The Forge and Furniture

This week I didn't work so much on the structure as things to go inside it. A couple of pieces of furniture and making the forge look more realistic and used.

First I made up some more ashes and added them to the empty working portion of the forge. Mostly on the sides to serve as a base for the coals. I took a picture but it's so blurry it's next to useless so, no visual aide on that. Sorry.

For the forge, I needed coals and fire.  Since actual fire would be counterproductive I made up more of my spackle, glue and paint mix and colored it red and orange. 

I let it set for a bit then added a bit more glue and sanded red and orange chalks over it for some texture.

I also had some 'coals' left over from a previous project and I added some red paint to some for a more three dimensional look.

Once it dried a bit more I added it to the forge. Put the 'red' coals on top and threaded one of my red bulbs through to give the forge a hot spot.

More glue and some more coals on top of the 'ashes' for dimension.  Then red gallery glass to give the coal a fire look.  And on top of the gallery glass I sanded grey, red and black chalk for ashes again. 

It gives the forge the look of hot coals cooling slightly (I think). 

I also added the reflective 'fire' film to the back of the forge where the coals are super heated before being raked into the working portion of the forge. Once all the glue is dried I'll add the flickering flame bulbs. I had to order some because the ones I had got a wire loosened somewhere, so one is not working and the others won't flicker.

I think once inside the work area with some shadows it'll look more like hot coals.

As you might imagine there was a lot of waiting involved in that process so I worked on some furniture during the waiting portions.

First I cut a portion of my cabinet off the top and removed the decorative scallop so it would, a) look a little more rustic and b) fit under the stairs without going over the window.

Then I painted it black and added a dark brown wash over it. It's very dark now but it contrasts with both the stairs and the floor. Flat brass knobs for the drawers pop against the dark color.  And anything brighter that I add to the shelves will show up nicely.

Depending on the light it looks much darker, as you can see, so once the ceiling is on, I may add another layer of lighter brown.

I also made a few bags of coal. They need a bit more dirtying up and some fixative to keep the chalk from smearing but so far so good.

Behind them you can see my in progress bellows. I need to build it a frame and handle, so the blacksmith can pump the bellows while working. That way he doesn't require an apprentice to keep the fire super heated while he works.

And since every table I found was either too big for the space or too finished looking, I built one.

I did the opposite with the paint on this, brown with a few streaks of black for depth. And I'll likely sand it some and then add either stain or more paint before I put a flat poly finish. 

It's not huge, so it could easily be moved closer to the stairs if need be, but it allows for a chair or stool and a place to put goods for sale, or food.

I'm working on an idea for the shutter hinges. I also need to make my windows for the upstairs. 

I might try making a pot of pease porridge, depending on what I can find in my stash. We'll see how it goes. 

I hope you're all doing well!  I'm having issues commenting on blogs still. It seems like sometimes I can and other times, no go. I am reading and very excited for the progress I see. I'm apparently just stricken with laryngitis on the internet.

And I have an idea to give the forge a little more character...I still have my gesso and I'm getting better at making plastic look like stone. Any guesses? Hint...if the door indicates a relationship to Cecelia Alyce...what else might the buildings have in common?