Setting the Scene

I then turned to the bents. I cut the legs and caps from 12” x 12” lumber. The prototype doubled the caps which were each different lengths. I cut my caps in a similar pattern with the shorter lengths on the bottom. Once again I used my razor saw to roughen the timbers and my hobby knife to add deeper gouges to the wood.

You will notice I’ve began adding a few bulkhead timbers to strengthen the bent legs, however, I left most off to allow me to work with the plaster. I have also temporarily added strip wood to the base of the bents which will act as the back of the mold for the plaster footings.

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I used Styrofoam as a base for my concrete castings. I glued two bulkhead board to the back of the legs and built up the forms using stripwood. Using white glue, I temporarily attached the forms to the styrofoam base. My concrete mix was poured into the form and allowed to set up but not cure. While still setting, I removed the forms and used a damp makeup sponge to roughen the castings and expose the sand in the plaster.

To create the waterline effect on the wood and concrete, I started with a base coat of light-gray acrylic paint from Ak-Interactive. I created a wash by thinning the paint in water and dabbing it onto the legs, concrete footings and bulkhead board with a brush. I let each coat dry until I was satisfied with the look. Then another wash of AK-Interactive earth enamel was made and allows to flow over then light-gray acrylic.

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