Japanese Miniatures: My name is Robert Read and I also Make Custom Made Japanese Miniatures.   My mini's are very true to scale as to life.   I have done many years on research on the subject.   You can see what I have done at my site: http://japaneseminis.homestead.com/FirstPg.html  I hope you do go top see the site, and if you need any questions answered about the Japanese Homes or items don't hesitate to e-mail or  call me at 1-617-471-1625.

Robert Read

Portada:   The actual translation is "facade" or "front (of a building)".  Here in Chile, making miniature versions is a very popular craft and they are sold in the artisans' markets and souvenir stores, sometimes for quite high prices.  They hang on the wall and are supposed to bring good luck to your home.  They are made to represent the fronts of houses, stores or other attractive or interesting buildings.   Here in Chile many properties, especially in some of the more affluent areas, have a very large and ornate gate structure, which really stands out after a long run of rather plain or rundown fence or wall.   These are the subject of many of the portada models too.  My wife loves them and has several now.

I have some portadas made of plaster that I painted with acrylics and have a few

more to go.  Most are made of wood or MDF and a variety of other things, such as clay, copper sheet, dried flowers, etc.  I guess you could say that they are really a type of caricature rather than a scale model, as they are similar in proportion to the original but not actually to scale.  The most interesting characteristics of the original are usually overly emphasized.

I bought a couple of portadas for my wife for her birthday and really fell in love with one of them myself.  It is the entrance to a ranch, but obviously one that has seen better times or has been abandoned.  When Helen and I were passing messages back and forth about modelling scenes in 144 scale in match boxes, I instantly thought of that portada and what a wonderful model it would make.  I scanned it and sent the picture to Helen and she decided to make one too.   Since then we have been trying to get poor old Cliff to make some copies of the big clay pot we need to make the model.   I finally made a sketch of it the other day and sent it to Helen so maybe Cliff can make them the right size this time.   We will keep the digest posted, won't we, Helen?   Meanwhile I managed to get some clay so I can try my hand at making it in that medium as I am not sure Cliff is going to get it right...

So that is the story of the portadas and how a poor English amateur woodworker came to be so badly maligned in a public forum.

David, Santiago, Chile

Blueprints : site update: you can find free plans for a Victorian house at http://www.thewoodcrafter.net/proj/p40.html

Karolyn

Peter Cook's Signs: Just received the wonderful wooden engraved sign that Peter Cook made for my potting shed/shop. I can't tell you how absolutely perfect it is and how pleased I am with Peter's work. I was so happy to have been able to pick the font I wanted, too. The price was reasonable and his service was ultra-quick. Highly recommend him to all. Once again Peter's website is:
http://www.woodencraft.co.uk/

Bev

Minis for mentally challenged:  I personally would think of her as a very young girl, maybe 6 years old? and go from there.

You could gather up fabrics, little cardboard boxes, (for stoves, tables, cabinets, etc.,) glue, findings...and let her play with them on her own.  Maybe a plastic doll that she could glue clothes onto.

Seems like just a box of various and sundries would be fun for a child, or a child like adult.   (Heck, it's fun for me!)

Also, there are many, many printables that would be simple to put together.

Just my thoughts...hope some of them help.

Kaye in L.A.

"12th scale snow" I've been landscaping today and was just thinking ow snowy my base looks before I add the dirt and grass. Following Dr. Bob's lead, I chuck 4 or 5 white facial tissues into my blender, add a goodly amount of water, puree, and dump xture into an old knee high stocking, and squeeze t almost dry. I apply a thick, even layer of Aleene's to my wooden base and sculpt the grading with the wet, mushed tissues. After I have the shape I want, I am solidifying it with "dirt brown" paint, which is then covered with dead coffee grounds and fake grass mix. For snow, I bet it would work quite nicely to just soak the stuff with watery Elmer's and let it set up. As I recall, Dr. Bob puts the watery glue into the blender with the tissues when the Mrs. isn't looking. Unfortunately, I AM the Mrs., so can't get away with these shenanigans. ;o)

Chrissy the Hyphenated

Script error message: For those having trouble with the script error message: If you're using Internet Explorer, go to Tools - Internet Options - the Advanced tab. Under "Browsing", find "Disable script debugging" and check the box next to it. That should make the messages stop.

Christine in SF

Formica: I have removed the writing with a cotton ball soaked in alcohol. For the rare few that does not work on, nail polish remover(esp. the real acetone stuff) worked. Easy!

Debbie DAS in Syracuse

Formica: Tape with masking tape on both sides of the Formica where you are going to cut, this will stop it from chipping.

Karen from Dubai

Scales: Thanks to all of you who answered my question about the one inch scale in metric countries! But I have yet to hear from anyone is the non-English speaking countries! What about Italy, France, etc.? I got one email from a SSer who told me that the ratio stays the same...I understood that, just wanted to know what you call it in strictly metric countries! And, can you get rulers with inches on them? Since I'm Swedish I thought I might qualify for answering your question... It's really simple - we call it 1:12th scale! Which makes perfect sense in English too, right?

There really is no need to measure things in feet and inches just because the scale is based on that ratio. Just measure your full-size table (or whatever) in centimeters, then divide by 12. Or the other way around. It's a good way to keep up the calculation skills, and not to forget the multiplication table. The unit you use to measure things is not really important, as long as you stick to one system for one whole scale transformation! It is possible to get rulers with both inches and centimeters on them, but I doubt that anyone uses the inch-marked side when they're used to centimeters. The way inches are divided into quarters, eighths, sixteenths etc. is really not helpful when you're used to decimal fractions!

Åsa in Fairfax

Egg Art: For Helen whose inquiring mind wants to know what to do with her eggs: http://miniatures.about.com/hobbies/miniatures/cs/eggart/index.htm

Jude in ND

Cutting Eggs: To cut a hole in a chicken egg, lightly pencil the shape of your opening. Take ordinary white glue and apply a thin bead around the penciled line. Let dry thoroughly. Drill a tiny hole in the center of the area to cut by rotating the tip of a sharp Xacto blade around until you get a small hole. Then, you should be able to cut with those curved cuticle scissors. The glue will prevent the egg from cracking beyond that line. You should be able to lightly sand your opening smooth. Put the egg into a bowl of water with some bleach. This will kill any bacteria and remove the white glue at the same time. You can wipe it off with a damp towel.

Bonnie Gibson, Tucson, Arizona

Cutting Eggs: Thought I'd jump in on the egg discussion to tell you about the breed of chicken known as the Araucana, also known as the "Easter Egg Chicken". These hens lay various shades of green, blue, and sometimes even pink eggs. We raised several varieties of chickens and I can tell you these are also the hens with the sweetest personalities. Now if you take care of your little hens properly and feed them good food and let them in your garden to eat the bugs they will all have eggs with nice hard shells - not at all like the eggs you get from the grocery store. I made a little house in one of the Araucana eggs. I used a drill to put small holes in each end of the egg, then blew out the contents. I outlined the area I wanted to cut out with a pencil line and drilled a starter hole just inside the line, then used the smallest Dremel router bit to cut out the hole. The scale for the egg (in order to make a two-story house inside) worked out to about 1/8" (1:96) but I suppose if I had thought about 1:144 I could have put in an attic too! Anyhow, if you want to have a look at the egg it is on my web site http://www.minimotion.comunder "Miniatures". The green color of it is the actual color of the egg as it came from our Araucana (well, after the egg was washed of course)! I did coat the inside with several layers of acrylic paint to help hold it together, and also touched up the outside where I cracked it (not saying how many times).

Tori West - Tucson, Arizona

Cutting Eggs: It's Science Fair time in Virginia. Last year my granddaughter did a project with eggs. She soaked an egg in vinegar for about 2 days. The shell becomes soft and rubbery. She used whole eggs, but you could use blown out shells and weight them down in some way to stay under the vinegar. Or you could just let it float. If it stays in the same place, you would have a soft side that you could cut. When you leave it out of the vinegar, it hardens again.

Martha

Egg House: We did a great little project in our club. We made little bunny houses. First pierce the end of the egg with a needle on both ends, and blow the egg. Helps if you can pierce the yoke. (you can make the hole a bit bigger than just the pin prick, or you will blow yourself silly). Don't worry too much about the size of the hole as you will be covering it with tissue anyway. But do keep it as small as possible. After blowing out all the egg, rinse well and let dry. Paint the egg any color desired w/acrylic paint. Set the egg on the table and see which way it wants to lay. Pierce the front edge of the egg with 2-3 holes to make a small enough opening to get your cuticle scissors into the space and cut an opening. Or you can just use your tweezers to break off small pieces in the shape you want. We made oval openings. (Make the opening fairly close to the bottom edge and this will be the floor space for your little home.) (I think the chipped opening is more effective/natural but you choose the effect you want.) Cut a piece of card stock for the floor and cover with paper flooring or paint as desired decorate as desired (we used 144th metal mini's) 2 or 3pieces is about all that will fit. We cut a piece of poster board andlandscaped a garden w/stream, hill, trees, and mine has a tiny veggie garden with lettuce and fimo carrots. We used the tiny Easter Bunnies (used for Easter trees) cut the loops off, and placed them about the garden. We placed the whole scene in a clear plastic box. (Size you garden to fit into your box.) A fun quick project and the children love looking at them. Have fun!

Diane SFBA

Eggs: This tip came from an egger friend of mine. The paper thin shells of chicken eggs can be strengthened by using corn starch mixed in Elmer's glue. Just mix some cornstarch in the glue and using your fingers, spread it inside the egg shell and let it dry. I can't tell you how much cornstarch to mix in, but you need enough that it is not runny. You have to use very sharp scissors to cut the opening to keep the shell from cracking. She also used cuticle scissors to cut openings in finch eggs. I usually ended up crushing the very fragile finch eggs, but they are the right size to make decorated eggs for you mini scenes.

Wanda

PLEXIGLASS CASES: I can't remember who was looking for the 8x8x8 Plexiglas cases that aren't being produced until later this fall. But I found some more. These cases look terrific and all sizes. Go to The Miniature Web http://www.etropolis.com/mini/ Then click on Bill Greenan.

Fannye

Mouse in a House: Just reading about the question of mice in a dollhouse. I not only have two mice outside trying to figure a way to get in, I also have a mini mousetrap set in the attic. I get more comments about that than anything else in the attic. Go figure!

Addie, Fairport, NY

Rochester, NY: Don't go to Rochester without checking the Strong Museum Very nice dollhouse collection plus extensive 19th century home furnishings and equipment. Website is http://www.strongmuseum.org Phone 716-263-2700.

Now since last night I have checked the web site and find almost NO mention of miniatures. It's maybe 8 years since I was there, so please phone ahead and make sure they still have the dollhouses. Margaret Strong was the only child of a wealthy Rochester family. She was taken annually to Europe, with the Nanny to care for her. Each day they went shopping and the Nanny told her she could shop until this little bitty bag was full.... hence the love for miniatures. As an adult she branched out into other collections. At her death, she left the collections to the city, along with funds to build the museum. That was maybe 10 years ago. The "surplus" miniatures were auctioned off and the best kept for the museum. I certainly hope they are still there in spite of no mention on the web site

Ginger in PA

Edwardian Toys: Someone asked how to make mini dolls for an Edwardian Toy Shop - I didn't answer right away as I wanted to check the time line to make sure I knew what I was talking about: Edwardian refers to the time during King Edward VII 's reign which was 1901- 1910. So that gives you loads of possibilities for dolls and toys. If you can't afford finished mini-mini dolls, you can make some out of Sculpey (just use a little ball for head and tinier balls for hands) stuck on wire, which you can wrap with stuffing and then dress. Or I've seen dolls with heads made of beads with faces painted on. You can paint a tiny plastic baby doll with matte flesh-colored paint to resemble bisque. Look on the back cover of the Lettie Lane paper doll book (By Dover publications) for all kinds of toys from that time - those particular paper dolls appeared from 1908 - 1910. Besides dolls, there are other toys: a clown doll, a monkey, a lamb on a rolling platform, toy elephant, dog and bunny, doll carriage, doll bed and furniture, a roadster, stuffed bears, toy pony, and an oriental doll. Other ideas are jack-in-the-box, marionettes, balls, boats, and of course a dollhouse with furniture. Sounds like fun. And a lot of these things can be made from little plastic toys and charms and stuff you might have in your junk drawer.

Paulette from Indiana