Last Wednesday, my husband found this website. By the end of that day, we and a friend had placed an order for six of the molds (#70 x2, #210, #61, #260 and #71 if you’re curious). They were waiting for us on Sunday when we got back from Arkansas. Yesterday, my husband went to a dental supply store and bought 100 pounds of dental plaster that we split three ways.
So last night we started casting our bricks. And it was sooo much fun. We stopped around midnight having made quite a few casts, and by the end of tonight, we should have enough to start putting together our first project.
Ok, truly a mundane and pointless post. Post your own ramblings.
throatshot - how much did 100lbs of dental plaster cost?
Here’s a trick for mixing plaster: Put powder and water in a sealable container (e.g. cleaned plastic milk jug) and shake vigorously. Very rapid & thorough mixing.
Xema, it was $97 after tax. Your advice is good, but I have to make only a little bit of the stuff at a time (about 8 oz) since these molds are quite small (about 4" x 6").
carnivorousplant, we were in Fayatteville for a wedding, but we also visit a couple of times a year to south AR to see my husband’s family. Which part are you from? I graduated from Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia.
The technique works best if the container is much larger than the amount of plaster you need. About 5 seconds of shaking gives a smooth mix. (This assumes that you’re looking for “pourable” consistency – is that what you try for with dental plaster?)
Yes, it’s about 1/2 cup of mix and 1/4 cup of water. It makes a very smooth mixture about the consistency of pancake batter that pours into the mold. Would there be a problem with air bubbles with this method?
The shaking puts a lot of air into the mixture, but I find it comes out quickly (though I haven’t been using dental plaster). It would probably be best to do a test of this.
