"ALTERNATE PLASTER OF PARIS FOR LINKA " Topic

Hello All,

I have recently bought a linka building set, but had none of plaster of paris type powder, I have been told I can use normal plaster of paris, but it may be a bit brittal, is there another product I can use?

Many thanks
Nick

I would think that the UK users' recommendations for products from Hirst Arts' remarkable site would also be useful for Linka moulds.

link

Allen

There is also a Yahoo group for Linka, you can get some good advice there too.

Look in the local craft store for a material called Perma-Stone. Its just like plaster but stronger.

Dental plaster is supposed to work well with the Linka molds.

I suspect any linka-lite you did find would be a bit dodgy by now, anyway.

Dental plaster is supposedly sturdier than PoP, but I've had decent luck with ordinary plaster. I hadn't done more than one partial building before getting turned onto the Hirst molds, but it seemed ok.

Well, personally, I think that LINKA is simply not suited to use with plaster, it's GREAT with resin, but plaster is an accident waiting to happen unless you spend some serious effort in bolstering joins, seams, reinforcing walls and roofs and so forth…by which time why not just use resin?

Anyway…In the UK about the hardest plaster you will get is crystacal alpha-K, followed by Herculite Stone Powder. Most UK dental plasters are softer than both of those.

You wont do better than crystacal alpha-K though (for the money and for its useability).

Remember that plaster does go "off" – Crystacal has a dry shelf life of 12months only – which is why it comes in sealed tubs rather than bags. Tubs should be marked with a date of manufacture so you can check you aren't getting an old batch.

You want dental die stone or dental stone.

Also, the new moulds are much softer than the old ones. If I only had the old ones, I'd assume that Linka doesn't work at all.

Antenociti – Do you cast resin right into the linka moulds or do you use a mould of your own division? Wouldn't resin be super hard to demould from the rubber of a linka mould?

I use hydra-stone and it works great.

PJ

"""Antenociti – Do you cast resin right into the linka moulds or do you use a mould of your own division? Wouldn't resin be super hard to demould from the rubber of a linka mould?"""

Sorry – yeah – we cast plaster pieces and then make RTV Silicone moulds from those pieces. If you cast (urethane) resin into the LINKA Moulds it tends to just eat them.

I haven't had much success with Linka using the same plasters that work spectacularly with Hirst molds. The detail is just so much more brittle, especially the window panes.

It's barely workable if you're willing to accept a high defect ratio.

I've found that it helps a bit if you wait until the plaster is _completely_ dry (with Hirst mold I can pop them out while still rather moist).

Linkalite is almost exactly the same as a plaster called Herculite 2 (which is available in the UK, but probably only by mail order).

Dental plaster is preferable to plaster of paris but neither is ideal for Linka, they don't have the wet strength for easy de-moulding that Linka needs.

Stone powders of most sorts will work fine but you must follow the instructions for the correct proportion of water to plaster as they differ a lot and are quite sensitive to this. They will also take a good deal longer to set firm enough to be removed from the mould.

It is better to remove castings once fully set but while still wet and a small %age of wetting agent (e.g. dishwasher additive) with the mixing water helps enormously. Don't add too much or this will reduce the strength of the castings and make them dry out more slowly.

It isn't really fair to compare Hirst Arts products with Linka as they are not intended for the same type of modelling uasage. Linka is also 30 years earlier in mould technology.

Linka was originally designed to be used for static models (mostly for railways) and so the level of robustness required for wargame terrain wasn't part of the design brief. They later advertised it as suitable for wargames but the sellers never really appreciated what that meant.

In my opinion (as a Linka user for 20 years) it isn't for the beginner and it takes a fair amount of work and skill to get a good model out of Linka. It is possible to make them more durable with internal supports and the like and good planning and a little forethought can also improve strength. Unfortunately the basic instructions that come with the sets are devoid of this advice but the Linka World website (the current owner and supplier) has some tips and the Linka Yahoo group will be happy to advise users from their considerable experience.

Tony Hughes

Thanks all for the Comments
Nick

Fair comparison?

Hirst is easier to cast and use (though admittedly also more expensive). That's all I really care about.

Woodland Scenics sells Hydrocal, which is pretty strong. You can order it off their website, I believe.

>Woodland Scenics sells Hydrocal, which is pretty strong. >You can order it off their website, I believe.

Woodland Scenics Hydrocal is cut with some kind of filler, which makes it nearly worthless for Linka.

Get the full-dress US Gypsum Hydrocal (I got a 50-pound bag from a local art supply store for $13.00) or any of the dental compounds mentioned on the Hirst site.

Loren Wiseman
lorenwiseman.com
irbw.com