Thread: make your own plaster clay!

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DID YOU KNOW.....

You can make your own clay from plaster of paris???

I found it quite by accident on google, and it's disgustingly simple.
Just mix up your plaster as usual, then start adding handfuls of ordinary flour (yup, that stuff ya gots in da kitchen) and mix/squeeze/mush it together as you go. Keep adding flour until the plaster becomes a clay-like consistency.
Take out a lump at a time and knead it as you go.

This stuff gives you a few hours of working time...sets up quickly....is workable exactly like clay when you dip your fingers in water to smooth the surface or blend parts together. You can even do you project in stages, as new "clay" will stick nicely and blend into dry parts.

Think this process weakens the plaster? Not that I can detect! The pic below is a hollow skull, and it's NOT poured...the walls of the skull are less than 1/4 inch thick, and the thing is as hard as a rock.

And that's with less than 24 hours drying time.

GEEEEEEZ, I love google!

(Sorry for the horrible angle. It's hotter than H-E-double-hockey-sticks outside!!!)

IC, that is a great idea! I might have to give it a try. Thanks for posting.

hummm,,,, I will have to check this out!

Hows the weight of this. Lighter then reg plaster? Heavier??

Thanks for the great tip. Is plaster of paris cheap? I have never used it before, might have to check it out.

bouncerbudz: I dunno if it's heavier than reg plaster...this is my 1st project using it.

Grimm: yep. plaster is real cheap.

Thanks for the tip! This has three of my favorite advantages:

#1 Dirt cheap

#2 Easy to find

#3 Easy to do

Wooooohooooooooo !!!!!

Sounds like a good idea, worth a try does it take paint well?

Originally Posted by Obcessedw\it

Sounds like a good idea, worth a try does it take paint well?

Don't know...haven't gotten to the painting stage yet, still making minor adjustments & touch-ups. Can't see why it wouldn't, tho...once it's dry, I can't tell the difference between this stuff and regular plaster. Knock on it good and hard and it even sounds like plaster. I plan on using artist medium to seal it before any real painting, which you'd need to do with straight plaster anyway.

That's so cool. I wonder how well it would work for making molds?