Although I think I worked on things every night this week, the goals weren't quite met.  Most of the 5th floor timbers got glued into place, but I still have a few more to place around the round tower.  Both dormers are mostly done, but still need the top and valley pieces glued into place.  I completely forgot about the flat roof area surrounding the chimney until I was taking photos and realized it was missing...  The scroll saw did indeed work well and the remaining flat piece shouldn't take much more work.  The inner walls were glued into place, touched-up with spackle, and basecoated. 





Very little time was actually spent on primary construction as I was sidetracked with making some furniture.  The prospect of this big inn with no beds, tables, and whatnot would have made things seem a bit empty.  So...I built some master pieces, made some molds, and got to casting.  None of the furniture has been properly painted yet.  I just gave it all a quick sepia wash to give it a bit of contrast for easier viewing.  These pieces are all cast from Die Keen dental plaster and are right out of the mold without any touch-ups or repairs.  You'll notice a few bubbles, but overall I think they came out ok given these are my first original pieces I've ever molded and cast.


Three beds - the small one is about 1" wide, the medium is 1.5" and the large is 2".  Each are 1.5" long.


The chair is cast in four pieces (two for the wood parts and two for the upholstery) which can be seen above.  Two of the cushions are embossed and two are plain quilted.

Some rooms will have a work desk with drawer. 

The room below has has an armoire, dresser with wash basin and pitcher, medium bed, and a night stand with lamp.





Just a closeup of the armiore and dresser - with a small serving tray and cups.

Lounging area - perfect for a morning breakfast.




The molds are working well so far, although it is a lot of work to get casts that only have a few bubbles.  The rough texture of the woodwork is a magnet for micro-bubbles.  Unfortunately, I do not think I'll have enough plaster to cast all of the furniture and the remaining roof tiles I'll need.  Apparently prices for plaster have gone up significantly since I last purchased some (over 5 years ago).  I'll have to figure something out...

Getting all of this done this past week led to some late nights and pushed the burn-out meter to red.  Seeing the castings come out well was rewarding though and hopefully I'll be able to make some more progress this week without pushing things too hard.

Well, that is all of this week's update.  I should be able to get the loose ends tied up with the rest of the 5th floor and begin cutting foam board for the roof level.  If I can avoid getting side tracked again, I may even be able to start cutting some tile for the 6th and final layer.