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

Viking Era half-timber church

 Here's a Viking Era Church I've painted up.

Small Storage Barn

 Here's a small storage barn I've painted

Odds and Ends

 A few free odds and ends that come with my church order:  some fence pieces, a stack of boxes, a grave and a caldron

Tariq' s Trading Post