<P> Plaster expands while hardening then contracts slightly just before hardening completely . This makes plaster excellent for use in molds, and it is often used as an artistic material for casting . Plaster is also commonly spread over an armature (form), made of wire mesh, cloth, or other materials; a process for adding raised details . For these processes, limestone or acrylic based plaster may be employed, known as stucco . </P> <P> Products composed mainly of plaster of Paris and a small amount of Portland cement are used for casting sculptures and other art objects as well as molds . Considerably harder and stronger than straight plaster of Paris, these products are for indoor use only as they rapidly degrade in the rain . </P> <P> Plaster is used by many morticians and funeral home directors to recreate destroyed tissue, reconnect severed limbs to corpses, and to fill wounds sustained during the accident or murder that caused the death . </P> <P> Plaster is widely used as a support for broken bones; a bandage impregnated with plaster is moistened and then wrapped around the damaged limb, setting into a close - fitting yet easily removed tube, known as an orthopedic cast . </P>

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of plaster of paris