London Posted April 3, 2021 Report Share Posted April 3, 2021 Hello, Thank you for any advise you can offer. I'm trying to do castings of flowers in clay and using a plaster of paris to make the mold. I've been told to use a non sulfur, non-hardening clay and oil based. But i do know that plaster of paris heats up and I wonder if the oil will be an issue. Also a clay that is soft and captures fine details would be perfect. Thank you so much for your advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted April 4, 2021 Report Share Posted April 4, 2021 Plastaline will work, the firmer it is the less chance of deforming during the plaster setting up but the harder it is to work with. I've also used a polymer clay (fimo) and baked it in the oven to firm up then used that for a form for plaster. Wipe out the mold with vinegar and water mixed 1:1 after the plaster has set to get rid of any oil residue then give it a rinse. If you can get #1Pottery Plaster instead of using Plaster of Paris I would use that instead. Welcome to the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Posted April 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2021 Madeleine, Thank you so, so much for your help. I'll look up the Pottery Plaster you recommended. Do you have any thoughts on doing a mix of concrete and plaster? You made my day with your response. Thanks so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted April 4, 2021 Report Share Posted April 4, 2021 I know cement can be added to plaster to make it stronger but I've never done it so can't comment on how castings turn out with it. I would wonder if the sand in the cement would affect the surface of the plaster mold. It's common to make forms to be cast with smooth pottery clay (water based regular clay). Is this an option for your flowers? It would be less expensive than using plastaline and works really well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Posted April 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2021 Thank you Madeleine, I just ordered your suggestions. These are some examples of what I'd like to do. I love the details the clay and plaster capture. I also really like how smooth the white looks on the right. It's so crisp and uniform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted April 5, 2021 Report Share Posted April 5, 2021 That first image looks like it could just be a plaster cast of flowers, like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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