So how do you go about building your own plaster nest. The instructions below are my own, and they are what I used to create my own plaster nest pictured below.

You Will Need

1 x Length of wood (create the farm to your own requirements) I used a 10ft x 4" x 1" piece of wood.

1 x Length of coving type wood for edges.

1 x Piece of MDF sheet.

1 x Piece of glass

7 x Kgs of plaster of paris

Tools Required

1 x Mitre Saw

1 x Dremmel tool with multi attachements

1 x Tube of Silicone

1 x Bag of small nails or tacks.

1 x Large mixing basin

Step One

I used a piece of glass from an old picture frame that was 35cm x 28 cm as a template for this setup. So to begin with I needed to cut the length of wood into the required lengths which were 2 x 27cm lenths, and 2 x 34cm lengths. The reason I cut them shorter than the size of the glass was so that I could inset the glass into the wood by 1/2 cm all round. You will need to router 3 of the length of wood to the depth the same as the depth of the piece of glass with a width of 1/4 of a centimetre. This will form the recess for the glass. The other piece should be cut shorter in height by the same amount as the depth of the glass so that the glass can slide over the top of it.

Once the wood has been cut to the required lengths you will need to use a mitre saw to cut the ends at 45 degree angles so that they join neatly. Put the pieces together and nail or glue the pieces together to form the frame for the nest. Make sure you build it so that all of the routed edges are on top.

At this point you can also cut and mitre the cornice or coving length of wood to same internal dimensions. No need to attach them to the frame yet though.

Step Two

Cut a piece of MDF sheet to the dimensions of the finished frames bottom. Then nail it to the frame at 1 inch intervals all the way around. You can now open up a tube of silicone seal and seal all of the internal frame joints including those around the edges of the mdf base.  This will stop the wet plaster of paris from leaking out, and will help strengthen the frame.

Step Three

Mix as much plaster of paris with water as you possibly can.  Make sure you mix it thorougly as you want to try and get as few air bubbles in it as possible. Pour the mixture into the frame and wait for it to dry.  These can take ages, so be patient. Repeat this step until the frame is completely filled up to the routed edge of the frame, and allow it all to dry. At this stage, you can now try the lid for size. You will probably find that the lid doesn't sit flush, and thats because the plaster of paris will have ridges and bumps etc that you will need to sand down so that the surface is as completely flat as possible.

Step Four

Now comes the fun part. First draw a pencil out line of the chambers that you will want in your farm.  Try and make as many different size and shape chambers as possible to give your colony different areas to choose from for different activities. Once you are happy with the finished outline, get out the dremmel and start drilling, cutting and shaping. The dremmel will put out a lot of dust and mess so be prepared and use a facemask. Cut the chambers so that they are about an inch deep, and make sure that the walls of the chambers are reasonably think.

Step Five

This is the tricky bit, with the glass lid in place, you must attach the coving/cornice lid to three edges. This will be fixed with nails on the outside, and siliconed in place on the inside (siliconed wood to wood and not wood to glass). The other piece will be a temporary fixing and means you can slide the glass in and out of its housing.

Further Considerations

In mine own nest you can see a plastic tube attaching the plaster nest to the basin. This was planned, and I had already dremmelled the plaster to allow for the connection. I had also drilled a hole in the wood to pass it through. I then silicone sealed it in place.

You may also wish to make a water resevoir at the end of the nest. This means that the chamber for the water must be no other chambers parallel with it enabling you to slide the lid off partially to refill the resevoir.