Home DIY

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.