Earthen Rampart Project--Final Thoughts

 I must admit, that for rough landforms, I am certainly open to using plaster of Paris again.  It is relatively simple and straight forward to use, and cheap enough not to care about mistakes.

I actually don't know whether I like the rocky effect or the smooth effect better for the ramparts.  They both have their charms.

I am going to need to make a bunch more ramparts to be useful on the table, at least enough to make a square fort or to reach across the table.

Earthen Rampart Project --Part 4 Primed Product

Version 1:  Rocky

I chiseled off the extended base, figuring that a separate, painted cardboard sheet would do just as well for representing the ditch, and would allow greater customization in play and reduce the risk of the extension just breaking on its own.   I had made 2 rocky ramparts, one of which broke into 2 halves.   I gave them a priming coat of Terra Cotta

Version 2:  Smooth

I also primed the one that came out of the foil-lined cavity:

Earthen Rampart Project, part 3---Smooth it out

 After making 2 sections with that rocky texture.   I decided to make one with a smoother texture.

STEP-1:  line the Cavity with Aluminum foil

STEP-2:  pour, wait, remove:

Earthen Ramparts Project--Part Two: plaster

 STEP-1:   Mixing Plaster of Paris

This is surprisingly simple and very forgiving.   Just 2-parts plaster and 1 part cold water, mix well.

STEP-2:  Pour Plaster into cavity.   1 pint of plaster with 1 cup of water was just perfect to fill the cavity.

STEP-3  Wait 45 minutes and remove:

Here's where All-purpose sand made a difference.   The sand adhered to the plaster and wouldn't wash off.   It made the model really, really rocky looking.   Which is kinda cool, but not what I had intended:

Plaster Cast Rampart Project--Part 1 Making a Mold

 I decided to use plaster of Paris to create some earthen ramparts, since making a model of a pile of dirt doesn't take immense artistic know-how.

STEP-1

In the gear book, a standard length of rampart is 75' (15").  15" is a bit long for storage and non-breakablity, so I decided to make half sections of 7.5".

First I made a cardboard model, from a paper-towel tube and a piece of packing cardboard.  The extended base was intended to represent the area where the front ditch could be represented/painted (I later decided to remove this).

STEP-2:  I filled a box with sand, to form the mold.   I bought All-Purpose Sand, which is really filled with rocky chunks.

STEP-3:  I smoothed out the sand, roughly scooped out the center and pressed the cardboard model into the sand.

STEP-4  Removed the model, leaving the cavity/mold