Plaster & Cement as materials for sculpture

Gypsum as a material for casting, building up and modelling

Plaster is a material that offers a wide range of uses: You can cast plaster or model with it. If you first cast a plaster blank, you can also use it to make sculptures or models using an ablative technique. Plaster is also very suitable for building support moulds, e.g. for flexible casting moulds made of Silikon.

Natural plaster, such as KRONE's alabaster model plaster, contains no additives, is non-toxic, non-caustic and ecologically safe. Alabaster plaster has a high degree of whiteness and is very finely ground. It can easily be pigmented with e.g. mineral dyes. If you need extra hard plaster, we recommend e.g. Calcast 300, an alpha hemihydrate plaster. It is suitable for all moulds where high hardness and strength are essential.

When you make the plaster mass, first fill the mixing water into a container and let the plaster powder gradually trickle in. After a short sinking time, stir the plaster vigorously and then process it immediately.

Cement and concrete for plastic objects

Cement, as a binding agent, forms the basis for concrete and concrete-like materials, thus also for stone casting. Basically, cement, water and aggregates are combined to produce a wide variety of casting materials for individual requirements.

If, for example, white cement, water and marble flour are mixed, a marble-like result is obtained that is not quite as hard as hard plaster. Tiles, for example, are cast from this material. The mass can also be used for laminating, for example. A harder mortar is obtained by combining cement with sand as an aggregate, for example. A classic concrete is made, for example, from Portland cement and gravel aggregate of various sizes.

Portland cement has been around since the 19th century and is based on a combination of clay and lime that is burned and ground. Aluminium cement contains a higher proportion of aluminium, which creates a very hard, abrasion-resistant and temperature-resistant casting compound that is very suitable for sculptures that are to be placed outdoors.

Colouring plaster and concrete with pigments

Both plaster and cement masses can be coloured with pigments, e.g. with metal oxides and mineral dyes. Pigments that are commonly used for colouring latex can also be used for plaster.

It is always advisable to make a colour sample before the actual casting.

Release agent for plaster and concrete

Please remember to use a suitable release agent depending on the application, so that the casting mould and casting compound or original object and moulding compound cannot form an inseparable bond with each other.

Reinforce plaster & concrete moulds, repair plaster moulds

You can reinforce plaster moulds, for example, with jute . If you have broken a plaster mould, e.g. a support mould, you can repair it with plaster bandages, for example. Concrete moulds can be reinforced with metal meshes, but also with glass fibre mats, for example.