where do you get your hydrocal?

[Anonymous]

Are hydrocal and plaster exactly the same thing? Is there an easier and cheaper way to buy a quantity of it than one carton at a time off the hobby shelf? I understand that Woodland Scenics has a special lightweight version....I don't necessarily need that. I just want to buy a decent sized bag or package of hydrocal or anything that is virtually the same product. How is the best way to do that?

[BR60103]

Hydrocal is one form of plaster. Lynn Westcott said that it is the plaster that makes alabaster.
I've never bought a large bag but a good hobbyshop should be able to supply you. Some of them also keep a bag and sell small amounts out of it.
You might find it at an art supply shop, although I suspect that, like Homasote, its major consumers are model railroaders.
--David
P.S. One of my friends had a large bag and shared it -- imagine sitting in a parking lot distributing brown paper bags of white powder.

[Anonymous]

David,
Thanks for the info. Any idea or way to find out where your friend got a large bag of it? That sounds exactly like what I'm looking for. These guys that build magazine quality layouts in full basements and talk about how many thousands of pounds of hydrocal they've hauled in....surely they didn't bring it in by the milk carton full.
If I ever find someone to buy a quantity from, I'll remember your message and think twice about parking lot distribution. That's funny.

[dknelson]

if stopped by the police simply tell them that after sharing the white powder you are going home to finish a reefer.

[Anonymous]

"Hydrocal"is a brand name of a plaster made by U.S.Gypsum ( supplier). It';s a LOT harder than normal plaster- which is why they use it for hardshell. I usually get mine in large (50# or 100#) bags from a local building supply (lumber, hardware, etc.) yard. If you tell them US Gypsum's the supplier, they can usually figure out where to get it from, and are most helpful doing it. There are a couple of colors- white, grey, Ultracal (even HARDER), etc. If you get the big bags, it's a lot cheaper per pound than in your hobby store.

[gerryleone]

Take a look on US Gypsum's website. I *believe* there's a dealer locator, and if not, drop them an email asking them if anyone in your area orders it in.

I get mine at an art supply distributor (who also sells casting supplies). When I first entered the place and asked for Hydrocal, the first thing he said was "Model railroader?" He says model railroaders and artists who cast statues are the only ones who buy it.

A 50 lb. bag costs $15, so you can imagine the profit margin Woodland Scenics is making.

-Gerry

[Anonymous]

LOL!!!!! Great line!

[Anonymous]

They look at me funny when I go into the Home Depot and ask for hydrocal. Besides how hard does a hard shell have to be. Isn't plaster of paris hard enough?

[wp8thsub]

"Besides how hard does a hard shell have to be. Isn't plaster of paris hard enough?"

Maybe. I've used various plasters over the years and I find Hydrocal to be unnecessary to achieve sufficient strength. Last time I checked locally earlier this year, Hydrocal was going for over $30 per 100 pound bag, while the same amount of USG casting plaster was $11. Casting plaster has plenty of strength and I like the way it takes stain better than Hydrocal (which absorbs stain more readily and goes darker, faster, but others' experiences may differ).

Plaster is graded based on how finely ground it is. Plaster of Paris is usually about the cheapest, coarsest grade you can get. It sets up a little soft for my liking, but try for yourself and see if suits your needs.

[Anonymous]

Dakota,

I concur with the other posts about hydrocal being very strong. I hand carved about 40 sq. feet of rocks on my last layout and I went through about four 100 lb.bags (I covered a layout 4x16 with mountains). I love hydrocal and found the whole carving thing to be very therapeutic.

The stuff was so hard that when I was taking down the layout, it bogged down a sawzall. The only way to remove it was to wail with a sledge. It sets up hard enough to scrape your knuckles on it.

I reccomend finding the supply house in town that services lath and plaster construction workers and remodelers. (not Home Depot) I think they use it to repair old plaster in houses built in the pre-drywall era.

There is another product by the same maker called hydrostone: Avoid it. Takes longer to set up and has the wrong texture.

I have several buddies who like casting plaster better than hydrocal. I personally still prefer hydrocal because it is so tough. This toughness can make things difficult because it is pretty difficult to carve or change things after the stuff has set up (unless you break it out and start over). On the positive side, think of it as building a layout that will last a looooong time....


have fun

Guy

[Anonymous]

Thing is, you need to do the calling around yourself in your area and find it in bulk at a local lumberyard/HI/Hardware. Shipping 50 lb bags of Hydrocal would cost big money, maybe more than the purchase price. 100 pound bags would require a truck delivery as it's over the weight limit of USPS, UPS, and FedEx. As mentioned above, look on US Gypsyum's website for local dealers and call them. FRED

[Anonymous]

Over the years I've used over 1500# of Hydrocal, and let's not forget Dental Stone,the real deal for casting rock molds.I've always bought these items in 80-90 pound bags.
Now for the not so good news.These products can only be carried by certain U S Gypsum dist.,due to their sensitive storage needs.This is straight from USG Chicago office.When I lived in Chicago ,there were only two places I could get these products,one in Cicero,one on Grand Ave.,and this was Chicago!Moved to rural Colorado,now the fun really began.Yep,I got it!,took weeks of calling and checking around.This is how I learned how hard it was to get if you don't live in a city.First it was going to be loaded on a truck out of San Diego,turns out they weren't allowed to handle Hydrocal.Next I found a place in Grand Junction who would go to Denver just to get my Hydrocal&Dental Stone!You can't stop a model railroader,so $35 a bag,60 mile ride to GJ,Igot my precious supplies.So,you can get large bags,it may take some real effort,but look at the stories you get to tell.Good luck,go for it!

[Anonymous]

I went to the USG website and there is no dealer locator for Canada. I took the time and looked at the material safety data sheet. Hydrocal is 95% Plaster of Paris and 5% Crystalline Silica. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified crystalline silica as a human carcinogen. So, make sure you use approved respiratory protection as per the M.S.D.S. sheet.