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Roman Lime Mortar: Three of Pitsand or Two of River Sand to One of Slaked Lime, with Pounded Brick (Vitruvius)
Building mortar as Vitruvius gives it in Book II: test the sand by feel and on a white cloth, then mix slaked lime with three parts of fresh pitsand, or with two parts of river or sea sand plus pounded, sifted burnt brick. The sand you have sets the proportion.
Beginner
An hour per batch, after the lime is slaked
Instructions
1
1
His proportions
His proportions
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2
2
Read Vitruvius
Read Vitruvius
"After slaking it, mix your mortar, if using pitsand, in the proportions of three parts of sand to one of lime."
3
3
Test the sand
Test the sand
Good pitsand (black, gray, red or 'carbuncular') crackles when rubbed in the hand. Throw some on a white cloth and shake it out: if the cloth is not soiled, the sand is clean enough. Use pitsand fresh from the pit; left lying in sun and frost it turns earthy and will not bind.
Materials for this step:
Sand1 pieceTools needed:
Cotton Cloth
Shovel4
4
Or sift river or sea sand
Or sift river or sea sand
With no sandpit, sift sand from a river bed, gravel or the beach. It dries slowly, will not carry vaults, and sea sand gives a salty bloom under stucco.
Materials for this step:
Sand1 pieceTools needed:
SieveShovel5
5
Pound the brick
Pound the brick
For river or sea sand, pound burnt brick and sift it.
Materials for this step:
Brick1 pieceTools needed:
Mortar and PestleSieve6
6
Mix
Mix
Use slaked lime from white stone (hard, close-grained stone for walls). Measure with one vessel: 3 sand to 1 lime for pitsand; 2 sand to 1 lime for river or sea sand, adding "a third part" of the brick (ours: one measure). Hoe it together dry, then with water to a stiff, workable paste (water ours).
Materials for this step:
Slaked Lime1 pieceSand1 pieceBrick1 piece
Water1 pieceTools needed:
Mortar Box
Hoe
Bucket7
7
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
Mortar troubleshooting.
Flow
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8
8
History and honest limits
History and honest limits
From Vitruvius, **The Ten Books on Architecture**, Book II chs. IV-V, tr. M. H. Morgan (1914), pp. 44-46 (checked on the archive.org scan vitruviustenbook00vitruoft). He adds that limestone loses about a third of its weight in the kiln. He gives parts, not a vessel, and no water: the measuring, the water and our reading of the brick 'third part' as one measure are ours.
Materials
4- 3 piecesPlaceholder
- 1 piecePlaceholder
- 1 piecePlaceholder
- 1 piecePlaceholder
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