Modular Gaming Table: Part 6b

Well, this is taking me longer than I thought it would. At the time of writing I've finished a rough cut-out of two hill panels. I still need to add in more detail and fine-tune some of the rocks, but in overall I'm quite happy with the results.

I started out with taping the borders with masking tape. This will keep the plaster from falling off the sides. I then mixed up some wall plaster and placed it on the hill sides, like this:

It takes a while to completely dry on the inside

It's easy to cut the plaster while it's still a bit wet, but after it has completely dried you will need something sharp and hard to cut through it.

The perfect moment to try out my brand new dremel set my wife gave me for my birthday. The set has various bit attachments, each having a specific purpose. I tried a couple of them, but quickly discovered the dremel not to be very effective for cutting large chunks. Besides generating too much noise for me to work at night, it pulverizes the plaster, filling the already dusty room with even more dust.

The little dremel that could

I used a set of modeling tools instead. They allow me to use different techniques, each having its own unique effect on the plaster. For example, breaking off pieces of plaster creates a more natural effect than cutting it straight with something mechanical. I'm planning on using the dremel for adding in the details. It's much more suitable for that kind of work.

Modeling tool set

Below the results so far:

The smallest of them all

Grand canyon inside out

Two hill panels put together

Although it takes much longer, I like the process of moulding them. It's actually quite soothing, almost like meditating. Just me and my tools and a large blob of plaster to shape as I please.

Aligning the corner was surprisingly easier than I thought it would. Just place them together and duplicate it.

Sigh... right, only two more to go...