Gypsum plaster - The white grail to fixing it all

Posted by pooja late on June 1st, 2019

Plaster of Paris

A broken bone needs to repair fast, or a sculpture that needs a cast, with plaster of Paris these will last. This white marvel can be seen almost everywhere from buildings to hospitals. This quick-drying cement has numerous purposes by itself Inits simple form.

Gypsum plaster or commonly known plaster of Paris is produced by heating gypsum to about 300 °F (150 °C). Plaster of Paris or gypsum plaster is a substance that is fast setting and is made of a fine white powder (calcium sulfate hemihydrate), which hardens when moistened and allowed to dry. Known since ancient times, plaster of Paris got its name because of its presence from the abundant gypsum found near Paris.

Benefits of the gypsum plaster

Plaster of Paris has an excellent advantage which is that it does not generally shrink or crack when dry, making it an excellent medium for casting moulds. It is commonly used to cast and hold parts of ornamental plasterwork placed on ceilings and cornices. It is also used in medicinal purposes to make plaster casts to immobilize broken bones until they heal.

Sculptors can sometimes be seen to work diligently with plaster of Paris, as the speed at which the plaster sets gives the sculptor a sense of immediacy and enables the sculptor to achieve the original idea quickly. Even during the medieval and Renaissance times to gypsum plaster can be seen to have played its part, with an additive to slow and retard the set, it is called wall, or hard wall, plaster, which can technically provide passive fire protection for interior surfaces.

Common places where gypsum plaster is used

• Plaster of Paris is a building material that is used as a protective coating or as a fire resistant on walls and ceilings.

• It is commonly and widely used as a moulding and casting agent for decorative elements.

• Gypsum plaster is used to give aesthetic and very clean appealing finishing touches to the buildings.

• Gypsum plaster is widely used by the medical department. Plaster is used in orthopaedic treatments to put casts around fractured bones. This stiff cast holds the position causing immobility. This, in turn, avoids movements by the patient and hence this will help the bone heal and become.

• Gypsum plaster was prevailingly used during ancient times to make historical monuments and structures.

• Gypsum plaster is also used in a type of painting called the fresco painting. It is used to make exact replicas of the artefacts as it will not shrink even when it is sunk in water.

• Plaster of Paris is used to make artistic sculptures and metal castings which are used as decoratives in buildings.

• It is also used in buildings to avoid fire hazards as Plaster of Paris is proven to be fire resistant.

• It is used as a coating on wood and metal structures to protect them from any fire accidents.

• Plaster is used to prepare materials for radiotherapy during the production of individualized immobilization shells for patients.

• It is also used in dentistry to make moulds of the teeth which needs replacement.