Almost there

Well, I have four 'free' days before this board needs to be ready for gaming on...........

Thankfully my lovely wife Kt (Katie) stepped in and glued lots of tiles for me today. She was gluing them down almost as quickly as I was casting them which was a huge help. Only need to cast about 4 more floor sets and I believe everything will be cast. Then just have to finish assembly and paint it..........

So, the plaster saga....... I can honestly say that the Fine Casting Powder is ........... rubbish!

The thin mixes I did are almost all too soft. It's too late to do anything about it now so I'm hoping that with a layer of paint and a coat of varnish they'll be a bit tougher. It seems the way to use this stuff is to use the island method and stop before it peaks, so that you don't quite reach saturation. That way you can fill about 4 normal sized molds before it gets too thick. It's still far thicker than I'd prefer to work with and air bubbles are a nightmare, but at least it's strong enough to be used safely. Plus the setting time is insanely quick. Pour those 4 molds, rinse the mixing pot, get the water for the next mix and then scrape the molds quickly before they're too thick :) The casts can then be taken out of the mould 15 mins later.

I also picked up a new mixing pot from Ikea last night. I get the water in a measuring jug and add it to the plastic watering can, then do the whole island thing. Mixing is easier in this as it's quite deep so a vigorous swirl doesn't make the mix go everywhere, also the long spout means I can put the spout almost into the mold to minimise the height the plaster is poured from. Makes it a little easier to avoid bubbles, which with this mix is vital. The new pot was a whole £0.79 and works great, it's like the one in the pic but white :)