Crate Factory

Is there a equivalent term for crates as a cooper is to barrels? I'm guessing not but maybe there should be.

I decided on a pancake or plug style mold for the crates. Basically a one piece mold but with a lid on it. In the past I have always made two part drop style molds where you poor the resin into the assembled mold or simple one piece molds that are open on top. So this is a bit of an experiment.

Not only is the mold a rather nice shade of purple but it also smells kinda like grapes.

Making the actual mold was a bit of an adventure as I'm using a new material. Didn't realize till now that instead of any easy 1:1 mix like what i use to use it this one is 10:1 by weight. I didn't have a scale on hand so I eyeballed it and luckily it turned out alright. A few castings later and I had a nice handful of crates ready to go.

First pile of crates for everyone to hide behind.

Crates and Such

Not much happening with painting which means my queue is really stacking up with the new All Quiet stuff being added to it. I have been doing some sculpting though.I've been using leftover putty from other projects to make some odds and ends. My first idea was to make some various crates, stowage, and other items to use as street dressing and for an eventual warehouse.

My first crate was a bit of a mess. I just slapped some putty on around a rough cube cut from some cured putty. It looks like the carpenter was having a really bad day or let his kid make it. I'll probably just stick it in the center of a pile of other stuff to disguise it.

Next up I decided to rethink my construction technique. This time I rolled the putty out to a uniform thickness and then sculpted detail on while still flat. Then I glued the parts together. Much better, so I made a second one as well.

For a future warehouse I'll need many more so I'm going to try to make a mold of these to duplicate them. I reinforced the inside of the crates with some putty and then at the last moment decided to make separate lids. This way I could have some open ones with goods inside them.

Three BEF infantry from All Quite inspect the new crates. Perhaps hoping for a selection of nice cheeses inside?

 Next step mold making!