Last night I made my first rock castings. I learned two valuable lessons.
For what it is worth.
Richard
RideonRoad:
One of my early lessons" DO NOT CLEAN LEFTOVER HYDROCAL DOWN THE DRAIN.
A never to be repeated mistake.
Dave
Don't worry about getting Hydrocal on your hands. It's not toxic or painful. It washes off easily. It's one of those "inner child" things.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
But doesn't washing it off of your hands violate the don't-put-it-down-the-drain driective?
RideOnRoad But doesn't washing it off of your hands violate the don't-put-it-down-the-drain driective?
Why are you getting it all over your hands? A box of 100 gloves at HD is about $12.00 and is throw away. Doug
Even if you make a soupy 1:1 mix, it will still harden. Although I perfer a thicker mix, many will still use the "soup" especially for more intricate, craggy detailed molds. Less chance of air bubbles or voids. Old plaster or improperly stored products can become crumbly and still have issues even if left overnight.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
Since we're talking about working with hydrocal, I wanted to pass on this tip about mixing vessels for plaster I read about and now use religiously. Buy a cheap regulation basketball. Cut it in half (deflate it first). Now you have two good size mixing bowls. When you are done with the first batch, just mix up the second batch, leaving the first to dry out in the 1/2 ball. When done with the second batch, the first batch has dried up. Just turn the ball inside out and the plaster will come right out. Then just wipe out the residue with a damp paper towel. Viola! Ready for the next batch or storage. Joel
My mixing is done in a rubber dental mixing bowl I was lucky enough to inherit from a dental student. Works like a champ.