If you’re using , or if you’ve used it in the past,… plaster cloth for your scenery… where did you buy yours and approx. how much was it. I’ve been searching the internet and I find it at medical supply houses and even art supply places (they’re the most expensive), and Walthers has the Scenic Express brand on sale now…
JaRRel, I have not done so, but several posts over the past 18 months have stated that medical supply is about the cheapest. It is the same-same, and the hoby and craft places will be more expensive by quite a margin. HOever, you are not likely to use more than about three, maybe four of the WS rolls, unless you intend to use it a great deal, as in essentially hardshelling with it…that will be a whack of dough. So, factoring in your time, gas, wear and tear, etc, you are talking how many bucks in savings over shipping or whatever. Is there a medical supply place close by that will sell you four rolls, maybe six?
On my former layout, you saw some of the photos, I used less than two rolls. I used the stuff mostly to cover seams in foam and as an anchoring base for molded “rocks” on the sides of hills where I otherwise used only latex paint and ground foam cover.
I watch for Hobby Lobby to have their 40% off coupon and buy a roll or two just to have on hand. This fall I will start using more of it. Generally, the coupon is limit one item per customer per day. Since it’s less than two miles away it give me a nice excuse to ride my bike out there a couple of time during the week to pick up the plaster cloth or whatever else I might need.
I have used the WS. It is expensive, but easy to get. MY LHS ussually is a little less than Walthers with no shipping. Because I use more foam than plaster cloth these days, the little extra cost isn’t worth the effort to find it a little cheaper.
Hobby Lobby has sales and I have been able to pick small and large rolls at prices competative with bulk boxes at the local medical supply house. I live in Rochester(Mayo Clinic) so I have good availability to these plaster cast items, and was surprized that I could pick up the stuff so inexpensive at the local Hobby Lobby.
BTW, I ‘paint’ a thin layer of Hydrocal over the finished plaster cloth scenery to give it a good ‘hard shell’ set. I then paint another thin layer of Plaser of Paris over the Hydrocal so that I have something to stain - The Hydrocal is strong, but does not take stain very well, and is way too hard to ‘carve’.
Thanks for the answers everybody. I’m going to try an a local orthopedists office and see if they’ll sell a few rolls (I doubt it, but it’s worth a try). Jim, thanks for the tips on the plaster of paris and the hydrocal. I didn’t know they took stains differently.
Same here. Did the WS plaster cloth method. I eventually tried the plaster of paris, small plastic shoebox, mix to a soupy mixture, dip shop towels and lay in place. It might be a bit messier but sure is a lot cheaper.
Also check schools suppliers, a couple of years back my wife was at a drop-in sale at one and came away with about 25kg of plaster gauze for about $25 (the outer carton was damaged).
I had purchased a 20 pound box of plaster cloth from dick blick. Although it was not as good a quality as ws plaster cloth it did the job I just had to go over it with a paint brush of plaster of paris http://www.dickblick.com/zz335/06/
Right now Walther’s has Scenic Express plaster cloth on sale for 5.59 per roll. That comes out to $.59 a square foot. Dick Blick is $3.69 for a 5 square foot roll or $.738 per Sq. ’ Woodland Scenics is $.89 per square foot…
I don’t really like the stuff, myself, but I do know that is popular with some individuals. Some years back I was offered an opportunity to split a bulk order from a medical supply house. It was pretty cheap but I can’t remember just how much but it seems it was less than one and a half bucks a roll; I guess that there were about three or four acquaintances who purchased a case or two but I’m not even sure how many rolls there were to a case.
As for those of you advocating DIY, I know of a couple of individuals who do just that, soaking gauze in Hydrocal®.
Art Supply Warehouse carries the plaster cloth, usually 4 inches wide but a lot cheaper. the last time they had a sale I got four cases for around $75 I think, and they paid the shipping.
I recently purchased 50 pounds of plaster cloth at a price of 86 cents per pound, even after the cost of shipping, from SACS Distributors, an e-Bay store. The cloth is $2.99 per 25 pound box plus shipping.