The Portland daily press., 1898-03-04
AMATEUR PLASTER CASTS.
EASY to Make if One Is Patient, and Not at
All Expensive.
New York Sum-

that with o l1Gtie patience any one may
acquire it and get the most pleasing re-
suits. 1t is an inexpensive amusement
The plaster costs only a dollar barrel,
and enough may TO had for 90 cents to
last the most enthusiastic amateur for
months. For the beginner, who is not
accustomed to the freaks Of plaster, it is
better to experiment on cast before at
tempting to do anything from life. A
bas relief is the best thing to practice on.
The first thing to consider in making a
cast of hand is to have the hand to be
experimental with in the best possible
condition. The nails should be carefully
shaped and the cuticle pressed into place.
The hand should be washed in warm
water so that the muscles become relaxed
and the fingers supple, and the cold tap
run over it long enough to close the pores;
rub the hand and as far up the arm as
the cast is to be taken with glycerine.
This will prevent the plaster from stick
ing. Great care should be taken not to
let the glycerine escape any part. 1t
should be brushed under the finger nails
with a small camels hair brush.
The next and most important thing is
the mixing of the plaster. For this take
large bowl and pour the water into 1t;
then sprinkle the plaster in until it
reaches the surface of the water. Stir
briskly until the whole is of uniform
consistency. 1t must not, however, be
stirred too long or the plaster loses its
nature and will not harden. When 1t is
first mixed the plaster should be like very
thick cream.
The hand upon which the glycerine has
been rubbed is then laid carelessly and
naturally upon piece of old sheeting or
a soft towel which is dropped upon the
table, and allowed to assume its natural
pose. Then the plaster should be taken
out in small teacup and poured over the
hand in as thin a coat as possible at first.
So that no air bubbles may remain, the
caster should blow the plaster until every
bit of air has escaped. After the hand is
we'll covered with the first coat, the rest
of the plaster should be added quickly
and evenly distributed until the cast il
about two inches thick. The hand should
be kept perfectly quiet until the plaster
has set.
This takes about fifteen minutes. AS
soon as the hand begins to'feel the heat of
the plaster 1t should be carefully lifted up
by the caster and turned over. Then all
the little bits of plaster which have leaked
through between the fingers should be
broken away by the caster. Sometimes
a dull tool, such rs stonecutter' 8 chisel
ia of much assistance, and it must be re-
membered that all the patience of the
caster and the sitter are required to re-
move the hand without injury to the
mould.
After the plaster has had ten or fifteen
minutes in which to set the sitter may
begin to wigale and gradually work the
fingers without doing harm to the cast,
and though the hand appears to be firmly
Embedded in the plaster 1t will soon be
felt to be breaking away If the muscles of
the fingers are firmly stretched backward
and forward.
placed where it will dry slowly. 1t should
not be touched for two or three days.
Before the cast is made the mould should
be washed out with boiled oil and SOAP
This should be applied with a soft brush
which will not injurs the fine lines in the
mould. After the plaster has set for the
second time the outer covering can be
gently Clipped out by blunt stonecuttter's
chisel and hammer. This destroys the
mould, but should leave the cast perfect.
10 mount the hand, fill small oblong
trav which has been we'll rinsed with eth
err glycerine or boiled oil with plaster of
paris, and before it is quite hard place the
hand on the plaster so that the finger tips,
wrist and palm just become imbedded
enough to adhere.
Should the caster be more ambitious and
desire to cast the hand in the round, there
are more problems to be dealt with. Fill
q tray with plaster and allow it to become
half settled Then iynmerse the hand,
which must have been covered with glyc-
crime beforehand, until the palm is half
inbedded in she plaster; let the plaster
set until 1t Is perfectly hard, and, with
soft brush cover the surface of the plaster
all in between the fingers and up about
the wrists with boiled oil and soap; then
cover the hand first with thin plaster-not
forgetting to blow out the bubbles-and
then with the thicker.
AS soon as the hand begins to feel hot
the plaster is we'll set. The upper cover
ing can be removed and the hand lifted
ont. There are then two moulds, one of
the palm of the hand and one of the back.
When these are dry they must be
brushed carefully with boiled oil and soap
and tied firmly together. care being taken
that the back of the fingers match evenly
with the front.
There should be no hole visible except
ing at the wrist, but in case there are any
little cracks down the sides of the fingers.
where GQ6 UlOQilc CoiuC pOk0UA0I, UuSy
may be filed with bits of beeswax or
gray clay. -,
The mould is now ready for the plaster,
which should be poured in at the wrist,
quite thin at first, so that it may readily
be washed round and round until 1t hard
ems in q thick crust on the inside; grad
ually more and thickar plaster should be
anpiied until the cast is solid. When 1t
ID set, the moulds Gun be easily separated,
and the cast should be allowed to dry.
A little loop made out of iron wire and
inserted before the plaster is set enables
it to be hung upon the wall.
The casting of the face is more diff
cult than the casting of the hand, if it is
done in the proper way. 1t is most simple
to have the sitters lie on their back, with
n low cushion under the head. Great care
should be taken in glycerining the face,
particularly the eyelids. The eyebrows
Should be covered with thin coating of
clev. and mustache should be built out
with clay, modelled in just the form in
which it grows, and then glyoerined. A
towel should be placed far back under the
chin. brought round the front Of the ears.
and fastened firmly over the top of the
forehead Just where the hair begins.
small pieces of wax or CLAY shout be in
serted in the nostrils, through which the
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