Lightweight Hydrocal Cleanup

I’m learning how to work with WS lightweight hydrocal and I know there has to be a good way of cleaning up the utensils. Once it dries in a plastic bowl it’s a little hard to get out completely. Any suggestions on working with it and cleaning up after is appreciated.

JaRRell

What works for me is a bucket of water to toss tools, bowls, plastic molds, ect, into when not using, and a wet towel to wipe them off when I reuse them during the project. Then after the project is compleated it is a easy clean up as the plaster is not set up and is easy to hose off all the tools, molds and even the towel…John

Ok John, thanks.

I let some of it set up in the plastic bowls and I shouldn’t do that. I think I’m going to switch over to glass bowls.

JaRRell

Get an old basketball and cut it in half. Make this your plaster mix bowl. When it dries, just turn the ball inside out over the trash.

That’s a new one, never heard of it before. 'Course, there’s a lot of things I haven’t tried and this is one of them.

Thanks,

JaRRell

I use yogurt containers or other disposables, like the little plastic tubs they put scallops in at the supermarket. (Umm, scallops. Get the big sea scallops. Much better than the little bay scallops. For hydrocal, it doesn’t matter, though.)

I try to rinse stuff out, and I make sure to dump everything outside in the scrub woods, not down the drain. After that, I just let the little containers sit there until I need them again. If anything hardened in them, I just give the containers a whack and shatter the hydrocal into little pieces, which then all come out easily. This also works for Durhams Water Putty, by the way.

And if all else fails, I buy more scallops and get another container.

If I recall, hydrocal will set up even in water so Mr. B made an excellent point about not dumping down the drain. When I work with plaster, what’s left over is allowed so set up. Then break it loose from the plastic container and it will make a good source of tallus.

Tom