Model Cars That Should Exist

Spending quite a bit of money I don't really have to spend, I (with my husband's encouragement) made up for a truly horrible day by purchasing a few model kits.  I already have a 1:16 Phantom II in my closet (along with my Franklin Mint dolls--tell no one), just waiting to be put together.  And, well, the 1:12 Datsun was calling my name.  I think it'd be an awesome addition to my Horrible Rural Shack.

Which brings me to my first question: why are 1:12 scale models quite so expensive?  I mean, sure, they're larger so they'll cost more...but hundreds of dollars for a box of extruded plastic?  Really?

Second, has anyone else used 1:14 or 1:16 scale cars (or bikes, or trucks, or whatever) in their scenes?  Has it worked?

And, finally, on a really mostly unrelated note, there should be better (or existing at all) kits of the following cars:

1. Tucker Torpedo
2. Stanley K Raceabout
3. Delahaye Cabriolet (the 135 would be OK, too)
4. Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic (or the 735 B)
5. Daimler-Maybach 1889 "Steel Wheel"
6. Phantom Corsair
7. Edsel Corsair (an ad running in "Life" proclaimed that "the Edsel is here to stay!")
8. Jaguar XK120
9. Stutz Bearcat (Mr. Burns owns one, as do Dirk Pitt and several of Anne Rice's characters)
10. 1958 Plymouth Fury
11. 1936 Ford Siebert combination ambulance/hearse (um...great)

What I've Learned From My Mistakes

Don't spray paint in the rain.  Or in the almost-rain.  Or in 99% humidity.  Your metallics will be dull and blotchy, your stoves will fog over.  Although, as we've seen, sometimes mistakes are a blessing in disguise.  In fact, I'm pretty sure this is true in almost every area of life...

The same day I did the blue cook stove, I also sprayed some copper pots.  Which, well, came out looking like something one of my neighbors might dig up out of his root cellar and sell the tourists as an "antique."  So with a little creative craft paint ("Americana" brand craft paint in burnt sienna and lamp black), I went with the "old and gross" theme.

USE MULTIPLE FINE COATS!!!  I thought I already knew this advice.  I mean, duh.  Most of us have been at this for years, and "fine coats" seems like really Mickey Mouse advice.  DO NOT BE FOOLED.  When it comes to spray enamels, flat colors are very forgiving.  Gloss colors are not.  And, I've discovered, the lighter the color, the worse the coverage.  My first few tries with the Testors light ivory were disasters; my paint came out gloppy, or obscured the detail.  I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong.  Then, after wasting about 20 bucks worth of paint, talking it over with some of my hobbyist friends, and visiting a hobby forum, I learned the following rules:

1.  Shake the can for at least 5 minutes.  I'm not kidding.  Shake that baby like there's no tomorrow, then shake it some more.  And start with a new can.  If you've got a can that's, like, half gone and you haven't been mixing things up, well, um, it won't ever mix properly.
2. MIST COATS, dude.  This shouldn't take you two coats, it should take you more like ten.  The finer and more frequent the coats, the happier you'll be with the results.
3. DO NOT SPRAY ON HUMID DAYS.

Face it, sometimes you just need to use spray paint.  Like, take the pot belly stove, for example.  The sprayed-on enamel more closely resembles enameled cast iron, so you're going to get a better result.  Comparing these two pot belly stoves, I think the ivory one looks a lot more realistic than the green one.

The hair-thin black edges and slightly pebbly texture add realism.

Even with a spray coat over it (Testors "glosscote"), it just doesn't look quite as good.

Oh, yeah, and it's counter-intuitive, but glossy varnish looks better than matte varnish.  It also contrasts much more nicely with the flat black.  Or, at least, I think so.

If you don't want your finish to look pebbly, well, there's a sanding sponge for that and I'll talk about it (if anyone's interested) when I do the parlor stove.  Also known as The Kit From Hell, but that's another story.  Anyway, moving on...

Speaking of which, some mistakes are liberating but some are just depressing.  If it's become a stone around your neck, don't be demoralized; throw it out.  I've thrown out quite a few kits, but I can't really say my money or time was wasted.  I learned a lot.  If every project you try comes out perfect, then you're not stretching yourself and you'll never get better.  Don't be afraid to waste materials, screw up, and look like an idiot.  Within reason, of course; I don't think this stove would make much of a hat.  Or work well as underpants.

Think outside the box, color-wise.  This is your house, do what you want with it.  Just because the folks at Dee's Delights who now produce Chrysnbon made it out of black polystyrene, doesn't mean it has to be black.  Back in the day, people were, I think, a lot more creative with color.  Some of this had to do with the fact that, sans electric light, duller colors were really just lost.  The reason why all that wallpaper was virulently red, black, etc was so it'd show up in gaslight.  And people weren't afraid to go all out, either.  Why can't your pot belly stove be purple?  I've seen antique examples that were aqua, blue, every color under the rainbow.  And even if nobody ever painted it that color before, who cares?

Sometimes gluing two already-painted pieces together causes an ugly colored blob to ooze out.  You can get rid of it by dipping a small angled brush into thinner, then carefully brushing out the seam.  Quickly brush off any excess thinner, to prevent it from eating the surrounding paint.  Repeat the process until it's all gone--and, if all else fails, remember that you can always sand it out and repaint it if you have to.

Wet sanding is key.

Don't spray paint outside.  Even if you're not near a tree--and I can't tell you how many little tree parts I've found embedded in my projects--you're still not safe.  Dude, a bird pooped on the red cook stove.  Invest in a hood, if you can afford it, otherwise try to spray somewhere that's well-ventilated but at least somewhat covered.

One trick I used, when I had to spray outside, was to, as soon as I finished spraying, immediately put a piece of cardboard over my spray box.  Gloss paints stay tacky a LOT longer than flat paints, so keep this in mind.

Stay organized.  All those little bits and pieces can take over your work area, room, and house really quickly.  My family's really tolerant but, um, still.  In college, one of my roommates painted Warhammer figurines and everyone was always stepping on something.  I got out of the shower, put my foot on the mat and got a spear through the webbing between my toes; he was furious that I'd ruined his guy.  What I wanted to know was, why was it in the bathroom in the first place?

Chrysnbon--Fixing the Wood?

Here's another unexciting, picture-less post.

As I mentioned, I'm going into town this week, and plan on picking up some of my Chrysnbon kits from my studio there.  If I had room, I'd rather have a studio up here--it's much more conducive to creativity, I think.  Maybe some day.  At any rate, thinking about Chrysnbon has gotten me to wondering what I can do with it.  Although I've been putting together the kits for years, this next effort will be my first time trying to actually modify them in any meaningful way--I mean, beyond gluing different pieces together, Chrysnbon Cut-Ups-style.

I've seen others achieve some wonderful results with paint, etc so I'm going to give it a try.  I have some experience with (other types of) model kits, so painting, metalizing, etc aren't new ideas to me.  But what I'm completely lost on is...what do you do with the wood?

As wonderful as the pieces themselves are, I find the "wood" portion of these kits horrible.  Something that's supposed to be porcelain, metal, stone, etc, that's easy enough to fix--but, even beyond that horrible dead beige color, there's the wood grain!  It's enormous, totally out of scale--especially in such dainty pieces.

Has anyone else pondered this issue?  What solutions have you come up with? 

What Happened To My Studio?

I'll post pictures, once I have everything more or less back together.

Right now, I'm still trying to restock things.  Having lost my studio and all its accumulated detritus, I've been forced to really think about what I need--which has been a good thing.  Surprisingly, I need more than I thought!  I'd hoped to keep things relatively minimalist from now on, so as to focus on specific current projects.  And, ultimately, I think that'll still happen.  We'll see.

For my (not quite a) Lincoln Home, I intend to make as much, myself, as possible.  In my spare moments, I've been daydreaming about various woodworking plans for fireplaces, wainscoting, etc.  But, nobody ever goes it alone, and I've also been--in preparation for actually getting going--purchasing from the following vendors: Sue Cook Miniatures, Les Chinoiseries, Houseworks (for strip wood) and Chrysnbon.  I'll have a better sense of what wood I'll need for the molding, once my design is finalized.

I also have a few future purchases planned, especially for tile--but I'm still working out what I'll need.

I'm also looking for design inspiration--especially for furniture--as my budget doesn't permit some of the pieces I really want.  So, instead, I'm going to learn how to make these things, myself.  And hopefully, if I succeed, sharing my newly found techniques.

Who are your favorite suppliers?

Anyway, on to my story.  As you already know, it was an eventful winter.  One of the issues we dealt with was rain.  And flooding.  And, at the end of last year, discovering that our foundation needed some pretty extreme repairs.  So much for the home inspector!  Anyway, as a result of this combination, we got lots of water--and wild animals, some very large--in our basement.  Cue destruction of property.

Ultimately, I gave up and admitted the sad truth, that it was a total loss.

After several months of (unrelated) misery, and a renewed conviction--on both mine and my husband's part--that we deserved to enjoy our lives, we set to work repairing it.  And, being mindful of creating a studio for this specific space, rather than trying to cram everything I already had, in my much, much larger studio (at our old house) into a Hobbit hole (which would be our new house), I taught myself a few organizational tips:

• Label everything.  Having lots of bins, organizers, etc only works if you can actually find what's inside.  One survivor was my storage cabinet.  It's a great idea in theory, but not so much in practice...unless you label each drawer.  Now I finally know what I have in there.  I also labeled my storage boxes.  One HUGE loss was my collection of Al Chandronnait barrels, bins and boxes, many of which aren't made anymore.  I'm still really sad about that.
• A place for everything, and everything in its place.  If there isn't room for it, you don't need it!  I have a 3-drawer Rubbermaid wheeling cart, which I LOVE, because the drawers are large enough to hold a standard-size sheet of dollhouse flooring or wallpaper.  I can lay everything out nice and flat, and keep my piles of goodies protected from dust, cats, etc.  The other drawers have been devoted to kits.
• DON'T accumulate!  It's all gone now, but I can't tell you how many hundreds of dollars I wasted on wood strips, trims, etc I never used.  I bought it thinking, this is pretty, I'll use it somewhere.  Uh huh.  So unless it's truly unique, or limited edition, stay away!  Having one of every kind of trim under the sun does not, contrary to popular belief, make completing your project easier.  Half the time, I swear, pawing through my disorganized piles slowed me down and confused me so badly that I ended up buying duplicates, anyway.
• Throw out your scraps.  You don't need them and will never use them.
• Don't try to do too many projects at the same time.
• Invest in a cork board.  You can pin your inspirational pictures, design sketches, etc on there.
• Always make room for your books.  Knowing how to create something in polymer clay is more important than having a huge pile of polymer clay handy, just in case you decide to do that project you've actually already forgotten how to do, because the class was last year and you've long ago lost your handout.
• Keep your handouts, etc organized in a binder.
• Don't ever let it get to the point where you're tripping over a sad morass of sawdust, scraps and howling cats as the printables rain down on you like snow.

Where's the Flocked Wallpaper?

I guess I just love fuzzy things.

But how come no one makes it anymore?  I had quite a nice selection in my (old) studio, which, like the space itself, has gone the way of the dodo.  I was so sad to find out it was gone, and have been searching for more ever since.  As I've absolutely no idea how one might go about making flocked wallpaper--at least, not without serious supplies--this is really pretty frustrating.

Know of any (reliable) sources?

And what else do you wish you could find?  Also on my own personal wishlist are...

1. Furniture pieces (such as Houseworks manufactures in basswood) in hardwood.  I'd so like the opportunity to order mahogany cabriole legs, splats, etc.  For us inferior woodworkers, who lack the skills to create cabriole legs ourselves, this would truly be delightful.
2. Better tiles.  I loathe plastic tile sheets; they never come out quite right for me.  But my dollhouses would, I'm certain, love a delft tile surround on at least one fireplace.
3. Better kits for kitchen furniture--like ice boxes.  As I lack the funds to purchase one of Ken Byers' lovely ice boxes (complete with period authentic hardware...drool), I find I'm stuck.  Chrysnbon makes a nice ice box kit but, of course, it's plastic.  Although I'm planning on experimenting with said plastic to see if I can make it look like anything, well, to be honest, I'm not optimistic.
4. Better dollhouse bathrooms--in kit form or otherwise.
5. Historically accurate wall-to-wall carpet.  You know, with an actual design on it.  If you don't believe me, check out pictures of Lincoln's (real) Springfield Home, etc.  This stuff was in common usage for quite some time, as the quality of the wood used on the floors themselves was so bad.  But it was, of course, patterned--usually with something of an oriental look.  Like hotel carpet today.
6. Better carpets generally.
7. Windows with actual window panes.

And I'm Back!

Hello!

It's been almost a year, hasn't it?  You've all probably forgotten about me.  For those of you who maintain blogs, I haven't forgotten about you!  I've been keeping up with your projects, and greatly enjoying the progress.

So where have I been? 

In the past (give or take) ten months, I've...

• had an extended hospital stay (but am now well on the way to recovery),
• given birth to our lovely son, who is perfect,
• lost my great aunt, with whom I was very close,
• helped my husband through his own health issues,
• and suffered the loss of my little "studio", if you can call it that.  Which, especially in light of everything else, has been very difficult.  No miniatures to help me relax, or take my mind off things!

 As things have gotten back onto more of an even keel, my husband and I have been able to start rebuilding my little workspace.  Of course, you're all aware, tools and supplies are very expensive so it's been slow going.  But the way I look at it is, now I'm free of all the old bits and bobs I'd kept, hoping to use some day but, secretly, knowing would always be junk.  We are, as it were, starting afresh.

This tabula rasa has given me the opportunity to really focus on what, precisely, I want to build.  I won't be finishing my old projects, as they've been lost.  HOWEVER, I WILL be starting a couple of new projects!  I'm really quite excited and, already, have started collecting a few supplies.  My beautiful Les Chinoiseries wallpaper arrived yesterday, which was quite thrilling.  My husband, of course, obediently looked at all of it with me.

Over the next few days (weeks?), I'll hopefully be describing these projects, and getting everyone--including myself--back up to date.  

I hope all's well with you, out there in internet land.

Do YOU Have A Creatin' Contest Horror Story?

Yesterday, commenting about my Creatin' Contest nightmare, one of my readers commented that, unfortunately, I wasn't the first to have an unpleasant experience.  Reading that, I was intrigued--who else has had issues, with this or any other miniatures contest?  What sorts of issues did they experience?  

I think that, maybe, contest-related unhappiness is more widespread than any of us think, but we keep mum about it, because our experiences have been so unhappy-making.  But let's share!  I, for one, would feel much better.

But Won't Lead Kill Me?

My husband raised a good point the other night: isn't lead poisonous?  Won't working with lead tape a lot kill you?  Is there any safe way to create these windows?

I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV.  This post isn't a substitute for actual medical advice.  If you have any concerns, please talk to a real doctor.

I did some research.  According to several reputable sources, including OSHA, lead is dangerous--but not to your skin.  Rather, with a couple of exceptions for certain lead-baased industrial compounds, lead gets into your blood stream not through your hands, but through your mouth.  It's a really good idea, therefore, to wear a mask.

Also, to be on the safe side, you should...

1. Wash your hands (including the undersides of your fingernails) thoroughly after each and every handling.
2. Remove all detritus from your work area after every session.
3. Be really careful to keep any stray lead bits away from your clothes.

And if you're pregnant, you probably shouldn't touch it at all!

I've been making art of various types for years, and I've taken some pretty dumb risks.  But, as one gets older and contemplates having (and, indeed, raising) children, one becomes more aware of the dubious possibilities.  I'm a lot more careful now than I was!  I do, however, have numerous scars to prove each (hopefully past) stupidity.

Any horror stories?  Safety tips you'd like to share?  Thoughts on making windows...or anything else?

My Workshop

As the saying goes, it ain't pretty, but it's home.  I thought someone out there might be interested in seeing my workshop, and hearing about how I've managed to contain a very space-consuming hobby in a very small space.  I've really struggled, in the past, to contain my craft supplies--they're always threatening to take over the house--and it's been difficult to come up with a workable solution.

We were very fortunate in that, when we moved into our new house, the basement possessed two qualities: it's very dry, and it came equipped with a workbench.  That saved me the trouble of building one.  It's a well-made workbench, too, which is a bonus.

Here we are!  My workshop area curves around the wall to the left.  As you can see, it shares space with the laundry area (my folding table is behind me as I'm standing to take this picture).  It's a small space, but it's worked out really well.

My two PREAC mini table saws, as well as some wood, and a variety of organizational aids.

My workbench area.

Another view of my workbench area.

My tips (learned through unfortunate experience) for creating--and containing--your mini space:

1. Pick a space and commit to it.  I do bring things upstairs for natural light, more space, etc, but they always go home at the end of the day.  The problems start when multiple rooms become "homes". When this situation has happened to us in the past, the culprit has been lack of organization.  As my piles of stuff have grown, so has the space required for it.
2. Stay organized.  I know where everything in my workshop is at all times.  I try to tidy up as much as I can, and do a full-on reorganization at least once a month (or as necessary).  Lack of organization leads to missing items, multiples, and general squalor.  Not to mention, if you're anything like me, you end up hanging on to bits and pieces you don't really need--and making room for them in your workshop, along with the things you really do need.
3. Throw things out!  I apply the same rule to my workshop that I do to the rest of my house: if I haven't used it for six months (or a year if it's seasonal), throw it away or give it away.  With a few obvious exceptions (my grandmother's candlesticks), anything I haven't used...I don't need.  Just knowing that I'm not keeping it forever--unless I'm using it, anyway--prevents me from buying unnecessary supplies.  If I see something incredible, and I can afford it, I buy it.  Maybe it'll be five years before I find the right house for it.  But, let's be honest, lots of things seem "incredible" in the heat of the moment.
4. If at all possible, develop three discrete areas: one for tools, one for your current project, and one to actually work on.  My space is tiny, and yet my big tools are always on one table, my houses are always on another table, and there's always a section of my workbench clear for actually working.
5. Trays are your friend.  I have lots of small rubber bottomed trays from Target.  They're meant to be drawer organizers (each is about 6" x 9"), but I use them to keep my projects separate.  Once I've cut all the pieces for a particular item--say, a highboy, or the pieces I need to make a window for one of my houses--I keep everything together in a tray.  That way, when I'm ready to work on something, I can just take the tray out--and put it back--without losing anything or getting any pieces confused.
6. Keep your half-completed projects separate.  I have a wire shelf unit entirely devoted to housing half-completed projects.  They're out of the way; they don't get eaten by the cats; they're ready and waiting (and unmolested) when I need them.
7. Invest in organizational aids.  I love rolling drawer carts, map trays, etc.  They help me keep everything in pristine condition.

I find that, with minis as in real life, a little organization early on can go a long way.  It's easy to get your things (and yourself) in place before you start a project; it's hard to stop, and impose some sense of organization mid-stream.

Do you have any good organizational tips?

A Brilliant Idea!

It all started last weekend.

Honestly, I don't know why it took me so long to think of it.  Why hasn't everybody thought of it?  The idea came to me when I brought the bakery up from the basement, and started working on it at the dining room table.  Dining rooms are, generally, under-ultilized rooms; why not take advantage of the natural light, I figured, and keep my husband company at the same time?  He was nearby in the living room, writing.

"Be careful you don't scratch the table!", he warned.

"Ah hah!", I thought.  "We have to go to Michael's and get some supplies!", I told him.

I bought some thin craft foam, and some foam glue.  I cut the foam into narrow strips exactly the same width as the base of the bakery.  If you try this, BE CAREFUL!  I though it'd work great to cut narrow strips with my table saw; it doesn't.

I elevated the bakery on a stack of books, so I could easily glue the strips of foam to the bottom.  I cut 8 strips approximately 1/4" wide by 3" long.  They're placed evenly around the base, so no one area has more pressure on it than any other. 

London is trying to figure out what's going on. 

The finished product. 

I used brown craft foam, because it's unobtrusive and dirt-colored.  For this to work, it's imperative that you use the right kind of foam, and the right kind of glue.  Regular craft glue doesn't form a strong bond to craft foam.  The special glue, though, is easy to find: generally, right next to the foam itself.

Another close-up.

Yet another close-up.

This fix is cheap and effective.  One sheet of craft foam, at 11" x 17", provides enough foam for many dollhouses and roomboxes.  It costs 0.95 USD per sheet, and craft foam glue costs 1.79 USD per tube.  The tubes are small, but a little goes a long way.  I purchased two sheets of brown craft foam and one tube of craft foam glue for a total investment of 3.69 USD.  That's enough to do all the projects I've got going on right now: the bakery, 4 roomboxes, the wizard's eyrie, and the merchant's manor.

3.69 USD, or less than two twenty five cent pieces per house.

Not a bad investment at all, I'd say!

What are your bright ideas?

The Dreaded Warp--Egads!

It's happened to everyone at some point: horrible, uncontrollable warping.  A little warping is, sadly, not to be avoided.  I live in an old (by American standards) house; I know.  But, sometimes, the warping is so bad that it takes your whole setting out of scale.  Awhile ago, I purchased a number of roombox kits, and finished the insides.  I was just getting into roomboxes, and didn't fully appreciate that I needed to finish the outside first.  Ideally, as with any fine carpentry, you want to build a frame first, attaching virgin wood to virgin wood, and thus stopping the warp in its tracks.  There is, after all, only so much that weights and clamps can do.

I was foolish; I didn't realize.  My husband, who's just left the District Attorney's office (our equivalent of the Crown Prosecutor's office) for private practice, requested a barrister's office roombox.  Now, when I see it fully furnished, I see it occupied by Mr. Toad in a wig.  Perhaps he does not.  In any case, I realized that one of my half-finished, badly warped roomboxes would be just the thing--if only I could fix it.  

Eventually, it'll have a glorious front facade, featuring, naturally, my great love: turned columns.  The overall theme, here, is beaux arts; it justifies the encaustic tiles (a find from Germany), dark wood, and odd furniture I plan to use.  Stay tuned!

First, I added a foot to the box, clamping it firmly in place to try.  That alleviated some of the warp, but not all.  Then, I wetted down the sides (and, most especially the bottom) and clamped and weighted it in place to dry.

That enormously heavy box is our silver casket.

Also included in the pile are my anniversary Lord of the Rings tomes. 

 The drawers are in safekeeping, as one of our cats loves to chew wood.  The moulding is made from walnut and pine; the tile is from Germany.  I really built the roombox around the tile, because I loved it so.  I can't wait to furnish it.

As you can see, we have a heavily stocked bar.  Necessary for this sort of work?  My husband would probably say "yes". 

I may have used every clamp in the house. 

But at last, when everything came off in the morning (I let it dry a solid 24 hours, just to be sure), the warp was GONE!  

Now, on to the facade, and then...decorating the inside.  Any suggestions, inspirations, or insights into that particular area would be greatly appreciated.  While I've worked in several offices, I've never decorated one in miniature.

Where Do You Store Your Minis?

A friend of mine asked me this question: where do you put them?

I realized that, despite years of doing this, the answer is still, "I don't know".

The curio cabinet in our front hall.

I keep some of my smaller minis in this curio cabinet, which was made for us by a friend.  It's a really handy way to show off some of my favorite pieces.  Every time I get home from a show, I have fun adding my latest treasure.

But what about my dollhouses?  Ideally, I'd have a room--but that's just not realistic.  And, face it, most people (however misguidedly) don't relish the idea of staring at dollhouses.  Additionally, there are the projects I've finished, but that aren't (in my opinion) high enough quality to display or sell.  I'd give those away, if anyone wanted them.

In fact...anyone want a free roombox?  No, really.  Do you?

So what do YOU do?