Hi Everyone who has helped me (see Help Building post I just made a couple of days ago.) I wanted to show my process, in hopes of helping other newbies as well as getting feedback myself. Here is my first attempt at a building. I am following instructions from the book, "Lets Build: Diorama" and from all you kind people here. THANK YOU







In the photo above this comment, I used Amaco Stonex self hardening clay to test and see how it worked to fill gaps and smooth sides. I tested it only in the corner of the top on the right of the side of the building. I want it to look like plaster. The Romans plastered their homes and buildings. underneath was brick or concrete.





As you can see in this close up. there are some issues of cracking and shrinkage with the clay. I am counteracting that with making a yogurt consistency mixture of the same clay and water, than smoothing it on using toilet paper in between the cracks as it dries. It seems to be working, yet I stil have slight cracking. I also got some "Stucco" but it has a different texture to it, much more rough, almost too rough for this scale. I gues I could use it and sand it? It does go on very easily and works great to fill cracks in the structure (like between the roof and the walls or between where the walls meet. ANY SUGGESTIONS?).



I am not done with the BASIC STRUCTURE yet. I am adding wood trim around doors and windows, stone around the arched door way and COLUMNS to hold up the roof in the overhang on the back. I want to create a type of "agora" on this side.

hi david,have you tried wall filler I use is all the time seems to stick to everthing and is easy to work with i used it to make corrugated roof tiles ground work and stucco.

Wallfiller? No, I've never heard of it. Do you have a brand name, or any other info on it, where to get it?

THANKS!

Isn't wall filler just beefy plaster?

not sure of us brand names but Polyfilla is the biggest in the uk,might be known as drywall filler in the u.s.

Ok - I looked it up, according to what I found, Polyfila IS basically spackling paste, or drywall filler. In th UK polyfilla has become a generalized term as we here in the US say spackle. If I am incorrect please correct me anyone from the UK. I did purchase some all purpose spackle but it has a rough texture I dont like (it may be for exterior use?) - it does not have the smooth white look of plastered ancient Roman homes. This is starting to cost me quite a bit as I purchase new types of clay and plaster (someone told me to use DAS clay because it does not crack or shrink). We will see! Ive been working on the exterior agora and have made some plaster cast Roman columns of which I will add photos of here shortly.

THANK YOU

Here are newer photos. I applied the "STUCCO' to one side to compare to the clay. looks ok but not like how the Roman houses looked. I need to sand it than see. maybe use something else. it was definitelty quicker and faster than the clay, and it did not crack.

I also did the windows and the columns out of plaster using a mold. Unfortunately I could not get the columns totally starigt (vertical). I sanded them down, but every time I did they became almost more and more uneven. So when I "put" the part together they did not fit sommothly to create a vertical column. I tried adding filler and stucco mixed wtih glue between them when I glued them togetehr to try and vertical them out, but that did not fully solve the problem. If any one has any sugestion, Id love to hear it.

ANY FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED.

Thank you!
David