The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-06-14
Italian Methods With Lime Mortar.

A correspondent Of the Buider gives
a few details of the Italian method o
making and using lime mortar which
are new to Us, and of considerable in
tercst rs are nearly all the particulars
of construction N practiced by thes,
skillful workmcn. In the opinion of the
Buiider'S correspondent, most Of the
modern Italian processes are Identical
with those practiccd in the same coun
try by the ancestors of the present in
hahitants two thousand years ago; and
he believes that the good quality Of the
Roman mortar, which has been pro-
verbal for centuries, belongs equally to
that made every day in Naples or Peru
gia. As everyone knows, the custom
among the Italian masons is, on com.
mencing work upon new building, to
dig first pit, large enough to contain
all the mortar required for the work,
into which is put lime enough to fill it
within foot or two of the top. Water
is then poured in until the pit is filled,
and the mixture is left to itself, care
being taken only TO add water as that
first put in ia evaporated or absorbed,
As mortar is wanted, portion of the
lime is taken from the top Of the mass,
but the lower portion, which will be
used to mix with the plasterng mortar,
remains undisturbed for years, and ac-
quires a smooth, pasty quality much
priced by the Italian architects, who
place value upon the lime which they
use for such purposes proportonate TO
the length of time which has elapsed
since it was first slaked. The good
effect Of this mode ofpreparation is seen
in the perfect stability of the mortar,
which never swells or cracks, and,
when used in brick work or stone mason
nv, is never observed to give rise to
those disfguring etllorescences which
are almost inevitable with us. On
plastering mortar thus made there is no
difficulty in laying the fresco colors
which are used in Italy with such
splendid effect, but which burn out into
pale and unsightly patches when laid
upon our raw, half-slaked mortar.
With lime treated in this way work
can be executed which would be i'm
possible with such materials as we en-
ploy. AS an instance of this the cor
respondent VI IIlt nhEutJ IuOlcS Ouc
battuto roofing which is constantly used
to cover costly and important buildings
in Southern Italy, and which consists
simply in thick coating of lime-mor
tar, spread over the timber work, and
beaten continually with heavy clubs for
ten days or two weeks in order to con-
solidate it, The climate of Southern
Italy is rainy, if not cold, but these
roofs, which, if made of what we con-
slider good lime-mortar, would transmit
water like a sponge, serve there to pro-
tect for centuries the house beneath.
The same kind of work is used for
floors, taking the place which would be
filled among us by cement concrete,
and the beaten lime floors appear to be
rs hard and smooth as anything that we
construct with much more costly mate
rials. That this difference in quality
between our own and the Italian NOR
tars is due to the mode of treatment
rather than the original character of
the lime used, is indicated by the fact
that many different varieties of lime
stone are employed there, according to
circumstances of locality or conven-
fence, without any material variation in
the result the Italian workmen having
learned that art which we care so little
for, the making the best of poor or indif-
ferent materials, american Architecf.