Porcupine Quills: About using porcupine quills. I have been working with them for years in my beadwork and I read Graceanne's tip on removing the barbed end. She suggested sticking the tip through leather before cutting off the barb. GOOD Idea I have found something that works very well also. I put the tips into a piece of Styrofoam scrap and use that. It is a bit easier to poke into than leather and doesn't tend to bend the quills as the smaller quills can be quite fragile. Never try to cut off the barbs without anchoring them into something first. They will fly through the air and disappear to who knows where. These barbs are very dangerous and are not easily removed if one should find itself embedded in your skin. They are like a fishhook and don't want to come out the same direction as they went in. I like using the Styrofoam as the barb stays down inside the Styrofoam and can be disposed of safely.

Brooke, Wa

Quillwork: For those of you interested in quillwork, here are two supplier sites: http://www.nocbay.com/
http://www.clawantlerhide.com/
and here are 2 sites with info and samples of quillwork - mostly for embroidery with quills, but you can get some great general info on working with them:
http://www.nativetech.org/quill/
http://www.powwows.com/dancing/crafts.shtml

Graceanne

Using Empty Capsules: Shirley asked about using emptied vitamin capsules. I have used them several ways over the years:

One half of the capsule is good for old-fashioned soda glasses or dessert cups when placed inside a jewelry finding for the holder.
In quarter scale I used them (glued inside a base)
- - as hurricane globe with candle inside
- - to hold lemons and limes on kitchen counter
- - to hold tiny shells and soaps in bathroom
- - to hold iridescent beads representing Christmas balls
- - turned upside down to enclose teensy dome scene, bird, or figurine made from railroad person
Both halves together are good for:
- - storing the tiniest beads, Fimo candy and fruit slices, etc.
- - holding tiny lipsticks and other cosmetics that get lost so easily
- - in the compact toolbox I take to club meetings one holds sequin pins, another sequins, one with tiny gold beads, one with silver (I'm always using these for something) and far more uses than I can think of at the moment. And you are right; it is important to keep them away from dampness.

I actually bought a box of unused capsules from the druggist. If you live near a feed and grain place you can buy the giant horse capsules, too, although they are not as clear. A box of those will hold lots of beads, small findings, etc. The salesman there looked at me somewhat suspiciously at first, asking what I wanted them for. When I explained, he said druggies often used them. I didn't even want to ask him how.

Wanna in El Paso

Tiny dowels:It is fairly easy to make and use a "draw plate" to make tiny sized dowels. Secure a piece of 1/16 to 1/8" tool steel from your local machine supply. There are a couple in OKC (not too sure about Norman but you could also try a farm machine repair shop or the metallurgy department at OU) Drill a series of holes from the smallest size you may want to the diameter of your stock (tooth picks) From one side, countersink each hole until it would almost but not quite enlarge the hole if you countersink any deeper. The series of holes should be incrementally larger in very small steps.

A trip to the blacksmith, machine shop, welder, or farm equipment repair shop should get you the prepared tool hardened for a few dollars.

Once it is hardened, draw your toothpicks through each hole from the flat side to the countersunk side. Each step will shave a little more wood until you pull through the hole which represents the size you want for that particular spar.

One unfortunate matter about draw plates (for your application) is that the dowels will not be tapered as you would want for ship spars. I suggest that you make an extra draw plate with the holes near one edge. Now grind and file away half of the holes to give yourself a series of "shavers" that you can use to draw over the spars against a flat work surface. Practice will teach you how to add a nice linear taper.

Mel Koplin, Las Vegas

Kit Reviews: Concerning the various advice given concerning various kit companies. You cannot make a good judgment between the two basic types of kits unless you understand the principles of each kind. The kits that I lump into the "sweat equity" kits include the die-cut kits such as Greenleaf, Duracraft, Corona, etc. These kits are a lot less expensive but require a lot of work to make them as beautiful as you desire. What you saved in cost you will put into the "sweat equity" it takes to build them but they also generally include the ability to make the details such as windows. These kits can be made into houses as beautiful (or better) than the picture on the box. It will take longer to make the shell and you will probably pick up a few splinters. I have built houses from all of them and will continue to do so when I find a house I like. I will recognize that I shall have to work a bit harder to make it into a "silk purse." Who ever said it was easy?

The "Good" kits such as Real Good Toys have, in the past, been made with 3/8" plywood and make assembly and fitting of features such as windows easier. They are generally much more expensive, but are more quickly turned into a desirable house. I have built one of their MDF material kits and the jury is still out on that since it didn't seem to save any money. The greatest advantage I see, other than the lessened building difficulty, is the fact that the thicker walls accept the many pins involved in electrical wiring. They are all good. You just must realize the cost/effort ratio when you buy the kit. My suggestion is to select the house you will fall in love with and get that kit. My major dollhouse, that is kept here at home, is the Beaumont by Greenleaf. My lighthouse is by Real Good Toys. Go for it with the house you love,

Dave Brazelton

Doing searches on the web: Searching the web for unusual items can be very rewarding. There are many search engines, and each has its advantages and its biases. However, there are also search engines that search the other search engines, so you get it all in one deal. For years I used www.dogpile.com as my search engine, until I read of google. Yes, google. To get to google click on http://www.google.com and there you are. What I like about google is it seems to sense which 15th century looms I am interested in, in order yet, or what companies are best at helping order a wheelchair, etc. Google is highly rated by the computer magazines that I read, and I think I first learned of it here, not sure. So, when you have a question about something, try google and see what happens. Any subject, any time.

Barb Jones

Scanner: I have an HP ScanJet at home; however, I removed it as Adobe would cause Windows 98 to freeze intermittently. I put my pictures on my web page and/or PhotoPoint by:

a) my digital camera

- or-

b) have my pictures developed on a disc. Makes it so easy to call them up.

When I really need something scanned I use the one at work.

Marsha, Newark, CA

Scanner: I recently bought an HP scanner and it came with software and instructions. Get out your scanners, hook them up, install the software, and just go to town! The best teacher is experience, and YOU can do this! I used to be more intimidated by technology, then it occurred to me.... what's the worst thing that can happen? Don't worry about your things being perfect on your first try... experiment. Most scanners come with some sort of imaging package for trimming, improving the picture quality, saving to your hard drive, etc. Just play around a little until you start to get the hang of how it works. I started with pics of my kids...before long, I had gotten the hang of the darn thing.

Sloan

Cardboard Dollhouses: I have a very good book written by Dorie Krusz called Building Miniature Houses And Furniture in which she builds the entire house from poster board. My wife and I had completed 5 rooms in this method. (Modular) but during moving the movers destroyed them. This method works very well and is light weight besides

Gene from Olney, IL

Book Bashing: To make your book into a box, take the cover off the book and make a cardboard box to fit the book. I have found second hand some Reader's digest books that are hollow for keeping things in secretly, they have regular book jackets on them. I currently have 2 of those not used yet as I have one book/box commercially made about the same, I got it at a Rite Aide Drug Store that I am preparing as a vignette for one of my children.

Rhoda from Whidbey Island WA

Fibre Optic Fireflies: I have been working on a project for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary, using fiber optics. Thanks to Alice Zinn, (hope I'm right on this, as I had a 'puter crash, and lost all saved stuff) I found fire works from Dept. 56 to use in my beach scene. My parents are taking 40 of us to Cape Cod to celebrate! I bought 2 sets of the fireworks, and made my own very large 50 in the center, using fiber optics I bought on-line. I am using a (kit-bashed) poinsettia plant from K-Mart that had fiber optics, just for the base & lights. I made my own color wheel to replace the red/green/white, yellow lights that came with it, using gold and black, to have the 50 light up then shut off. (I know this sounds complicated, but I am not an electrical engineer, and did it! LOL!) Forfireflies, I would get very small diameter fibers, and try to find a small blinking white light, preferably 2 or more small lights that blink at different times. I think that would look more natural, just like real fireflies, some blinking in one part of the yard, then the next. You need to get End Light fibres! You don't want the whole length of fibres to light up, just the tips. You can easily hide the fibres under grass, bushes, etc. (I poked holes in the back of the box my dollhouse came in, that I'm using for the scene, as I needed a very large one, to hold 40 dolls, to make the 50, and also to poke the ends of the fireworks through. I have exactly one week to finish this, and will let you know how it turns out. Just remember I'm winging this... I'm not an expert!

Cindy in MA

Downscaling: I noticed, with interest, the comment about scaling down the requirements for the time needed to bake clay. I would like to point out that this same premise applies to almost every product we use in miniature work. Tacky glue needs to be thinned. Acrylic craft paints need a Flow Medium or water. Keep this in mind when you want to use a stain designed for full scale furniture. In most cases, this will work better when thinned. We take such care to consider the thickness of the piece of paper we select to punch flower petals, but seldom consider that all of our supplies need a little scaling too. None of you hesitate to purchase tools designed for miniature work. Keep that same mind set as you select glues, paint, etc. Experiment and determine just how much you need to "scale down" the material or directions you are about to use in your next project. You will be so surprised with the effect this has on your finished project. You can always add more but it is so hard to remove excess.

Becky

Paper: When buying paper for flower-making, always be sure to purchase only those papers that are acid-free and lignin-free. Those are your safest bet. I take one additional precaution: I use a UV-protectant spray to seal all my flowers before assembling the finished piece. It's never a good idea to have your flowers -- or anything else that goes into your miniatures scenes, for that matter -- exposed to direct sunlight. And that includes your dollhouse! Cool, dry shade is the best place to set up your dollhouse to avoid any problems related to warpage, fading, moisture, heat or dryness.

Bev

Beehive roombox: Rather than using real honeycomb, which might sag or even melt if it gets too warm, and would also be very messy to clean for use in a roombox, try using the foundation sold for beehives. It's a thin sheet of plastic, 15-18 inches long and about 6 inches high, with the honeycomb pattern embossed in it, to give the bees a head start at building the honeycomb. You can usually find ads for companies selling beekeeping supplies in gardening magazines, or you might try your yellow pages. (For those who collect information of little or no use, the other reason beekeepers use it is because some bees, if left to themselves, are not neat builders. They'll make honeycombs with odd sizes and shapes of cells and it can be difficult, even impossible, to get the honey out of those.)

Nancy

Russian Translation: http://www.translate.ru is the same site I used to translate a "Welcome to our Home" letter and "House Rules" listing for Olga. It is a very easy to use site. The only limitation is the length of an article it will translate as it is a demo. I just broke my rather long letter down into pieces, and it managed it fine. I then sent the letter to a Russian lady here locally to check, and she only found a couple of minor problems that would not affect understanding. I'm planning on using this site to translate our daily schedule to Olga each morning so she'll know what to expect -- such as today you have a dentist appointment, etc. I highly recommend the site. The countdown begins, Olga will be here in 23 days!

Michelle in South Carolina

Paint Pens: While in my local CVS (drugstore) the other day, I found a new product by Elmers(the glue company). They are called "3D washable Paint Pens" and come in 8 colors. They are essentially pen-shaped tubes of paint, which you squeeze and paint squirts out. However, they have fairly thin tips, which makes them useful for mini work. I used them to decorate some plates, but I think they might also have applications in food (for "dollops" of frosting, etc), or anywhere else you want a slightly raised surface. They are probably available in most craft stores.

Celeste in Boston

How to Mitre / Miter:

1)   Hold your molding up to the wall - see which face of the molding is going to go against the wall. Draw  a pencil line all along this face - then always, but always put the marked face against the back of your mitre box.

2)   When you measure where your mitre is going to be, make a small diagonal line in the direction that you need to cut - this will save you from getting confused when moving back & forth to your mitre box.

3)   Unless you are using a piece of molding that is identical on either side of the mid-line, you will need to make a "waste mitre" each time you have cut a "real" mitre - in other words, when you have made a left to right cut you will need to make a right to left cut and "waste" a little piece of wood before you can go back to making your next left to right cut.

Lesley, Johannesburg, South Africa

Double Beading: If you look closely at my photopoint http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1507950&a=11387125 shot of the Southwestern hutch (I know there's a Spanish name for that piece, but it escapes me at the moment...) you'll notice a bit of bead work on the edges. An easy trick to create that, and Laurie, maybe this could solve your problem? Take a 3/16" or 1/4" dowel, and drill into the end of it, making a pilot hole for a screw. Screw a small wood screw, the kind that countersink with an inverted cone head. The screw _must_ require a flat-head screwdriver, _not_ a phillip's head, and also the head must be a bit smaller than the dowel. This is now a scratch tool. Screw the screw into the end of the dowel the just until the sharp edge, which is the top of the screw's head, is the same distance from the tip of the dowel as the thickness you want to make the bead on the wood. Place the _dowel tip_ against the edge of the work piece. The screw is hanging over and resting on the work piece, and the screw _slot_ should be perpendicular to the work piece. Now apply pressure downward onto the work piece with the screw head, draw it carefully toward yourself while keeping the dowel tip in contact with the edge of the work piece. Now watch the bead appear in the work piece, always exactly parallel to the edge of the work piece. You will need to scratch it back and forth a few times for deeper beads.

Dave Pierce

Shellac: Minwax Polyurethane is NOT "the same thing as shellac." Shellac is alcohol-based and is thinned with denatured alcohol. Minwax Polyurethane is oil-based and is thinned with mineral spirits. For some strange reason sales people in paint departments will tell you they are the same thing. They are used for similar purposes but they are not the same thing at all.

SUSAN AT THE WRH

Scale Cabinetmaker: In case anyone else has problems cutting the wood pieces for the furniture in any of the Dorsett books, with the odd measurements given..... The drawings in all of their books are actually patterns. You can copy or scan and print them, draw around them, and then cut the wood. I should have thought of that when Dolores first mentioned it, but it's one of those simple-minded things you don't think of. (I've been using their books since the first blue one in the big format - still have four or five of those.) I think the first one mentioned that the drawings are actual patterns somewhere in the foreword - I was so anxious to start making something that I didn't read that part until after I had struggled with several pieces.

Nancy in Indiana