Anyone know of any sites that have good prices on plaster cloth. My LHS has Woodland Senices plaster cloth for $7.29. Any recommendations or alternatives to plaster cloth? The $7.29 price is on a 8"x15' roll. It seems like a good price to me.
Scrounge around on e-Bay. A couple of years ago I found it in 100 pound lots for $10 per 100 lbs (plus shipping). It was advertised as a leftover medical product.
Look around. You should be able to get it cheaper.
Springfield PA
Check your local medical supply store. Mine has it, not a lot cheaper, but no shipping. Might be cheaper if I bought a box.
For alternatives, you can soak newspaper, rags or paper towels in plaster solution.
Also, you can use white glue instead of plaster (glueshell), supposedly not as messey and easier to clean up.
Good luck,
Richard
http://www.aswexpress.com/discount-art-supplies/sculpture-and-modeling/creative-mark-plaster-cloth-rolls.html
Wait for a 15%-20% discount "code" if you want an even better price, then buy enough for free shipping, or vice-a-versa, or sometimes they offer both discounts and free shipping. There's usually if not always some deal going on with them.
You can trust them, too...I and most of the artists I know use Blick and ASW and sometimes Jerry's Art-a-Rama routinely with no problems.
Good luck.
The St. Francis Consolidated Railroad of the Colorado Rockies
Denver, Colorado
Check Blick Art Materials in Galesburg IL. wwwdickblick.com It is medical cloth only about 2-3 inches wide but in rolls . it isn't the quality of WS but it works. comes in 20 lb boxes for about $51 plus shipping, i figured it at about $.30 a sq. ft, maybe a little less.
If you have a Michaels' store nearby try there. In my area they have an ad in the Sunday paper every week and there is usually a 40% off coupon the regular price for any one item. Last time I was there with the spouse they carried plaster cloth and when figured with the coupon it would be relatively cheap.
I'd definitely check out the ASW website at: www.aswexpress.com. I just went to the site and found they had single rolls (4" x 15') for $3.79 each and boxes of 32 rolls for $1.87/roll. Also see the post above from St. Francis Consolidated about discounts, etc. that ASW offers.
Another thing I've read about, but not tried myself, is soaking used anti-static drier sheets in soupy Hydrocal plaster and using them like plaster cloth. Obviously it's more of a mess than plaster cloth but it's cheap and apparently gives you added strength in the resulting hardshell.
Bob
That is a good price, but not as good as it looks on the surface. While they are both 15 feet long, the ASW roll is only 4 inches wide. The Woodland Scenics roll is 8 inches wide. You must therefor double the ASW price or convert them both to per square foot before comparing.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Try your local medical centre / hospital for `up to use by date` stuff. They are normally happy to give it away (or maybe for a small donation) as they have to dump it anyway. It comes in lots of different sizes too. Worked for me anyway.... good luck!
Tony
RFinch Another thing I've read about, but not tried myself, is soaking used anti-static drier sheets in soupy Hydrocal plaster and using them like plaster cloth. Obviously it's more of a mess than plaster cloth but it's cheap and apparently gives you added strength in the resulting hardshell. Bob
Just make sure that they're used before trying. Otherwise your layout will smell like a baby's bottom.
Michael's sells a product called Rigid Wrap which I like. I only buy it on sale dates. I think normal price is $8.99. The 7.29 is a good price, It's usually $9.99 at my LHS.
Not sure if they do it around the country, but in my area Michaels has a sales flyer in the Sunday paper with a 40% off coupon on regular priced merchandise. Comes in real handy when the wife is not using it.
Larry
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