Plaster Crafts. plaster crafting from home and making extra money from paster casting.

Plaster Cast Glossary Of Terms

Gypsum - a soft mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·1/2H2O.
Plaster Mold (Mould) - container into which liquid is poured to create a given shape when it hardens.
Plaster Casting - the act of pouring liquid plaster of paris into a mold to form a 'cast' or copy of a shape.
Body Casting - taking a cast or form in plaster of an actual body part i.e. hand, foot, face, belly etc
Crystacal R Plaster – an extra hard white hemihydrate plaster (CaSO4·1/2H2O) used in giftware and modelling applications – mixed at a ratio of 100/35 – with a setting time of 15 minutes approx
Herculite No.2 Plaster – a high strength white plaster used in giftware having a longer set time - mixed at a ratio of 100/33 – with a setting time of 30 minutes approx
Crystacast Plaster – an exceptionally hard hemi hydrated off white plaster (CaSO4·1/2H2O) used where high surface hardness and detail reproduction is important - mixed at a ratio of 100/28 – with a setting time of 18 - 20 minutes approx

Crystacal Alpha K Plaster – an ultra high strength hemi hydrated plaster (CaSO4·1/2H2O) introduced to replace polyester resin in giftware production - mixed at a ratio of 100/21 – with a setting time of 25 minutes approx
Fibreglass Chopped Strand – loose fibre glass strands of up to 50mm long added to reinforce plaster castings
Silastic Silicone RTV Moulding material – a Room Temperature Vulcanising two part flexible moulding material
Thixo additive – a thickening agent added to certain silicone rubber mixes to allow ‘paint on’ techniques to be used on vertical surfaces allowing material to stay in place
Alginate – a slightly flexible water based, non-toxic moulding material used in the dental industry which can be used directly on skin safely and fast setting at 2-4minutes. Ideal for life casting, body casting and baby hand/foot casting.
Latex Moulding liquid - a traditional pre-vulcanised emulsion moulding material which can be used for dipping or brush on applications. Air drying and very flexible and tough it is ideal for the plaster casting of chess pieces.
Latex thickener – a liquid which when added to latex moulding liquid thickens it aiding subsequent application.
Petrogel – a petroleum jelly based mould release agent
Soft Soap – a release agent used in and on plaster moulds when making plaster castings – watering down allows multiple layers.
Petroleum Jelly – a release agent similar to Vaseline which can be thinned with white spirit for easier application – works well between silicone moulds and plaster
Shellac Flakes – when mixed together with methylated spirit works well as a sealer for plaster castings
Methylated Spirit – a clear industrial grade solvent used with Shellac flakes.
White Spirit – A clear mixing solvent and general purpose cleaner which can be mixed with beeswax to make a liquid polish for surface finishing.
Wet & Dry Abrasive paper – A high quality waterproof abrasive sheet available in many grades of grit (roughness) which can be used with soapy water.
PVA – Poly Vinyl Acetate – when mixed with water prior to casting will strengthen and add water resistance to a finished plaster casting.
Tri Sodium-citrate crystals – when dissolved in water prior to casting will retard the setting process to allow more working time.
Potassium Sulphate crystals – when dissolved in water prior to casting will accelerate the setting process shortening the working time.
Hessian/Jute Scrim – a fibrous open weaved material used to reinforce plaster ware and moulds.
Cotton Scrim – a lighter fibrous material used to reinforce lighter plaster casting applications.
Plaster Bandage – a Quick setting, medical grade plaster impregnated bandage used to create various items from armature wire covering and railway scenery to Body Casting and Life casting moulds.
Mod-Roc Plaster Bandage - a plaster and resin based, hard and lightweight plaster bandage which smoothes well - ideal for body casting, 3D work and scenery - after priming will take acrylic paints well for subsequent decoration.
Milliput – A two part epoxy putty which hardens in 2-3 hours which can be subsequently machined and painted.  Colours range from Yellowish, White and Terracotta.
Armature Wire – usually an aluminium based wire used to form figures and shapes prior to plaster sculpting or plaster bandaging.
Wire Netting – Galvanised wire mesh similar to chicken pen wire to cover armatures and reinforce structures prior to plaster casting.
Plaster Pigments – generally acrylic based and pre-mixed with water prior to plaster casting, available in a very wide range of colours.
Earth pigments – powders and colours which do not dissolve in water provide a range of finishing effects which are especially good at highlighting detail in plaster casting.
Gilding Pastes and Creams –  pastes used to retouch or gild surfaces in wide a range of metallic and other colours and ideal for plaster cast surfaces.
Mixing Bowl – flexible rubber mixing bowls are ideal for plaster mixing as bowl is flexible hard plaster can be cracked out – invaluable in plaster crafts.
Mixing Bucket – Plastic and Rubber buckets in various sizes useful as storage & carrying as well as mixing containers.
Steel Wool – strands of very thin wire available in various grades used to prepare surfaces in plaster castings before polishing, waxing, varnishing or painting.
Masking Tape – An off-white low tack general purpose tape – ideal for preparing plaster casts for painting/finishing or holding pieces together in plaster mould making.
Felt or Baize – used to cover bases of plaster craft to prevent scratching of furniture – available in black and green sheets and self adhesive.
Wire brushes – various types - in addition to general cleaning used to burnish, score and distress plaster casts.
Bucket Trowels – stainless steel, aluminium or plastic scoops used to transfer and measure plaster of Paris powder.
Knives – various retractable, disposable and standard stout knives used for cutting and trimming plaster models and other sundry uses.
Shapers – flexible, thin, shaped scrapers made in metal or plastic used to shape and manipulate plaster.
Gloves – vinyl, latex or polythene protective gloves used to cover and protect hands while pigmenting, mixing plaster, and applying plaster bandage in life casting or painting plaster mouldings.
Face Mask – a wide range available from economy lightweight items which reduce discomfort caused by exposure to powder to respirators.
Protective Eyewear, safety glasses or goggles for complete eye protection if required when mixing and pouring plaster castings or finishing with dyes and pigments.
Furniture Waxes – used to coat, cover, polish, protect and create special effects on the surface of plaster castings.
Furniture Wax filler sticks – used to highlight texture in the surfaces of plaster cast items and colour match
Dyes – spirit or water based dyes used to create a whole range of effects ranging from imitating ivory, bronze and other metals to wood effects.
Wax – patinating, verdigris, and liming waxes used to highlight surface detail or cover all sorts of craft in plaster.
Brushes – french polishing, make-up, general paint, furniture, polishing brushes used for cleaning and texturising plaster casts and surface finishing.
Scrapers – plastic or metal to aid surface finishing, applying plaster, cleaning up and flattening bases of plaster castings.
Rags and cotton waste – essential for applying and removing surface treatments, polishing, cleaning and highlighting in plaster model making.
Varnish – a spirit or water based liquid used to cover and protect finished plaster casts – available in clear and a whole range of colours and finishes.
Acrylic Paint – the non toxic water based versions of this medium are very quick drying and the most suitable when working on plaster they offer versatility, good colour depth and light fastness.
Mould (mold) release agent – a material when applied to the inside of moulds prevents the set plaster cast from sticking to the mould.  Good examples are Ambersil DP 200 and 100, petrogel and vaseline.
Plaster Support Jacket – a structure designed to enclose an unstable mould to ensure when plaster is poured the mould is retained in position and not subject to distortion with the weight of plaster.  Usually made from fibre glass, plaster or wood.
Plaster polymer – a liquid used to add to mixtures of casting plaster which produce extremely hard castings with very high resistance to water and weather.
Life Casting – is a term usually employed to describe the process of making a mould directly from a living person.  Safety is paramount with this process and care needs to be taken with eyes, breathing passages, ears, the skin itself and hair.
Craquelure – crackle finish – An effect which can be induced by applying a fast drying paint or varnish over a slow drying one.
Distressing – a method of simulating the patina of age on a casting by rubbing away some of the top layer of gilt/colour so the base colour shows through.
Graining – creating the effect of the grain of wood with paints and glazes applied over a base coat and subsequent tooling.
Spattering – decorating a surface by flicking droplets of paint over it.
Gesso – seals the pores of a plaster casting to provide a smooth surface to add further artwork/paint etc.

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