Wonderunder-foamcore: - all I can tell you about trying to iron Wonder-Under onto foam core is that when I tried it, I warped my foam core. Perhaps the iron was too hot - but it made the foam swell.

Jeanette in Wisconsin

Wonderunder-foamcore: Here's a tip using Wonder-under. I have been ironing it to the reverse side of print or plain fabric, and then ironing it right on to the foam-core that forms the outer box for the projects that use a picture mat and forms inner and outer boxes for a framed scene, like the ones that Cat Wingler (One of my favorite Artists) taught at the Nationals in Ky. last Summer. It works great, just don't hold the iron in one place too long, and make sure it is pressed to the fabric before you iron it to the foam-core. I iron it completely around the box, and make it look like a gift package, and any loose edges, I add some Bond-Grip glue.

Jan

Wonderunder-foamcore: We did this in a club project several years ago...a member was teaching a wonderful, 1/2-scale 'tree house') the house sat atop the trunk! We used wonder-under to apply fabric 'wallpapers' to the foamcore before assembling the house...I only remember that we needed to use a lower heat setting, because high heat would melt the foam. Maybe you can practice on a few fabric and foamcore scraps to get it right?

Laura in OKC

Using acrylic paint:

1. Make sure you are using the best quality paint available. You didn't say what you are painting. Furniture? Walls?

2. If you are getting brush strokes, you are applying too much paint at a time. Put some paint on a palette and add a little water by dipping your brush into your water basin and mixing it with your paint. Do not overload your brush with paint.

3. Get an assortment of high/artist quality brushes.

4. I have never gotten away with only one coat of paint. You can assume that you will be using at least two THIN coats. I always lightly sand between coats using very fine sandpaper (800). After the last coat, a light sanding with a piece of brown paper bag gives the piece a satin finish. The more thin coats you apply, the deeper and richer the finished project with be. Make sure the piece is allowed to dry completely between coats of paint and sanding!

Kathy in Wisconsin

Glass block. Go to a stained glass store and ask to see their architectural glass selection. They have glass that is on a sheet in little squares that will work great for glass block. The squares are about 3/8" maybe. Usually they have inexpensive scraps you can buy, get a cheap cutter, and voila, glass block.

Joni

countertop materials : You can get man-made countertop materials - laminates - in thicknesses thinner than 1/4". Both Formica and Pionite are 1/16" thick. I've collected a large supply of the free samples available. They come in the traditional sorts of designs, but also in some wonderful "wood" grains. I'm always saying to myself that I'm going to put them to good use by creating my (unbuilt - but planned) kitchen counters, tile floors, and perhaps a butcher block (one Formica pattern is alternating strips of light and dark"wood") and a chess board. Anyway, The Building Box (but not Home Depot) sells large sheets (maybe 6 sq. feet) of the more popular Formica patterns and the price was very cheap $3.00 - 4.00 Canadian. You can also cut Formica without power tools. You can even use a utility knife. You simply score and snap! I found a site with illustrations -
http://alsnetbiz.com/homeimprovement/htseries/formica.html

Each sample piece has it's name, and ordering number stamped on the front, but I found that rubbing alcohol on a cotton puff (and some rubbing) removes the print, and gives you a little bigger piece to work with.

Jenny in Toronto

Remove The Shine: To take the shine off your slate roof, go to the train store and ask for a spray can of Dull Coat, this will give it the dull appearance of slate that you are looking for. Hope it works for you.

Maxine from London, Canada

Holding things to paint: For holding dishes, and other little things, for painting: one of the best things I found was a little blue-tack (also called fun-tack, quake hold, etc) on top of a golf tee. Put the blue tack on the top of the tee, the dish on the blue tack, and you can hold by the rest of the golf tee. When you're done, you can put it in a piece of packing foam to hold it to dry as you go on to the next dish.

Trish in Sunnyvale, CA

painting small items

Holding things to paint: When painting tiny items, try wrapping double sided masking tape around a popsicle stick about 15 or 20 times. Place the items on the tape to keep them in place while you are painting them. When done you can unwrap the part of the tape that has paint on it and tear it off. Then you are ready to go again.

Shani Nelson

Tee Pee Crafts in England sell small bags of sequin dust in their catalogue. It is mainly an eggers catalogue, but just full of goodies for miniaturists. I get all my tiny crystals and they have a terrific range of sound boxes that include woman screaming and manic laughter as well as the more normal sounds. They have a web site and when I have dealt with them I have received the order within 2 days. the address is href="http://www.teepeecrafts.freeserve.co.uk">http://www.teepeecrafts.freeserve.co.uk

Claire in Morecamb England

Varnish vs. Shellac: When I refinish life size furniture, I use a coat of shellac thinned half and half with denatured alcohol before I stain. This works the same as the products used to even out stain. All it does is fill up the more absorbent parts of the wood grain (like the ends) so the stain is absorbed more evenly. I also use the same 50:50 thinned shellac between coats of stain, especially for dark stains when several coats are required or if I'm 'draping' one color of stain over another. It keeps the second (or whatever) coat of stain from dissolving and rubbing off part of the first coat. You have to sand lightly after each coat of shellac.

I use varnish to seal the stain and give shine. I use mostly non-varathane varnishes in satin finish as I want my antiques to have a glow, not a gloss. I rarely use water based varathane as I don't like the way it feels and I don't find it as durable. However, water based varathane allows you to do several(3?) coats in one day and will not yellow. And varathane will not waterspot like old fashioned varnish.

You can use shellac instead of varnish, but the finish will be not as tough as regular varnish and will dissolve if you use a furniture polish with an alcohol in it, like some of the sprays. Shellac comes in white (goes on clear) and orange (goes on amber.) You choose depending on the color of the stain you are using and/or how 'warm' you want the finish to look.
If you use shellac, you can only clean your brushes with denatured alcohol or shellac thinner. Turps won't touch it. Water makes it gummy. I can't remember where varnish came from, but shellac was the resin from a tropical beetle.

Heather in Toronto

Inlay Strips: You may want to check out http://www.constantines.com for inlay strips. They have a pretty good variety of assembled veneer inlays. Free catalog also.

Brian

Flooring: A member of club wanted a stone floor for her kitchen. My other hobby is lapidary (stone) work and I have a 16" diamond saw I use to slice my rocks. Anyway, I took a wax 1/2 gallon milk carton and filled it with stones of the size that I wanted for the floor, then filled the carton with cement, not concrete - to much sand in concrete and wears out the sides of the blade. Let it dry for a few days then I placed it in the saw and sliced it like ham. I can cut some rocks down to 1/16" (break a few). Once cleaned of the saw's oil, I broke the stones out. Most of the stones I use are flint rocks and are harder that the cement The cement usually breaks first.

For wooden floors, I bought a 10"-100 tooth carbide tip blade from company that makes tools for pen and pencil set for $35.00. I can cut wood thinner than 1/32" with it but my flooring planks are usually 1/8" or more. Some flooring can be nailed but I glue most of them. Using glue requires a lot of attention since the board tend to lift up with glue on one side only. I have to wait for the glue to dry before adding 4 or 5 more pieces. It usually requires sanding since the planks cut on a table saw vary in thickness. I have built gazebos and a few doll houses and planked my floors using red cedar, walnut,oak or pine, the oak looks the best. I use the left over planking to shingle the roof (at 2500 shingles or more per roof) then clear-coat everything.

The biggest problem in wood flooring is finding fine grain wood. Some wood grains, like soft pine, is too course and throw the scale off. Some floors can be made using 1" wood pieces, turning each one 90 degrees to the next block. Different color wood makes a checkerboard floor.

Dan B.

Parquet Flooring: I just completed a great parquet floor that turned out wonderfully. Here are some tips on making it easy.

1. First I glued 1/8 X 1/16 bass wood strips using glue on the bottom only so there was not any seepage onto the top, onto 11 X 17 1/8" graph paper in groups of four (this will give you mini size 6" squares when complete).
2. Then stain each set of four (I used Golden Oak) and let dry.
3. Using that handy X-Acto miter box, cut each length of 4 boards into 1/2"squares (Turn the strips upside down so that the graph paper is on top and it gives you easy 1/2" marks. Put all your mini parquet into a zip lock bag for use)
4. Cut another piece of graph paper the size of your finished floor. I marked out an area for the parquet, and a plain wood strip border around the perimeter of the room.
5. Glue the 1/2" squares onto the cut graph paper starting from the middle out. Use the graph lines to line up your pieces. Push them up tight close to each other to minimize gaps.
6. I glued a border of walnut stained board around the parquet and then finished with Golden Oak outside of that.
7. Fill any gaps with putty and then run a coat of Golden Oak stain over it all.
8. Apply final finish of your choice.

It came out absolutely lovely and I am very impressed with myself. I prefer the 1/2" squares to the 1" squares. It just looks finer.

Michael

Downspouts, round or square - maybe it's a regional thing? My grandparents house, built in 1912, had round ones. My parents' house, built in 1939, had round ones. The first house my husband and I bought, built c. 1952, had round ones. And the house I live in now, built in 1964, had round ones until we had the new roof put on in 1995.

Nancy

Gutters: I purchased some from http://www.jsm-miniatures.com/ He has them in round and square. They are plastic, but I found a water based paint for plastic . I tried the primer and it does work. I am no quite up to the gutter installation, so I cannot tell you more, but they seem very easy to modify.

Susan Robbins, Germansville, PA

When to cut out windows: By putting the windows in I assume you mean making the openings. I would make the openings before because the clapboard might get damaged. The way I did it was to clapboard over the openings and then cut the clapboard with an exacto knife. That way you don't have to measure. The molding on the exterior of the windows that you get should cover any rough edges on the clapboard after you cut it.

Carol

When to cut out windows: I assumed you were asking when to install the windows. (before or after siding). I agree with Carol here also. The holes should be cut first, then the siding applied. The only thing I don't agree with Carol is about covering over the window opening and then cutting it out. I hate to waste the siding, and with the window opening cut, it is very easy to lay the siding on and mark it with a pencil for the saw cut, then apply. And as Carol said the window trim covers the rough edges.

Debbie

Tile Sealer: You might try using Deft Semi-Gloss spray on your tiles to seal them. Cut the tiles to fit your room then spray them before you glue them in. The more coats, the shinier they will be. I use two coats on the tile floors in my Southwest room boxes. Spray evenly and not too heavy. Several thin coats are better than 1 heavy coat. Let dry completely between coats. Sealing before grouting prevents the grout and water from penetrating the tiles and it also eases clean up of the grout. When the grout is completely dry, usually about 24 hours, you can spray one more time to bring the shine back to the tiles.

Spencer

Painting spindles: If I had 30 spindles to paint (depending on size) I would insert a pin (any means of holding the spindle where the hole would not show) and dip it into the paint. Total immersion so to speak. Put a drip cloth under them when hung to dry.

DrBob...Delray Beach, FL