downtowndeco
Member
People ask me this all the time so I thought it would be a good idea post my basic thoughts on this subject.
I always recommend at least “sort of” sealing plaster castings to remove some of the porosity. Perhaps “priming” would be even a better word than sealing. I use flat white spray paint. A couple of light coats. That way when you apply either your paint or stain it will flow on more naturally and evenly than if you applied it to raw plaster. It allows you to get a smoother looking, more even tone to the base coat. You also have a little bit of time to “work” the color. You have less of a chance of the color coming out too intense or dark as well. Finally, when your painting/staining is all done, you can ever so lightly “buff” the surfaces with very fine steel wool or polishing sandpaper to make all of the details and highlights “pop out”. It’s sort of like dry brushing but instead of adding paint you’re taking just a tiniest bit of paint off the tops of the high points. It really “makes” the model IMO. Understand that I’m not saying to seal the plaster so that is like plastic or resin, but rather, just enough so that each and every brush stroke does not get soaked in instantly.
Not sealing the castings, IMO, increases the risk of the following happening: A blotchy looking, uneven finish that looks “brushy”. It also increases the chance that you’ll end up with “solid looking” dead toned walls, rather than richly toned parts that look like they have natural age, patina and years on them. You don’t have any time to “work” the color you’re adding, as each and every brush stroke is soaked in instantly. True, you can “build up” colors, one thin wash at a time, but you can do that ever better when the castings are sealed because you can control it so much better. Also, unsealed you have to wait long periods waiting for the castings to completely dry so you can see what the actual color looks like. Sealed you can put a fan or hair drier on the parts & see what you’ve got in a few minutes.
I’ve tried both (sealed & unsealed) & in my opinion sealed works best and give you better results. Tom Yorke & CC Crow have recommended sealing hydrocal castings in the past as well, and both of those guys have slung their share of plaster over the years.
I think that usually (and I could be wrong) is that the guys who swear by unsealed castings have not ever actually tried to paint/stain sealed castings before. It sort of goes against their natural intuition. I mean, why take one of the unique proprties of hydrocal away? After all, isn’t that what makes plaster parts look so cool? Again, IMO, not entirely. Usually what makes a plaster kit look so much more realistic is the original, hand carved master patterns.
If you want to try a hydrocal kit we're running a special offer this week to all forum members. Order any two HO kits & we'll throw in a set of our brand new Extremely Deteriorated Sidewalks (a $25 value) at no charge. Either order off the site (www.downtowndeco.com) or give me a call at the shop (406-821-0181).
Our County Line Store kit;
Cheers!
Randy Pepprock
Downtown Deco
I always recommend at least “sort of” sealing plaster castings to remove some of the porosity. Perhaps “priming” would be even a better word than sealing. I use flat white spray paint. A couple of light coats. That way when you apply either your paint or stain it will flow on more naturally and evenly than if you applied it to raw plaster. It allows you to get a smoother looking, more even tone to the base coat. You also have a little bit of time to “work” the color. You have less of a chance of the color coming out too intense or dark as well. Finally, when your painting/staining is all done, you can ever so lightly “buff” the surfaces with very fine steel wool or polishing sandpaper to make all of the details and highlights “pop out”. It’s sort of like dry brushing but instead of adding paint you’re taking just a tiniest bit of paint off the tops of the high points. It really “makes” the model IMO. Understand that I’m not saying to seal the plaster so that is like plastic or resin, but rather, just enough so that each and every brush stroke does not get soaked in instantly.
Not sealing the castings, IMO, increases the risk of the following happening: A blotchy looking, uneven finish that looks “brushy”. It also increases the chance that you’ll end up with “solid looking” dead toned walls, rather than richly toned parts that look like they have natural age, patina and years on them. You don’t have any time to “work” the color you’re adding, as each and every brush stroke is soaked in instantly. True, you can “build up” colors, one thin wash at a time, but you can do that ever better when the castings are sealed because you can control it so much better. Also, unsealed you have to wait long periods waiting for the castings to completely dry so you can see what the actual color looks like. Sealed you can put a fan or hair drier on the parts & see what you’ve got in a few minutes.
I’ve tried both (sealed & unsealed) & in my opinion sealed works best and give you better results. Tom Yorke & CC Crow have recommended sealing hydrocal castings in the past as well, and both of those guys have slung their share of plaster over the years.
I think that usually (and I could be wrong) is that the guys who swear by unsealed castings have not ever actually tried to paint/stain sealed castings before. It sort of goes against their natural intuition. I mean, why take one of the unique proprties of hydrocal away? After all, isn’t that what makes plaster parts look so cool? Again, IMO, not entirely. Usually what makes a plaster kit look so much more realistic is the original, hand carved master patterns.
If you want to try a hydrocal kit we're running a special offer this week to all forum members. Order any two HO kits & we'll throw in a set of our brand new Extremely Deteriorated Sidewalks (a $25 value) at no charge. Either order off the site (www.downtowndeco.com) or give me a call at the shop (406-821-0181).
Our County Line Store kit;
Cheers!
Randy Pepprock
Downtown Deco
