Polygon-
You can mix with a mixer (if you have one).
I used a big drill & paddle.
As with cement, you don;t want it too wet. Grabbing a handful of it, it should hold it's shape reasonably well.
Re: hot lime & lime putty - As I understand it, they're both calcium hydroxide, but hot like is stored dry & mixed with water before use (creating an exothermic reaction), whereas lime-putty is stored wet (and needs to be stored wet for ages to pre-cure it).
Which is why I've only used NHL / hydraulic lime, as it's easier to store & work with.
Then there's the whole keeping-the-pointing-damp-until-it-goes-off that you need to worry about.
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did you have to use a cement mixer or manage to mix by hand?
Mixed by hand - repointing in (small) stages so I was only ever using a bucketful at a time.
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NotThamesWater
jsabine
From that link, looks like hydraulic line mortar (so yes, NHL) is what I used - forgiving of the inexperienced, and much like cement mortar in use ...
Whatever you get if you go into a mainstream builders' merchant and look for lime mortar, basically. Straightforward to use, which suited me for our garden wall.