| Home Page
Dollhouse Brick Tip.
Making the Brick Mold
Tips Page2
Tips Page 3
Tips Page 4
Project Photo Page1
Project Photo Page2
Sign / View Guest Book
|
|
|
How to Make Sandpaper Shingles:
This simple technique, suggested by Harriet, provides an inexpensive alternative to traditional dollhouse shingles.
Here's How:
Using a pencil and ruler, draw lines 1 1/4" apart on the back of several sheets of sandpaper.
Using scalloped scissors, cut carefully along lines,matching scallops with each cut.
Paint sandpaper, using spray paint or acrylics.
Tips:
Looking for scalloped scissors? Try the scrapbooking section
of your local craft store.
Sandpaper comes in a variety of grades, from coarse to extra fine. Coarse paper makes great asphalt shingles.Don't worry if your painting comes out a little uneven. This will give your roof some texture when the shingles are attached to your project.
____________________________________________________
|
|
|
Foamcore edges: I wonder if the ready-cut outside-corner moldings from the
building supply store could be used? They also would add some support
framework at the corners of a box.
Susan at the White Rabbit's House
Foamcore edges: Our club made foamcore Southwestern 1/2 scale homes. There
was a lot of different ideas but I found the edges really looked finished
when I glued the channel molding on the edges. I stained them dark brown,
glued them together and voila - finished edges, stained molding, and
straight corners all in one fell swoop. Really turned out neat.
Rhonda J King
Painting Styrofoam: you definitely need water-soluble paint such as
acrylic! I have used Styrofoam to build props and settings for theatres,
and it *will* shrivel if you use other paints -I know this from
experience. We used a wire with a high resistance and applied voltage over
it to cut the Styrofoam. The current in the wire will make it hot and melt
the Styrofoam, and it is a very good method for making rounded shapes.
This may be a little hazardous if you don't know what you're doing,
though, so a safer alternative may be a hot knife. We used wood glue to
glue parts together, but since there isn't much air flow between two
pieces of Styrofoam, it takes a long while to dry and the pieces must be
clamped together for a long time
Asa from Sweden in Fairfax, Virginia
Bunkum. oakum? For log cabins. Here in the US we have a substance called
oakum which I'm sure is the same thing as bunkum. It is oiled (tarred)
hemp fiber that is used for caulking boats and in plumbing. In the navies
of the world it was used on the old wood decked ships to pound into the
seams of the deck (and hulls) to seal them up. It was also used in a tight
twine to wrap life lines before wrapping them with canvas. In plumbing it
is uses to pound into the bell of a cast iron pipe joint before melted
lead is poured in to make the joint tight and secure. You can still buy it
at hardware stores in a little coiled rope about 1/8" in diameter for
wrapping old faucet stems as a packing. If you want to use it for
miniatures don't get the product that has lead or graphite mixed in it. It
is messy and hard to use for minis.
Bill Hudson
Tile roofs: I used corrugated cardboard with pleasing results.
Dr Bob
Foam core for building: I do not know what size your scene is.
If it is larger than a standard sheet of paper I strongly recommend you
reinforce it. You may gently insert rods made of wire coat hangers or glue
a wood cross brace to the underside or frame the piece (see #3). I remind
you that we live in Florida and foamcore absorbs moisture. Please
reinforce so your project does not warp.
Edges may be finished by sealing with caulk applied directly from the
caulking gun and smoothed with a putty knife-lightly sand when dry-stain
or paint as desired or glue a coat of the same groundcover you are using
in your scene. I do not recommend hot glue for the edges of foamcore. It
will melt the foam and damage the strength of your edges.
When building architectural models, we simply seal the edge with a thin
strip of poster board.
I often use picture frame molding. This makes a great "frame" that makes
it easier to pick up the piece and move it.
Becky
Foam: When joining two pieces of foam core glue together then use sewing
pins to clamp it. Don't use the sewing pins with glass heads as when the
project is dry you pull the pins out and if you use the glass head pins
the glass head comes off.
Karen Hill
Cutting Foamcore: Use a sharp blade in a utility knife. Use a steel
straight edge and make the cut three times. The first cut is a light score
just through the top paper. The second cut a little deeper, the third cut
deep enough to cut through the bottom paper. Make your cuts on a surface
of matboard, cardboard or glass. Never on wood, carpet or countertop. You
should end up with a perfect smooth edge. If your foamcore is 1/2 inch or
more use more cuts to get through the board. Happy cutting.
Colette, North Carolina
Cutting Foamcore: you might want to try some saber saw blades from Sears.
I bought some recently, but have not had the opportunity to use them yet.
They are like knives - just a sharp edge, - no teeth and are made like a
regular saber blade. They suggest using them on foam board and wall board.
Real inexpensive - under two fingers! I have also cut the "board" with a
hollow ground planer blade on the table saw, but even then there are some
jaggies - more like fuzz to smooth out. I had fair luck with an emery
board, but ran it lightly across the edge, working from top to bottom
instead of running straight down the edge. I have had good luck sealing
the edges with white glue. I spread a fairly thick, smooth coat on the
edges, let it dry and sometimes come back with a second coat.
Lynn K. Kuhnert
Foamcore edges: The best way I have found of tidying the cut edges of
foamcore is to glue a strip of light weigh card around the edge. use tacky
glue, some craft clues will melt the polystyrene.
If you are clever when you cut the foamcore you can cut thru one layer of
the paper and the foam in one place, then a little further along cut right
thru the 3 layers. Then peel one layer of paper and the foam off the other
paper and then fold that piece of paper up so you are covering the cut
foam with the same paper that covers the rest of your foam core. This
makes a really neat finish with only one cut edge (the other being a fold.
Sandra Monk
FOAMCORE TIPS: This is a good medium for someone with your unique
challenges. You can relax, have a good time and throw away any cuts that
do not please you. Don't be concerned about perfection, strive for
satisfaction. Yes, you may apply your wallpaper and your flooring before
you glue the box together. I would recommend that you leave a boarder that
equals the width of the foam core you use. This is usually a 1/4" thick
piece so you would leave a 1/4" uncovered edge on 3 sides of the floor and
on two sides of the back panel to the room. I suggest you build a box just
for fun. Don't worry about the size of anything. Just have a practice run
to get the hang of working with the material. Be sure to use a very sharp
X-Acto blade to make your cuts in the foam core. Change your blade often.
Tacky glue is a good bond for this trial box. A metal edge ruler with a
cork back will grip the surface of the foam core and make it easier to cut
a straight line.
Make the first cut lightly, just to cut through the first layer of poster
board. The second cut will cut through the foam. The third cut will cut
the last piece of poster board. Cut two equal squares of foam core. These
are the side walls. Two more pieces should be rectangular, 1/2" wider.
These are the ceiling and floor. The last piece should be 1/2" wider than
the original squares on the top as well as the bottom. This is the back
wall. Pin them together with dressmaking pins to check the fit. Trim away
any excess. Use a pencil to mark where your edges come together. This will
make it easier to glue the wallpaper in place. Copy some printables from
the web. Glue them in place for wallpaper and flooring. Add pre-painted
strips of wood for baseboard, etc. Glue these in place before you assemble
the box. Glue your decorated pieces together using the same dressmaker
pins to hold them in place while they dry. Small strips of bass wood,
pre-painted and trimmed to fit the exposed edges of the front of the box
will give you a nice finish.
Congratulations! You've just made your first room box. Now you've mastered
the skills necessary for a basic box. If you want to electrify a foam core
box, I highly recommend the small strip lights that are available from
many dollhouse companies.
Becky
More Faux Brick: I was just sitting here and checking out all the faux
brick patterns on About.com and started wondering...wouldn't it be
possible to print brick out on parchment paper and emboss it like they do
greetings cards with the technique called "pergamano"? Seems like it would
really be a raised pattern like the original and would look wonderful,
esp. on the floor of a period home, possibly for the outside walls,
too...can you imagine this on the walls of a castle? I can. One could also
use it on a modern type dwelling since some people put brick around
fireplaces, whether in the kitchen or wherever. Also, I have brick on one
wall of the living room to give it a little extra "oomph". This would be
fine on a floor or even perhaps on an inside wall. Some of those roomboxes
that hang on the wall and have paper ppl, etc., may possibly benefit from
this treatment, IMHO.
Linda
Tips for Storing Wood: Since I live on 5 acres in the country, we do a lot
of irrigating. PVC Pipe is a white rigid plastic pipe that comes in 12
foot lengths and assorted diameters. It can be found at any hardware store
or Home Depot. I use the 1-1/2 inch diameter. Cut it in 18 inch sections,
stand them on end and glue the sides together with PVC Cement to form a
square cluster. I then wrap one strip of duct tape around the bunch to
make it a secure unit.
I set this unit on a piece of plywood on wheels and it rolls under my
workbench. By looking down at the end cuts you can see what is stripwood
and what are the various shapes of moldings. As I use it and it becomes
too short for the 18 inch pipe, put those scraps in 3 different boxes: 1
is stripwood, 1 is moldings and the other is both that have been painted
or stained and left from a project. It’s amazing what you can build from
these scrap boxes.
Ruth
Storage for wood strip/moulding: For those who don't have ready access to
PVC pipes I came up with a slightly less permanent version over the
holidays. Having been inspired to clean up my workspace by all the mention
on SS, I had a look around for something to keep as yet unused baseboards
and mouldings upright and out of the way. There in the recycling pile were
all those empty Christmas wrap and paper towel rolls along with quite a
few Pringles "tins". I crammed them into an empty detergent box and used
packing tape to hold everything together against the still attached
upright lid. I now have different height tubes to hold anything long and
thin and it tucks away in a small corner.
Dawn T / Toronto, On
stripwood storage: Ruths' idea of using PVC pipe for storing stripwood is
a great one. I have done the same sort of set up, the only difference is
that on the outside of of the bundle of tubes, I put some of varying
heights - i.e. one 12" long, one 8" long, etc. and this is where my
shorter stuff goes. Also, instead of PVC, I used some old mailing tubes
that were different diameters and had the advantage of caps on the end. I
have a rectangular shaped plastic container that came free with cat food
that I put all my sheet wood in. It is about 4" wide so it holds the 3"
sheets that are commonly sold. I put the wood in divided by type of wood,
and by thicknesses. They stand on end so I can see what I have pretty
easily. I keep the box pretty full, so I've never had a problem with
warpage.
I also keep an old bucket near my saws to throw scraps into- sometimes I
am able to salvage something out of it, but most often it is unusable and
makes a great campfire at some point. It is hard sometimes to decide when
you should save or pitch scraps- I tend to use almost everything, but if
it is all just thrown into a box you aren't too likely to ever find it
when you need it anyway.
Bonnie Gibson - Tucson, Arizona
Slate floors: I have another way to use the artist medium Gesso (suggested
by Anne I think for wall preparation). I used it to create slate floors
for the kitchen in my kit-bashed Newport. I had added about 10 " to the
side to create an elongated house which gave me room for a full kitchen. I
wanted slate floors but wanted something to be textured (slate is smooth
but has irregularities). I didn't want to use the real slate I had as it
was too thick and out of scale. I had the black tape used by artists to
create print lines (it comes in various widths from very wide to very thin
- I used 1/16").I had originally gotten it to create lines on the windows
(like for leaded windows) but used something else instead. This has a
thickness to it though so made a grid on the floor with the tape
extending; about 1/2" outside, then spread gesso over the floor. At this
point you really don't have to worry about texturing - just get it evenly
spread over the floor. You may have to do it twice as gesso tends to
flatten out as it dries. Then I painted it a battleship grey and sponged
various shades of grey over it to look mottled (real slate even has rust
stains on it sometimes and comes in shades of grey, green and a maroonish
red so here is lots to play with here). When it was dry to the touch I
pulled up the strips of black tape (this tape is tough being made of some
sort of plastic material) and it left the slightly rough irregular edges
to the squares. I then coated it with a shiny finish (any gloss finish
would work I think (I used gloss Liquitex because that's what I had on
hand) and it looks like a well cared for waxed slate floor. It was great
fun to do.
By the way, if anyone has a few slate shingles lying around (on the east
coast you can find them fairly easily - - look for old buildings with
slate roofs that are starting to come apart - you'll find whole shingles
or pieces lying on the ground especially after a rain), break them up and
use the pieces for wonderful foundations around your houses as a variation
to brick or flagstones in your gardens.Slate is really tough stuff so get
something to tilt it against (like when you want to break a stick). Use an
old trusty hammer and go at it (a great way to get rid of old
aggressions!). BUT BE SURE TO WEAR SAFETY GLASSES. I wouldn't want anyone
to lose their eyesight or get hurt by flying bits of stone.
Ana
Masonite: For anyone who may not know, Masonite is a brand name for
Tempered Hardboard (kind of like a high density fiberboard). To answer
your question, it holds up pretty well. It is near impossible to wire
(can't get brads or eyelets into it worth a darn - its too hard). It is
usually on 1/8" thick, windows and doors are for 1/4" or 3/8" thick walls,
typically.
Tom Berkner
Regarding Wood Movement: Solid wood moves with moisture content. In a
heated house it will lose moisture and shrink a little, but not evenly. If
you could see the growth rings on the end grain of a board they would be
curved. As the wood dries out the growth rings tend to straighten. The
only way to stop this is either to maintain the moisture content or
capture the lumber by force. This is why dovetails on full scale pieces
are marked and cut the same day the lumber is milled. This is also why it
is proper to have the concave side of the rings on the outside faces of a
box or drawer to keep the edges from pulling apart as the lumber dries.
Solid wood is not like fabric.... You can make it flat by ironing it or
training an elephant to dance on it, but, unless you stress the wood and
damage the structure, it will reassume its original shape. It may stay
flat for a while, but beware... unless you glue it or fasten it in some
other manner it will almost always resume its bow. Why this doesn't always
happens is one of those mysteries that makes woodworkers talk to
themselves. Do what you can to straighten bows and warps in solid wood and
plywood, but remember there are many, many horror stories in the full
scale wood working world of the terrible things that have happened to
projects when the builder ignored or didn't understand the principles of
wood movement.
Pete Boorum, On Sebbins Pond, Bedf
Strips of wood. --model air plane shops carry balsa and basswood. Balsa
comes in assorted sizes and lengths. when you cut it with the grain you
can be exact but to cut it across the grain use a craft saw or cut a
little larger and sand it down to size. air plane model shops sell these
saws and miter boxes. basswood is harder to cut but sturdier.
To cover a seam when papering --molding of wood at the base, ceiling edge
or chair rail cover up irregular edges. wooden coffee stirrer pre-stained
or pre-painted work fine if you cannot fine any thing else.
Jane n Arkansas
Stonework: I made my own "stone" for the patio. It looks like the slabs of
limestone they use in "real" landscaping. I made it by mixing plaster of
Paris, glue, paint and water so that the mixture was a doughy texture.
Then, I rolled it out between 2 sheets of waxed paper to about 1/8"
thickness. I peeled off the top layer of waxed paper and let the mixture
dry. Then, I broke it into pieces. To add more color and texture, I used
several color washes in different hues of browns, and burgundy. I laid the
pieces out on the "patio" to get an idea where I wanted them to fit and
glued them in place with tacky glue.
So, tonight I needed to "grout" around the stones. Again, I used the same
mixture as before, except I mixed it to the consistency of frosting. I
started to smooth it on with a spatula - - but, alas, I ended up using my
fingers! After being sure I had gotten it into every nook and cranny, I
wiped off the excess with a wet towel. As a final step, I sprayed the
whole thing - with the "grout" still wet - with a matte finish sealer.
And,....surprise! It looks great. Very realistic.
Sloan
_______________________________________________________
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
