Slightly hydraulic lime

Feebly-hydraulic limes (also called semi hydraulic) are limes which possess slight hydraulic properties. 

Of the lime or cement to be tried, a cake of quite stiff hydrate must be made of a size to lie, without touching the sides, in the bottom of a tumbler any excess of water should be absorbed from the cake by bibulous paper, until it will just support a wire of an inch in diameter loaded to weigh 7 of a pound—this wire should barely make its impression. Noting the hour and minute of the watch, the cake, thus prepared, should be placed in the tumbler, and covered immediately with water. If the specimen be very hydraulic, it will set almost instantly if not very hydraulic, it may require days, and if but slightly hydraulic, it may require weeks to harden. In order to have some invariable measure of what we call setting, we have always used a wire of an inch in diameter, loaded to weigh 1 pound. 

The lime used was Fort Adams unground lime. It was slaked to powder by the affusion of one-third its bulk of water, and allowed to stand several days. As it was about to be used, it was reduced to paste and passed through a hand paint-mill, by which it was made very fine. It should be borne in mind that this lime is slightly hydraulic. 

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