Metal: One thing that I LOVE to get the look of metal is 'aluminum tape'. It's actually used by electricians, etc., and is extremely fine aluminum on a sticky tape backing. If you wrapped a dowel in this, it would look like a metal pole, but there are hundreds of uses for it. I've applied it to the top of leather and punched out metal 'buttons' with my hole punch...they look great and glue like a dream (because of the leather backing.) I've used this approach for the metal rivets, buttons on blue jeans.

I initially got a 25 foot supply by sweet-talking the man who came to fix my dryer (oh, a miniaturist has no shame!) but I have also seen it available at Walmart. Great stuff and well worth the price!

Diana in Canada

How to end off when stringing tiny beads...How NOT to end is by tying a knot. It will show. It will come undone. You are better off just running your needle and thread a little farther through several more beads. Add a tiny drop of clear nail polish (NOT super glue, it will cause the thread to become brittle and break) to the thread, then go through a couple more beads. Do this with BOTH ends of thread. I use two gold or silver seed beads to indicate a clasp. I know there is someone who uses wire to fashion tiny hook/eye findings.

Kathy in wisconsin

Dremel: Scorching occurs when the teeth, grit or cutters fill up and can't get rid of the chips or saw dust fast enough then they act as a friction wheel, sort of like when you sand or saw too fast and burn the wood. If the teeth aren't cutting then they must be sliding, which creates heat. Slow it down or move the wood past the cutter, faster.

I have had Dremels for many years and have just picked up a never used, still in the original box, a UNiMAT Lathe & Mill, with tools. I plan to do some serious turning this summer. I control my Dremels' and other motor tool speed with an old sewing machine, foot pedal, speed control unit.  AC motor speed is control two ways, which we can control,  by varying the current (not the voltage) to the motor or varying the number of motor field windings which use a switch to select different speeds. For those who care, the formula is: RPM= 120 x freq./no. of poles.

When drilling, the speed should vary in different metal and wood.  Some   exotic wood have to be drilled with metal cutting bits while others can be drilled with regular wood bits. I ask my dentist for his "throw away bits" when he's through with them, they'll still work on wood and are great for drilling pilot holes for nails or screws. It take a lot of practice to control a Dremel in one hand and apiece of wood in the other. I usually anchor one or the other down. I find it easier if I strap the Dremel down and move the wood past the cutter. I do the reverse for drilling. Others will have different methods, but these are mine,

Dan in IL

Ceiling Fan Sites:
http://greengablesdollhouse.com/mhlight7.htm

http://cir-kitconcepts.com/Products.html#standard

that should get you started.

Nursemini

Working ceiling fan: In the past, I have made working ceiling fans in rooms and houses by installing an appliance timer motor (4 to 8 RPM) in the space above and providing 110Volt AC power. Your application presents another problem. Where to hide such a large motor in a green house, glass ceiling. I haven't yet fully researched the idea to build a prototype but a helpful computer nerd (hardware type - not software) may be able to help you set up a tiny stepping motor to run at a convincing, steady, slow speed.

OLDER VINTAGE: You could possibly make your fan(s?) to be belt driven (actually) with an appliance timer motor hidden below the base and operating a dummy motor/shaft assembly in a remote corner. This could be very fantastic.

Mel K.

Basketball scene container: I have an idea for a miniature scene that has been triggered by March NCAA   Madness.  I am wanting to do a 1" scale scene representing my dad's favorite team and place it inside a regulation basketball.   It would make a wonderful Christmas gift for him.   I want to cut out part of the side so that it serves as a "swindow" for the scene.   I know that an intact basketball will only keep its shape if inflated.   If I cut and remove a section, there goes the rigid structure for the skin.  

Has anyone out there used either a basketball, football, or soccer ball in this manner?   Have you seen any references for how to "stiffen" the ball so it doesn't collapse?   I would suspect that there is some kind of product out there that could be injected into an inflated ball which would then coat the inside creating the desired stiffness.   The problem is, basketballs aren't cheap to experiment with.   The second problem is, I am not thrilled about plunging a Dremel bit into an inflated basketball with the potential "explosion."

Kathy

Stiffening the inside of a Basketball: I think I'd try cutting one and then putting the soft carcass into a bowl. Line it with fabric dipped in that stiffener and then inflate a balloon inside to hold it in place. Let dry for a couple of days, then pop the balloon. This might stick the balloon to the inside as well, but that's not a problem. Just paint it.

I've seen deflated basketballs and footballs before, they're not exactly without form, but kinda tough - a bit of encouragement to hold their shape might be achieved even by stuffing a plastic grocery sack with stuffing of some kind against glue covered fabric, then unstuff in a couple of days to see what it does.

Judie

Basketball: When I make plaster replicas of my sculptures, I use a hemisphere of a cut up soccer ball to mix my plaster in  (much cheaper than a special rubber bowl). The reason I mention it is because the plaster doesn't stick permanently to the inside of the ball and that makes it easy to remove.  When the leftover plaster solidifies, you just tap it and the leftover plaster shatters and falls out.

This leads me to believe that putting plaster in a basketball to keep it round and solid might not be a good idea as the least tap will shatter the lining.  P.S. Cheap soccer balls and basketballs are numerous at garage sales.

Evelyn in Saskatchewan

Found the Basketball Article: Ha Ha!  I found it, Kathy!   It is in Dollhouse Miniatures, March 1998.   It is a two-page article with a couple of pictures and just general directions. She does say that she puzzled over how to cut the ball for quite a while before it dawned on her to just let the air out.  She then cut a hole in the ball and "gave it to a friend who treated the inside with a hardening substance so the ball would permanently hold its shape and have a level floor."

Dayle in MD

Antique Magazines: I found some at the following site: http://www.efn.org/~variscom/page15.html

Linda from Michigan