Plaster Scenery Tip

[Kanawha]

I don't know if anyone else has tried this, but I've found that when mixing plaster or hydrocal for use on scenery it helps to mix the paint color you want the ground to be directly into the plaster. It doesnt effect the curing properties of the plaster and saves you another step if you want to cover the whole area with one color. It also eliminates those annoying specs of white that sometimes show through paint and ground foam. :mrgreen:

 

[TrainNut]

I tried that... once... and I was not real pleased with the results. Plus, it took a lot more paint that way than when I just apply it with an airbrush. I can see the advantage of doing it your way... perhaps I just didn't give it a chance.

 

[Kanawha]

Yeah, it does take quite a bit more paint since you're not just covering the surface. I can't stand those little white flecks though.

 

[jimh]

There are pigments you can buy to add to plaster in order to color it. Try Googling for plaster pigment or plaster dye for online suppliers if you can not find a local source.

 

[MadHatter]

Kanawha: I personally find that this is the best way and if there ever does a chip appear, then it shouldn't be so obvious.

 

[Russ Bellinis]

There are pigments you can buy to add to plaster in order to color it. Try Googling for plaster pigment or plaster dye for online suppliers if you can not find a local source.

I think you can pick up pigments to color tile grout at any home center. Those pigments would be more economical than mixing paint into the plaster.

 

[eburchell]

I use a different method. I go down to the nearest art supply store and buy a block of watercolor paint...take it home and grind it into powder...then add it to the plaster as you need to...economical and easy.

Ed Burchell

 

[jimh]

I think you can pick up pigments to color tile grout at any home center. Those pigments would be more economical than mixing paint into the plaster.

I looked at Home Depot the other day and they do have colors for concrete. Sells for about $5 per bottle and there was 4-5 colors to choose from. Brown, charcoal, black, brick red, and one or two others.

 

[eightyeightfan1]

Woodland Sceneics does sell pigments that can either be painted with a brush, or mixed with your plaster(Sculpta-Mold, Hydo-Cal). I've never tried the mixing method(yet), but I guess a lot of people have with good results.

 

[pgandw]

Way back when the last time I did plaster scenery (late '70s I believe), I tried both Rit cloth dye and food coloring to pre-color the Plaster of Paris. I used Plaster of Paris over window screen because Hydrocal was difficult to find and expensive then in rural Oregon.

The brown color I used really made a difference compared to the non-colored plaster. Didn't have to do anything immediately; it looked passable already. Rit dye was much more economical than food coloring but gave a monotone appearance. Food coloring was slightly different from batch to batch.

just my thoughts and experiences; yours may vary