Spiral Staircase - Now I haven't actually tried this but remember reading itin the digest a couple of years ago. Use a wooden fan like the ones made in India. They are usually made of teak, I think (or appear to be) and usually have a tiny beautiful pattern cut out in them. Drill a hole in at desired point of equal distance in the thin ends of each section. Put a dowel with spacer in between each step. You now have a beautiful spiral stairway, already tapered, as tall or short as you want it. This sounds like a great idea for a fancy stairway. I can't remember who originally posted this tip but maybe it will jog someone's memory here. I can picture it clearly. It could even be painted to match a color scheme or painted chrome to get a metal stair effect. One of these days I will give it a try. Maybe when I do my Lighthouse. WARNING! don't wait for me to show you the finished project unless you have about 10 years to spare! LOL!

Brooke (muddyshoes)

No Stairs: many people leave out the stairs to get more space; some houses don't have them anyway, like my Hall's townhouse. The traditional way of getting around this is to put fake, non-working doors along the back wall on each floor for the illusion that those doors lead into a hallway where the stairs are located. You can always use your imagination, too, and tell finicky viewers who ask about them that they are looking at the house the from perspective of the hall/stairway, which have been magically made invisible to allow them a better view of the rooms!

Loretta_Sniarowski

To Light or Not to Light... Just a few basic lights can add 300% to the thrill and warmth of a room. . . easy and fun. Try it! Many, many mini fans have shied from lights for years. When they at last do try it, they're thrilled!!! Do a small sample strip on a plain board or cardboard on the kitchen table. Transformer on one end of the strip, light bulb on the other end, 6 to 10 inches of tape between. . Try it!

Then follow the directions and add another light bulb on a 90 degree angle of tape. Try it!

Then make a splice and following directions in booklet or kit instructions, attach another at the end of the splice. Try it!

See?? It's fun and easy. Very straight forward and simple. Imagine the strips as water flowing... one side black water, the other white. The water flows from the transformer, down the white side (a pipe kinda) into a bulb and out the other side of the bulb and onto the black wire. One in, one out. Your bulbs are the bridge or connecting crossover of the water so it can flow. Just like house plumbing - from the street into your house and back out to another line in the street. ... everything here but the fragrance. . (hahaha)

Tape wire today is color coded. One side is different colored than the other. Negative/Positive... one in, one out. The In comes from the power source (transformer/batteries) the Out goes back into the transformer/batteries and completes the circuit. Plunk a bulb between those two and you get LIGHT! Try it!

Judie

Retro furniture: Those of you who prefer 20th century styles to Victorian should also check out that wood crafting site mentioned earlier (http://www.thewoodcrafter.net/projects.html). It's not just free Victorian dollhouse plans. There's a big Retro section with life-scale plans for 30s and 40s furniture that include measured diagrams to help us reduce them to our scale of choice.

Loretta.Sniarowski

Tapewire: Someone asked if it's necessary to prime over the Cir-Kit tapewire before painting a room. You should cover the tape wire with Scotch Brand Magic Tape after making sure your connections are all working. I always soldered my connections with a "low heat" soldering iron and solder, available at Radio Shack and also from CirKit Concepts. You'll get an instruction book with the wiring kit, and if you run into a big problem, the folks there have always been willing to talk you thru it. And to answer your original question, yes, do please prime over the tape - it may take several coats if you're using pastel paint or paper.

And yes, you can wire an MDF house. You have to pre-punch the holes for your brads (I wouldn't use grommets). Cir-Kit has all the tools you'll need. And no, I'm not a representative for Cir-Kit, but I did use their wiring kits exclusively when I had my shop.

Martha Hastings

Soldering to tape wire:: It's really very simple. Although I have seen soldering guns on sale at the dollar store (recently bought one as a back up and didn't really like it. Too hot, and smokey) I used a Craftsman's brand soldering iron with the trigger. Don't know if that made a difference or not, but it did allow me to control the flow of heat. Otherwise the solder just kept remelting and wouldn't adhere to the tape and wires. I removed a very small piece of the protective tape on each side of the the tape wire. I then exposed the wires onmy electrical item and taped them in place with regular scotch tape so I could have both hands free. I then placed my solder on top of the wires (which is on the tape) and melted it. I released the trigger and held in place a second until it cooled and Voila!!!! I had a perfect connection. I also covered the small area with electrical tape since I had removed some of the protective tape.

And you need not think of it as permanent. I decided to change a ceiling fan in one room that I had soldered to the floor above. To removed it, I simply used the soldering iron to melt the solder and removed the wires from the tape wire.

I saw no visible damage to the tape wire. My lights are bright and perfect for the first time. I never worry about dim lights, blinking lights, or lost connections anymore. It is such a thrill! I don't know if this shortens the life of the wire. I don't think so. Perhaps an expert might have some input on that. In any case, I will never tape wire without using my soldering gun again!

Tonya, BKLYN

Mini Plans - Mini designs - mini books: I am taking a few minute break to catch up on my e-mail and have a few more to climb up on my soap box Why does everyone seem intent upon finding plans for MINIATURES?????

Our goal (except for the fantasy contingent) is to represent reality in miniature. Right? I do appreciate articles, posts, books, and such that offer materials, techniques, and tooling that helps us to create our miniatures. As for plans, however, I far prefer to use authentic items or published plans for full sized authentic items. There are several advantages.

(1) My finished pieces are authentic and authenticated. I can show photographs of the original from which I modeled my miniature (or a copy of the article) In authenticating, my description is not what mini book the plans came from but, rather and for example, "Based on a 1937 Crosley, single band table radio in the collection of Mister Robert Page of Ventura, Ca. Number 3 of 12 miniatures by MCK"

(2) I have the fun of research and design plus the prestige of prototype ownership

Research from the real thing can be in private collections, antique shops, second hand stores, museums, or your own Grandma's attic. Research from plans can be from woodworking/upholstery/metal smith books and magazines including library micro film editions of OLD Popular Mechanics, Fine Woodworking, etc. Further research from photographs may be from old magazines, "captured" scenes from movies, or background glimpses in old family photographs.

(3) I enjoy a mini fan club beyond our miniature circle. It includes owners of the full sized prototypes who are very flattered when I ask to measure, sketch, and photograph one of their treasures for miniature reproduction. #1 certainly is my own. #2 usually has an immediate buyer (I throw in a display dome for good will)

(4) I am not limited to what others have discovered, downsized, and deemed worthy of drafting. The world is much larger than that.

(5) Real antiques frequently have stories. Miniatures carefully crafted after those full size prototypes automatically "own" the story also - for no extra charge.

'Nuf soap box for now. Some other break time I will get a bit into research measuring and drawing.

Mel K.

Leftover Minis: Extra miniatures you can't use make great Christmas ornaments, tie pretty ribbon on small chair or whatever and hang....very cute. Even an extra door or window....hang wreath on it, tie ribbon and hang.

SdeForest

Mrs. Claus Kitchen:- --I would love to do a Mrs. Clause Kitchen scene, where I would have her baking cookies on an antique stove and decorate a cupboard with little Christmas dishes etc. The question I have is what unusual container could I use? …Ame Fay, why not use a Christmas wreath? They may be purchased in miniature

shops or you can make your own. You will need one artificial wreath, one paper hat box which will fit into the inside opening of the wreath. Set your scene inside of the hat box.

Marilyn in Michigan

Electrifying MDF house: I will be electrifying a dollhouse made of MDF this weekend. I use the tapewire system, I find it easier. The only "hard" thing is that MDF is a bit harder than plywood, so it's harder to get grommets/brads etc to sink. However, I always pre-pierce (even on plywood), with either the tool supplied with the Cir-Kit wiring kit, or with a very small drill bit. That way, the battle isn't quite so fierce.

Louise in Toronto