How do I get plaster super-duper smooth and shiny?

Question

My husband and I will be making a belly cast of my pregnant tummy.

I want the finished product to be very very smooth and porcelain like when finished......

Any tips on how to get this look and what products to use when we will be using the plaster strips?

Thanks a bunch for any help you can provide!

Answer 1

First sand down any rough spots. The plaster strips sometimes don't lay down perfectly flat. Then spray it with a few coats of white primer. Next, spray multiple coats of clear coat. By multiple coats, I mean 15 to 20. Acrylic clears are the easiest to find and cheapest. Let it cure for a couple of days, then sand the clear coat, starting with 600 grit, then 800, then 1,200, then 2,000. Be careful not to break through the clear. Don't use too much pressure. Let the sand paper do the work. You're just trying to flatten the paint job. Spray paint will usually look a little bumpy, It's called "the orange peel effect" You'll see what I mean. Wet sanding is best, but if you're not comfortable with that, then careful dry sanding will work. Let that sit for another day, then polish it with a micro fiber cloth and some Meguiar's Scratch-X

O.K. That was the way to do it yourself, on the cheap. If you have a little dough to spare, just take it to your local auto body shop and ask them to paint it. Who knows, you may even get the pregnant chick sympathy discount.

One more thing. Normally you can actually polish plaster. The only reason I'm suggesting painting it, is those strips dry so thin, that if you tried to polish it, you'd burn right though. I've used them before back in my art school days. Many coats of paint will toughen it up a bit. Congratulations by the way.