Plaster is one of the most commonly used casting materials as it is quite cheap and readily available as well. In fact, plaster is almost always favored by all life casting artists for making the final life cast from the molds taken from the live body.

As plaster is also pretty versatile and user friendly, plaster casting is enjoying widespread usage for almost all casting applications, much more than the more expensive resin casting or rubber casting.

But simple plaster which is actually a building material can turn out to be quite soft and chalky when used for plaster casting. It is therefore treated with heat and other additions to make it suitable for art works. This kind of treated plaster will turn out to be durable, resist crumbling or chipping and can hold finishes well. In fact, such plaster can create hard casts and yet the casts can be carved and will hold good and crisp detail.

Other benefits are that plaster is easy to work with, sets quickly and can be sculpted too. There are minimum air bubbles in the cast (when mixed properly and in the appropriate ratio) and the final finish turns out to be an attractive and pleasing natural white. What’s more, plaster can be used not just for casting but also for making backup flexible molds or even shell molds for making latex slip castings.

But care has to be taken when handling plaster for casting purposes. This is because when plaster is mixed with water it creates an exothermic chemical reaction and emanates heat that can easily burn the skin. Wearing full sleeved shirts and using gloves is always advisable.

So, hobbyists and professional artists alike can use plaster instead of the resin casting to create high definition casts and life casts that will be detailed and long lasting, but you have to be careful when handling the plaster.

EnvironMolds, LLC is a leading manufacturer of mold making and casting products, tools and equipment that are environment-friendly and user-safe. It has almost 100 dealers across USA and sells its high-quality products in 14 countries around the world. It was recently awarded the prestigious 2013 Summit Award for Artists’ Materials. For further details email at [email protected] or call 1-866-278-6653 (toll free in USA), 1-908-273-5401 (international)