Progress Report on Carousel

I don't have any new photos today.  This week has been spent on adding layers of paper mache' to the roof of the carousel.  The rings are completed, but the spoke structure needs two more layers.  Watching paper mache' dry is very much akin to watching paint dry.  You just have to wait until it has dried.  It is possible to dry it faster by heating it in an oven at 200 degrees, but I generally just let it dry on its own.  I've put too much work into it to have it overcook or crack because it dried unevenly. 

Today I will be drilling the holes to attach the base to the rotating mechanism.  I'll also be drilling the holes to mount the animals.  I don't have any worries that the camel and giraffe will stand upright.  I am more concerned about the cat and the pig.  They are mounted higher on the poles to be at the same height as the other animals.  I'm hoping that the base is deep enough that I will be able to drill in far enough that they will stand upright on their own.  If not, it will be another design opportunity.

I may add the housing to the base.  I have decided that I did not need to use the angle brackets to attach the housing to the base.  Construction adhesive should be more than adequate.

This week I also attached the finials to the tops of the brass poles that run through the animals.   The finials are made from brass bead findings with a small ball on top.  The balls are made of bake in the oven clay.  The balls are painted gold.  They were left over from another project, and they made a good topping for the brass beads findings.