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From CEO Croft Elsaesser:

The number of questions generated by our lime putty release is exciting.  Some clarifications:

The lime putty is slaked from a “high calcium” calcium oxide here in Albuquerque, NM.  This is not a Dolomitic lime.

The current buckets that are available from American Clay have aged for at least 12 months.  We have small batches of putty that have been aged 36 months, but those will remain in-house for continued testing.  We have additional putty that is aging so that we can continue to provide a quality putty for a lime-wash, and for gauging into our earth plasters.

This is NOT a lime plaster that is going to take the place of “venetian plasters” on the market.  It is not blended with aggregates, and other materials to make it applicable in this way.  The introduction of the putty is to provide a material that is only putty: no additional extenders, or acrylics.  This can be used to make a lime-wash, and to gauge into our clay plasters.  Artisans that are using putty to make mortars or plasters could use the putty in this way, but it is only their knowledge and expertise that will make this viable, and American Clay is only selling the putty in one gallon buckets at this time.

When used to gauge our earth plaster, it spreads and works  similarly to clay.  Currently, the only application system that we've tested  is  American Clay's “traditional method”.  This involves using the sanded primer as a “key” for the plaster to grab onto.  Application is the same as the clay, except the final compression must take place within 12 hours of the second coat application.  The “curing” and compression will be easier in damp climates, whereas keeping the lime damp in dry climates is more difficult.  In dry climates you are more likely to get a “chalky” surface because the lime will dry too quickly.  This can be remedied using a very damp surface and a sponge, brush, or micro-fiber cloth worked across the surface.  One key difference is when the putty is mixed into our plaster, it does begin a FEEBLE hydraulic reaction, and will reduce the life of the plaster.  This has shown to be longer than 8 weeks, but as an applicator you cannot expect the clay-lime mix to remain workable indefinitely like the putty alone.

We hope this helps to answer some common questions. Feel free to contact us at the American Clay corporate offices at 866-404-1634 for further information.