I use brown paper cut into strips. They break a lot, but the results are well worth the hassle.... also have used nylon stockings cut into thin strips. Strop the wood like a shoeshine person. I've tried carpet thread again stropping or stretching stocking material over a shape to treat tiny details. Scraping with glass is the
ultimate polish for tiny details. Go very slow, use magnifiying glass and be careful. The results are totally astonishing and lovely. Glass scraping and polishing of wood is a very old method of finishing a surface..... still works.

Judie
29 Apr 2004

There is a tutorial for making carpet runner rods at: http://weevings.com/making_stair_rods.htm. The same site has a companion page on installation.

Sheri in Ohio - 9 Feb 2004

To bend sleigh runners you first must make a mold. To make the mold you must make a very accurate drawing of the runner profile. Transfer this drawing of the outside lines of the runner (bottom) to 1/8" thick model aircraft plywood. Now you need to decide the total thickness of the wood strip you plan to bend. I first used 1/8" X 1/32" strip basswood, stacked up to a little over the thickness of the height of the runner largest cross section. So in the case of the Hudson Cutter Sleigh I used five pieces of this bass wood stacked up (or laminated).

Next: You know you are using five 1/32" strips of wood stacked so you now have a height of 5/32" (.1562" or 3.9688 mm). Subtract from the height 1/32" or one strip which leaves 1/8" (.125" or 3.1750mm). Carefully mark up 1/8" from the drawn baseline on the plywood and mark at several spots above the line along the line of the runner bottom line.

Now: Using a scroll or coping saw, carefully saw out the shape of the runner from the plywood -- carefully cutting just the upper edge for the line but not cutting the line now leaving white wood above the line. Now set a divider or compass to the bottom of the top piece that has been cut from the plywood and one of the marks you made before cutting. With one leg of your compass dragging on the bottom cut area of the piece and the lead of the compass drawing a line just above the bottom. This space will be less than your 1/8" height because it compensates for the saw kerf. Now cut out the second line. The two halves, when put together now will have a 1/8" gap between them.

Cut a second piece of plywood the same size as the first piece before it had been cut. This is your form base. Now glue the bottom cut piece to the second piece of plywood. Then carefully nail or secure them together for strength. When the glue is completely dry, coat the whole bottom piece and base with melted wax. Then scrape off the excess wax. Coat the bottom and edge of the top piece with wax in the same way. Now you have a mold to form the wood.

In a bread pan or a pan long enough to hold the basswood strips, bring water to a simmer and soak the basswood strips in that water for about 20 minutes.

Now coat four strips with Elmer's glue on one side (use wax paper to lay them on) and stack them together with the glue side up. Then place the last strip on top and carefully place this all in the mold and press in the top piece to form the shape of the runner. Use C clamps to hold the mold together. You may have to stand the mold on edge and hammer the top piece into the bottom piece to make a tight fit.

Any loose places or air spaces will leave a weak spot. When dry, carefully remove the runner and set it aside and make the second runner. When completely dry, carefully sand the runners to profile. If you find separation of air spots, fill them with super glue and coat with baking soda over the super glue. This when dry will fill the void and can be sanded off like putty.

That was simple enough wasn't it?

Bill Hudson - 9 Feb 2004

For those looking for more tutorials, take a look at this site. Lots of fun things to do and to see.

http://www.dollhouseminiaturesclub.freeservers.com/craftroom.htm

Carol
2/06/2004

I've put a wicker basket tutorial on my webshots
http://community.webshots.com/user/suedsimpson
under Miscellaneous miniatures.

Sue
2/04/2004

Here is a website to making a murphy bed (bedstead).
http://fp3.antelecom.net/frog/mini_hide_bed.html

Sharon V
6/9/04

PUSSY WILLOW KITTIES…
Supply List…
*3 Large Willows (one for head, body and rear end)
*5 Small Willows (for feet and tail)
*Tacky Glue
*Tweezers
*Large nail clippers
*Black Slick t-shirt paint
Instructions…
*You may need to pick the willows carefully as you
will need really full and fluffy willows.
To aid in making them fluffy, you can use a soft
toothbrush after it is all glued and dried.
*Clip off the hard ends of the tips of the willows. Be
careful not to clip off to much as you will clip off
the “fur”. The point is to make the ends flatter so
when you butt them up together they will look like ONE
big willow as for the head and body.
*Apply glue to one willow for the head and attach it
to the next larger one for the first part of the body
and then another one for the rear end. (See diagram)
Let dry.
*Attach the feet to the body and rear end. Attach a
longer one to the rear end for the tail. Let dry.
*Use the slick paint to do the eyes and nose. Eyes are
almond shaped. Be careful to make them small enough
and even sticking a toothpick in the paint and then
applying will assure accuracy.
*The mouth, being the most delicate part should be
applied with paint on a needle. Let dry.
*Make ears with ultra suede or similar material. (See
diagram)

Added embellishments:
*A collar made of silk ribbon with rhinestones.
*Bunka wrapped around the kitty as if the kitty is playing.
*A bead as a ball next to the kitty’s paw.

Kitty is done.
Kitty Face
Kitty’s side Tail


carol k - 26 March 2004

Tutorials & Instruction_Jewelry Making_website_Gisele Sullivan

Gisele Sullivan has a jewelry making tutorial on her
doll site. The URL is: www.giselesminiature.com/Jewelry~ns4.html

Christine
2/19/04

Tutorials & Instruction_general_website_anythingicando

I saw this site (www.anythingicando.com) and I found it great for its step by step photos.
Anyone not English mother-languaged can see tool and material
names, look at the photo, and finally understand what you all are talking
about!!!!

Patricia (Milan, Italy)
2/20/04

I used to make my own "wire spoked" wheels using two brass washers spaced apart by a smaller brass tube as the hub. For the rims, I normally used 1/32" or 1/16" thick by 3/32" or 1/8" wide flat brass (By K&S from Special Shapes).
1. Calculate the circumference of the rim and drill it for "spokes" appropriately spaced along the center of the cut rim while still flat.
2. Form and solder the rim using a thin plywood disc (Hobby birch plywood the same thickness as rim is wide). Be careful to form the rim to be very flat when laid on its side.
For drilling, I typically use the very finest "centering" or "pilot" drill. These have a fat (1/8") body but very short and small diameter end bits so they cannot flex and walk from where you point them when drilling with a drill press.
For larger wheels you can pretty well eyeball marks laid out with layout bluing and a scriber. For smaller wheels where there is more need for precision, you may need to use an X-Y machine vise on your drill press.
3. Assemble the 3-piece hub with hard solder and drill one half of the spoke holes in each washer. Again, careful layout work may allow you to eyeball the job or you can use an indexing head if you have one.
4. Build a jig of hobby plywood with an axle screw for the hub and well spaced positioning pins around the inside circumference of the rim (about 1" apart but not where spoke holes will be in that rim) The axle screw should hold the hub about 1" above the face of the jig and small blocks should also lift the rim so that its center is as high as the center of your hub.

5. Now for the big secret: with the hub and rim in place SEW the spokes using silk ship-modelers' rigging thread. Have the thread come from rim to the inner face of the hub. Go through and back to the rim spokes. Sew around until complete.
Study the spoke patterns of authentic full size wheels on vehicles of the nature you want to make. Wire spokes are seldom straight out from hub to rim as wagon wheels are. There is usually a crossover pattern of spokes coming from inner and outer sides of the hub. For tires, you may consider shaving the rubber or plastic insulation from a length of wire. Some lamp cord even has a smooth side and a ridged side which can represent very fine tire treads.

Mel K.
17 Feb 04