Hello ye who can help me.

Just a couple quick questions for the moment. First-
1, Since my lime putty is submerged in about an inch of water to keep it fresh in the bucket, when I take some for use, does the water that comes up with it as I scoop it up interfere with anything? Its just that I know you are supposed to add no water whatsoever as you mix in your sand or marble, and i was just wondering if this would be a problem, or if i should make some sort of concerted effort in removing any excess water that may come up from the bucket.. (if that makes sense. ???

2, should i get myself a few 5 gallon buckets and pre-mix the putty corrasponding to what layer of plaster it will be used for (sand 2 putty ratio), and store it in its own container? Or should this simply be done a few days in advance of beggining to apply to the panel?

3, i buy my pigments at the moment from a company called Gamblin. They come in powder form in little jars. Do I still have to vigorously mix them and crush them into the water before i can apply them to the plaster, because they seem to dissolve quite nicely with a bit of a stir?

3, i have done a few test panels. The pigments seem to adhere, but i can scratch them of if i try with my fingernails. Im guessing this isn't supposed to be happening. They dont just rub or flake off, nor does water wash them away, but it just seems like the plaster doesn't harden enough since i can scrape it off with my talons. They have been drying for nearly a month now. Any advice? I am using construction high calcite hydrated lime as my putty at the moment? could this be why?
Please help, i have no where to turn and am obsessed!
ps. pulverizing marble is hard!!!

thank you for your help, i imagine i will be needing much MUCH more in the future.