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Eddie McMillan and
I have become great friends. The distance between his place and mine is
thousands of miles... but we have cast plaster and email to close the gap!
I hadn't realized what a "hansom" dude Eddie was until he
sent this photo of him installing plaster. No wonder there's a MRS.
Eddie! She's got great taste.
Eddie is quickly becoming and "Plaster Master"! He's
casting up a storm as you can see in the top photo... all laid out and
drying so he can put them up! And he can't wait!
Eddie has an "artists" eye. It's evident in every
photo he's ever sent me. (You should see this guy's house and what he's
done! He's a major carpenter like you wouldn't believe!). But Eddie has
certainly found his true calling in molded plaster.
Just take a look at this ceiling design! (And you can
tell just how large it is, judging by how small Eddie looks!).
It's just 3 simple molds! But the way Eddie put them
together, he's created a breathtaking and very simple design that will add
to the value of his house, give his guests a "crook" in their necks staring
at the ceiling and gives Eddie a sense of pride (and me too!... I'm the one
who got him hooked!!! Har, har....).
So how on earth would you make such
perfect circles like Eddie has done? Simple!
Choose the center of where you want your medallion to be.
Now, tack a nail at that very most center point and tie a
long string on to it with a pencil attached at the opposite end... just tie
it on (you want it to be the length of the outside of the circle.)
OK, you're going to have to keep moving your ladder to do
this, but hold the string outward until it reaches "taut". Keep it taught as
you press the pencil to the ceiling and begin going around your center
point, making a perfect circle with your pencil.
So how big do you make your circle? Cast your pieces
first and lay them out on the floor. Create a circle with them as large as
you would like your medallion to be on the ceiling (or wall). Now, divide
that number in half. It was 42"? Then 1/2 of that is 21". So from the center
nail you tacked in, to the pencil point on the end of your string should
measure 21".
The line you drew is going to keep giving you a perfect
guide as to where to put your pieces. It's really not difficult, and yes,
it's a little time consuming, but not as much as hanging wallpaper (Oh, how
I hate wallpaper!).
Eddie, tonight when I really finally had time to really
look at these photos you sent me, I was totally ashamed of myself that I
didn't closely examine them when you sent them off. YOU, my man, are
completely incredible... YOU make it easy for the rest of us with your
inventive creations from just a few molds and YOU, I hope will just keep
sharing with us, all of your creations, not just plaster, not just paint...
but all of it. We want to know!
(You're sort of becoming the E. F. Hutton of plaster
here!).
Thank you Eddie!
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