When I started the actual construction of the first wall of the tower, I began at the bottom, and worked my way up, from the bottom windows, to the alcoves, up to the top windows. All the while I kept double checking this picture as I went.
With the first one was assembled and the glue dried enough, I slid it up out of the frame and across the table. Then I started on the second wall. As I was finishing the second up, I slid the first one down next to it, and realized that the second was half an inch shorter!! It turned out that when I was making the first section, I had used 2 rows of 1/2 inch blocks when I had planned on 1/4 inch blocks. Not a major problem, but frustrating. Luckily, the glue from the second wall section was still very wet, so I pulled it apart in the appropriate sections, and added in that extra half inch.
I then slid the wall out of the frame and began working on the third section, adding in the extra height from the start. While I was doing that I noticed that the extra height made the area above the alcoves seem... lacking. One thought I had was to put up some sort of symbol, a crest or shield or something. While I think that might actually look good, I don’t have anything suitable kicking around, and I certainly don’t have 4 of them! However a simple line of .25” bricks seems to do the job.
You can see where I made the error above, and how I'm addressing it.
Interesting so far.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking maybe doing something like this to make one of those dice-rolling tower thingies. Might be kind of cool.
Tsk! Forgot to do your "layout!" :D
ReplyDeleteNever start work without your ruler! There are two types: A "modular" ruler, for "standard" sized brick and a "Queen size" ruler, for Queen sized brick.
Footnote: King sized brick went out of style and aren't around any more. "Slump block" are not brick -- even though the look a lot like very large brick. And "Gardiners," or "Garden sized" brick, are specifically paving brick and are not used to build a wall, but for the building of patios and sidewalks.
Just a few tips from a fellow "bricklayer." Though that's "honorary" in your case. ;)
Of course, in keeping with the game setting, your tower is actually being built of "field stone" and everything is, therefore, measured in inches -- so just about any ruler will suit your purposes. ;)
Hehehehehehehe
@Mystic :-) You seem to know an awful lot about the topic... and yeah, fieldstone has always been my favorite of the Castlemold bricks.
ReplyDelete@Welleran - there are a lot of great examples of just that sort of thing...
@ David
ReplyDeleteLike I said, I'm fifth generation; laid my first brick when I was 9 years old and now I'm 51. ;)
Worked the summers with my father, than entered the industry when I finished school. Grew up in it.