use. I assume that once you wet it out and keep it wet, the water on the top of the tub keeps the lime putty from reacting with CO2, and is how the romans were able to store/age it for that long?
What’s your recipe right now? How hot does it get when you start mixing it up?
https://mississippilime.com/products/quicklime/
They have different grades. The smaller the PSD, the more surface area to react, the faster the quicklime should react with the water. Finer particles, more concern about respiration and burning your lungs. They would probably be best to answer the question.
Start with the smallest particle size quicklime, constant/periodic mixing to expose the unreacted surface of the quicklime as the outer ‘shell’ reacts with the water.
Really interesting stuff. Especially the natural gas/water transmission and natural anti-micorbial.
It maybe that it just takes time…
Chemist, not my area, but I had done a lot of reading on ‘geopolymers’ as potential coatings buildings and fillers for 3D printed materials.
Except starting with the finest grade etc as mentioned above, I don’t think you can hurry the process. In my limited understanding it is an ongoing dynamic at a microscopic level. You can only physically crush the particle size down so far. After that you have to allow the curing process to do its thing. It will strengthen in a relative rising curve to a point, then start to degrade.
Concrete follows a slightly different process but has similar curing properties. The Hoover Dam concrete is still getting stronger in the unexposed depths of the solid concrete.
Picture 1 is fresh slaked putty at the micron level. Picture 2 (top right) is 2 month old lime putty. Picture 3 (bottom left) is 1 year old putty.
Any guesses as to what is occurring? Almost seems like consolidation to me. I’m wondering if a concrete vibrator might simulate the aging process.
And random question: does anyone have an idea where I can get time on a scanning electron microscope?
Looks like it is also going from crystalline to amphorous.
It would be interesting to put the putty in something that ‘giggled’, and kept it warm, but not hot? Maybe the vibrator, but it runs for a bit every few minutes?
Someone has to have the answer, it would seem like a big issue to its use.
Having developed new materials and products based on chemistry, I told our CEO that after you run through all the variables and you haven’t gotten what you want, it isn’t a problem, it’s a fact. Wanting and thinking something should happen, doesn’t mean it’s actually possible.
Is buying aged not an option? I’ve seen it for sale, but it ain’t cheap.
Vibration doesn’t seem to do what everyone wants -
Ultrasonic won’t work because of density and the volume you’re using (non-Newtonian fluid and not a bench top experiment).
But I’m not sure there’s a way to accelerate crystalline growth or change (radiation? massive, massive pressure?), but vapor and pressure slaking might get you farther along than just soaking. Has anyone done super-heated steam?
I’m guessing that you’ve seen this -
https://ceramics.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1151-2916.2000.tb01332.x
And this -
(A couple of boilermakers prevent too much study)
Sent from 80ms in the future
I spent $3000 on aged lime putty. I have about 1/3 of it left which is reserved for the white coat. I bought the same amount of quicklime for $600.
The only two options I can think of it mechanically vibrating it or applying a direct current. Something about free Ca being lost over time. Maybe an electrical charge would help.
How long was that aged?
initially it was aged 3 months. The 900 pounds left has aged over a year now
So in 3 months, a drum of water and rock goes 5X in value? I guess it is just finding the right buyer and shipping costs…
Yup. I would have bought this quicklime last year and not had this issue but the place I bought it from said individuals couldn’t buy quicklime. So I believed him. Dumbass me didn’t look hard enough
Update: vibration helped slightly.
Going to try some organic additives and distilled water.
I don’t know if distilled is a lot more expensive than de-ionized, but DI should do what you are looking for- if you are thinking that pure water will react with the CaO faster.
Citric acid is a cheap pigment dispersant, but at the pH of the CaO dispersion, not sure what would happen, or the long term issues in the plaster. Also, additives may affect the viscosity and flow properties.
Sure seems like a heated, agitated, pressure cooker would help…
Fascinating.
What are you using for agregate and fibers?
I only used distilled water as I want to avoid chlorine. When I make the plaster I’m using hemp fiber.
As for the lime putty I tried slaking quicklime in sugar. Used to much. Going to try again, but if I could find some calcium Lignosulfonate , it would help. No idea where to buy it. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0008884620311194
Lime is fascinating. Chinese would use rice and blood. Some Roman used ox blood to make a stronger mortar. The subject is almost never ending and because of modern materials, I don’t think we will ever realize the full potential of the stuff.
I vaguely recall hearing about an experiment exposing high temperature lime (can’t recall what state) to high explosive compression. Testing the effects of high heat and pressure. If you come across the results of that in your travels please share, I’m curious.
Metallurgy is fascinating and is in someways, the history of society. Ceramics, I think, are the future. I was at a conference recently where they are starting to use the term ‘peak plastic’- not because we can’t make it, but because sentiment has turned away from single use plastics and the demand for recycling or alternatives is rising. Ceramics are even wilder and weirder than metals. I’ve been looking at geopolymers and how you can make a coffee mug that you can from multiple stories. Plus, we are never going to run out of silicates or clay…
Ceramics and the like are certainly going to make great strides as manufacturing methods innovate. Looking at many of the “miracle” products currently available I can only imagine as more tech is applied. I’ve heard tidbits in scientific and engineering circles about the possibilities of future development, especially zero gee manufacturing and using existing space borne materials for construction. Thereby eliminating most of the lift requirements.
Right now is a pretty cool time but I’d love a peek at 100 years into the future. Assuming we don’t F it up and go Roman Empire 2.0 