Introduction: How to Make the Massive 3 Floor Snow Fort.
Materials Needed:
- Metal shovel (good quality, make sure its short)
- A hell of a lot of snow.
- A water source nearby.
- Buckets (square, their size can vary, but they must be close to whats in the img)
- A small metal stick (you can get this by removing the roller from one of those roll painters) We will call this the "tool"
- Wheelbarrow (this will make your life MUCH easier)
- Hammer and chisel (if you are having trouble with step 5)
- Distilled water, and kettle (optional for window)
- A tray (like the stuff in canteens at schools)
- Another dude or 2 to help you with this.
Conditions needed:
- Temperatures below -8*C during the day for about 3 weeks.
WARNING: I am not held accountable for any injuries sustained during the construction of this fort. I am warning you now, this is dangerous in later steps and should not be done by inexperienced people.
Check this video if you have problems (There is part 2 and 3 as well) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Egp3FW33l0&feature=youtu.be
Step 1: Making the Bricks.
With wheelbarrow
Begin by filling the wheelbarrow with water, when its about 1/4 full, start shovelling snow into the wheelbarrow.
Start mixing once you have a good amount of snow in there, make sure someone keeps bringing snow into the wheelbarrow.
Once the snow is drenched it will look greyish blue. This means its ready.
Start Shovelling the snow into the buckets, make sure you drain some water off back into the wheelbarrow before dumping the snow in the buckets.
Fill the buckets all the way up and compact at regular intervals with your foot or your fist.
Once the bucket is full, chose a site out of the sun that is slightly slanted to drain off excess water that will pour out of bricks. Then flip the box upside down, and pull up as if your making sand castles at the beach.
Let the bricks freeze until they are fairly hard on the outside (they don't budge when you press them with your fist)
Do NOT let them fully freeze, you won't be able to remove them from the floor.
You will need about 100 or more bricks for this.
Without Wheelbarrow
Fill a bucket just under half way with water. Then add snow and mix until the bucket is to the top with wet snow. Make sure you mix well so that there is no dry snow left. After you flip the bucket excess water will drain off.
Step 2: Processing Bricks and Building the Arches.
Once the bricks freeze, process them.
To do that, stick the shovel under the brick gently and push down on the handle this will detach the brick from the floor.
Once you process around 8 bricks, take them to where you want your first arch to be. Stack 3 bricks one on top of each other to produce wall. Repeat this again to produce the other wall, make sure the other wall is no more than 2 bricks wide away from the first wall.
Once you place your bricks together, use the wet snow you used to make the bricks and fuse them together by squeezing the snow (Slop) into the cracks between the bricks. Make sure the slop goes well between the cracks.
Step 3: Building the Final Part of the Arch.
After the walls are finished, you will begin slanting the bricks inwards towards a peak. This is difficult and will require a lot of skill, or somebody to help you hold the bricks (can only be done solo after the 2nd floor because only one person can fit on the roof of the 1st floor) Slant as shown in the video and then fill the gap shown in the photo with slop. Keep adding slanted bricks until the arch is complete.
Once the two walls meet, support from another person will not be needed because the walls will be able to support themselves because this is an arch.
Step 4: Adding the Ledge for the 2nd (and 3rd) Floor.
After you have completed the 1st floor it is time to make the ledges that will support the 2nd floor (and eventually the 3rd)
These ledges are made completely out of slop. The roof is curved, to make a ledge, just continue bringing the outer wall upwards until the roof is completely flat instead of curved (check photo)
Step 5:
After your ledges are completely frozen, begin building the 2nd arch as shown in steps 2 and 3. There is no difference only that of height above the ground. Build the 2nd floor so that it is as far back as the first floor.
Step 6: Producing the First-2nd Floor Transition and Closing Up the Back.
Once you completed the first and 2nd floors, gradually lower the roof of the 1st floor (But don't lower it too much so that you can not squeeze through) as you go in towards the back of your fort by thickening the roof up with slop. Let this slop freeze over night.
After this is done, cut steps into the roof as shown in the photos (this will suck if you have a crap shovel, you need something made of steel. You can use a hammer and chisel if you are having trouble)
Once this is done, build 2 more arches. These have to be 2 floors high so that you are able to fully stand up inside. That means 6 block high walls instead of just 3 as in the previous step.
After all that is done. Close the back up by making a simple wall.
REMINDER: Remember to fill up all the gaps with slop (Wet snow)
Step 7: Producing Steps to Get You to the 3rd Floor (optional If You Have Mobile Stairs or a Ladder)
Stack bricks until you have steps. Do this at the back of the fort. This is incredibly easy. Just make sure you fill in all the gaps with slop.
Step 8: Making the Window and Installing It.
EXPERT LEVEL.
To make a window. Fill the tray to the brim with drinking water. If you want it to be clearer, use distilled water and boil it.
Let the window freeze over night and then use warm water to remove the window from the tray (slowly pour warm water on the window to melt it slightly so that it slips out of the tray)
After the window is done. Add it to the front of the floors (only 2nd and 3rd floors can have windows because otherwise you won't have an entrance) Have somebody hold the window in the space while you slowly and gently build up with slop around the window to secure it in place. Use the tool to smooth bits out and for slight adjustments.
Step 9: Producing the 3rd Floor.
This is a health hazard because its real high off the floor, which means that if you fall, you will break something.
Build a ledge above the 2nd floor and make the 3rd floor exactly like you build the other 2. Stick a window in as well. Once the 3rd floor is done, close it up with a wall like you did in step 6.
Grand Prize in the
Snow Challenge
