Well, a big blow to my scenery came recently. My city’s main supplier no longer carries hydrocal and I haven’t found anyone else within 600 miles that stocks it. What alternatives do I have, especially in the strength and detail categories?
I use Durabond 90 for all my scenery work and rock castings. It has a working time of about 90 minutes (hence the name) so you don’t have to rush things. There’s also a Durabone 45 that sets in half the time. You can mix it with plaster of paris if you want to speed it up even quicker.
Mark.
How is it for strength compared to hydrocal?
Try dental casting plaster - many of the same qualities as hydrocal - plenty strong but not quite as strong as hydrocal. Great for castings and detail. I have used both for many years, I prefer hydrocal but I use both with good results.
Guy
Durham`s water putty…you can get it at Lowes and Home Depot…strong like hydrocal …but does not get hot when it sets up…also has a little bit of give …so it is less likely to crack after it sets up.
I use plaster of Paris for my scenery. Works jsut as well as hydrocal at a fraction of the cost. You can get a backet of it for $7 at Michael’s. You can get it for less if you print out a coupon.
Many setting-type plasters will work for model scenery applications about the same as Hydrocal. You won’t notice any difference in the end result. The hobby press obsessing over the Hydrocal brand name has been a disservice in my opinion.
I use USG 20-minute casating plaster as that’s what I can get locally. Plaster of paris is similar too. You can find a supplier or order direct here http://plaster.com/ .
There is a difference between HydroCal and the dental material. I have both. I stain my HydroCal rocks by using very dilute washes. You cannot do that with the dental product, it must be painted. It does cast well, and is harder than the HydroCal in the end, which probably explains why it won’t take the stain.
Stained HydroCal:
