UA742 - Lime Mortar

Lime Mortar for joints and lime mortar

Lime mortar holds masonry together, literally and visually. The acrylic shade Lime Mortar is named after it, and on a model it plays the part of the light drawing between bricks or stones. Without it a wall stays merely a colored area; with it, it breaks up into individual pieces and begins to have scale.

The mortar comes only after the masonry

The order of the work is essential here. First the face of the bricks or the stone comes about, and only then does the mortar get into the joints. In larger scales it can be led joint by joint with a thin brush; in smaller ones it pays to draw the shade over the whole area and then wipe it off the raised face of the bricks with a cloth while still wet. The paint stays where it belongs, that is in the recesses.

What to watch out for

• A joint is not white. Pure white mortar looks chalky on a model and the area falls apart.
• In one wall the mortar tends to be of differing ages, so go over some of the joints with a darker earthy tone.
• At the foot of a wall the mortar is as a rule dirtier than up under the roof; lead the transition smoothly.
• Wipe the excess off the face of the bricks at once, while the coat is wet; later it goes worse.

Who the shade will serve

Modelers who build buildings, walls and ruins in any scale, and also those who go in for small structures on a model railroad layout. It also finds use on small stone bridges, retaining walls, paving and everywhere the joint is meant to be lighter than the material around it.

Keep out of the reach of children and paint in a well ventilated space.