

When water is mixed with this mineral, a mixture-setting reaction occurs. When partially dehydrated, this mineral becomes a usable ingredient in most plaster variants. Partially dehydrated calcium sulfate is termed “hemihydrates”. As the mineral is heated up, calcium sulfate starts to lose some of the water that is present within.

This particular process of heating the mineral is termed calcining. The processes involved here include aspects such as grinding the mineral to its powdered form and then heating it up. This mineral is mined directly from the earth & then processed accordingly. Calcium sulfate is the prime ingredient present in most plaster variants which are somewhat similar to the ingredient present in chalk. When learning pottery work, you will come across different plaster variants. Let us get in-depth on this topic to know more about the differences between the two. However, depending on the brand, Plaster of Paris can be just as durable and strong as certain brands of pottery plasters. It is ideal for items that have low wear & tear. On the other hand, Plaster of Paris tends to be less expensive. The former is ideal for casting strong molds to prevent wear & tear. Simply put, pottery plaster tends to be harder as compared to plaster of Paris.

Decoding the Differences: Plaster of Paris vs.
