Special Plasters

This place is amazing. If you have any questions about casting with resin or a range of other chemicals then they can help you out, as the duo that run this place have tried out all the things they sell and then some.
You can order online, over the phone or just nip in and see them. The lady that mans the desk and phone reminds me of Roz in Monsters Inc, the one who is undercover in a dragon lady type role. She is so funny and great for a chat whilst she orders around the bloke who knows what everything does and goes rummaging in skips. Don’t expect a polite service, not to say it’s rude, it’s just who she is and once you’ve met her a few times it’s just amusing.
You learn something new every time you visit whether it’s about casting, the people who run the place or by spying something in the clutter in the office as they have a range of test pieces of different processes.

Special Plasters is the place to go if you need any kind of plaster (obviously) but they also stock a range of other sculpting materials, including the best priced casting resin I could find, and really very cheap Newclay /​Newplast (think rainbow plasticine) which is perfect for animation projects, small maquettes, using with children as it’s non-​toxic, and comes in SO MANY COLOURS that you’ll definitely be able to get the perfect shade.
The staff are quite hilarious — gruff, but knowledgeable and helpful too. If you give them enough notice, they can get you massive quantities of whatever you’re after — and if you take the time to chat to them to talk about what you’re working on, they always have advice or suggestions for alternative ways of doing things. They also don’t even bat an eyelid when you say you’re doing things like casting resin into silicon cupcakes to make an outdoor installation, or that you’re making 1500 plasticine faces with the children of Birmingham. They’re fab.