Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1901-07-08
AMATEUR CULPTORS

- 80 lUhJ
They NEED cooLHEADs AND FIRST IsT
sS55s8s CslAsssPLAsTER
How Ornamsnts For; the home Can
BE Made IL Inc 9Beginner Has a Lit
TIE Ingenuity ma Patience--.cast 81
the BaByss Hnnd. III
Few people realize the pIeasurea and
instruction that can beSgained from
making plaster casts It is Inexpensive,
and the utensils required are found in.
every household. Acast IL the baby's
chubby hand IL footor,ain fact, d east
any kinds not only delight, but
g ornament. The great secretinmak-s
ing successful plaster casts lies inEsnot
getting excited. Care should be used
when getting the plaster that tt be.
plaster Of paris and that it4be bought
from some sishtop. where It Il sure to be
fresh, as that which IS obtained from
a drug store ia apt to be stale and will
not set properly.
Afew quarts OF plaster should be,
sufficient for aEfrstsattempt. &Abucket
OF water, a tin basin, q tin;spoon, some
OIL u soapsuds and, II possible, some
common modelling clay and a bottle OF
ink are all the materials required. A
mold is first taken OF the object, and
when this Is filed it gives the cast.
There are two kinds of885casts-those
where only part of the object Is shown,
the other part resting on ID tile. or
plaque, and those that show the whole
object Of are in the round. y The hand
fsAabout MS simple an object as can be
found and is more interesting than
most things, AS the hand on the: tile
Is the easiest, It would be well to start
with that. Place ass$sheet Of paper on
q table and then grease the hand thor
oughly with the oil or thick soapsuds
to prevent the plaster from sticking to
The skin when remoVing5t the mold. !
{ When the hand$i is placed in the posi-
ton wanted. fill the spaces underneath
1t, where it does not touch the: table,.
with clay, or II clay cannot be obtained
use putty. It is conyenient to make O.
small wall Of clay around the object to
prevent the plaster from running, but
tits not necessary. Put about q quart
OF cold water in the basin and pour the;
plaster into 1t, stir quietly and keep the
spoon under water to avoid making
bubbles. Use enough plaster to make
1t the consistency Of batter. TIA little
salt fs added or hot water instead of
cold is used, the plaster VIII harden, or
set more quickly. a small quantityof
ink or any coloring matter will, make 1t
easier to distinguish the mold from the
cast and viii also make itmoret brittle
or rotten and e~asier5&to separate the
two. Pour the plaster over the hand,
taking car that there are no bubbles,
until IT is aboutsha an inch thick. It
will require2a5few minutes for it to set
andEis ready to lift of whensit can be
scratched with knife II: rs easier, to
turn the hand and mold UP and lift
the hand out than t., take the mold off
the hand. Iftany plaster has run under
the fingers, cut it away with q dull
knife.
Should the hand not come out easily,
working the fingers separately will, Of
ten loosen them. The mold should be
allowed to dry asfew hours and then be
filed with white plaster, the same con-
sistency as was used tor the mold. A
wall Of clay about an inch high will
have to be built around the edge Of the
mold, which when filed gives the tile
for the castle rest on. Let the whole
dry and then chip the, mold away with
q knife. The mold, being of q different
color. can be readily distinguished from
the cast =
In making the mold for; a cast in the
round, after the hand has been oiled,
sink It to about half an inch in a bed
0fSpIaster, leaving about half an inch
for thickness. Make the rim smooth
and, when hardened, oil. Now. cover
the upper half with plaster. When set.
this should knock apart easily and the
hand he lifted out.
Another way, but a difficult
one, after puttingssthe baud halfway
II the plaster and before this has dried,
is to put athini strong strlng around all
the edges Of the fingers, letting the
ends come out at the wrists. When
the hand is entirely covered with plas-
ter and before It has hardened; pull the
string out, which cuts It'll, two. The
manner OF filing both these kinds OF
naaoitds is$ths same. Oil and tie the two
halves5tightly together and fill with:
plaster. LET harden and lift the rnolds
on.
Only one east can bemade from
molds like these bishops Where, p,las-
ter casts are made and sold and q
number of Cue. same casts are wanted
q gelatin mold Is made. Being elastic.
n IS easily pulled Of without harm to
the cast and stu retains IFS shape md
can be filed anyanumher OF times. The
yellow or5ivory finish that IS given to
many casts Ii obtained By nsingSwhite
sheIIac, which can be had already
mixed from q paintsbop. BY adding
EoiIs paint any desired color can be oh
tained. Rubbing with cloth gives j
high polish. bronze finish can be
given b coating.swi III mixture OF