Rubber cement: Please don't use rubber cement as a permanent bond on anything. Close to 40 years ago for a high school biology project we collected, identified, and pressed wildflowers in binders. I kept my collection. The specimens are still in good shape since I white-glued them to individual matboard cards and put them in the binder like postcards. But the album sheets they're fastened to look like murder scene evidence. (One of these days, I'll replace them...when I find time between mini projects!) I used rubber cement. After about 10 years, it left horrible spreading rusty, dark-brown stains. My guess is that rubber cement accelerates the oxidation of wood pulp paper. The matboard must have had rag content since it's okay so far. Rubber cement may be fine as a temporary solution to transport items, but long-term it creates an unbelievably ugly mess. I don't think anybody who puts heart and soul into their miniatures should risk finding their work ruined in a relatively short time!

Loretta.Sniarowski

Photoglue: I use what we call photoglue to hang things in my houses. According to the people who make it , it is the same thing as rubber cement. But I never found it hardens after a while and it is very easy to remove from photo's and everything else even after years. You can just rub it off with a finger and no damage at all. So I wonder ; are we talking about the same stuff or is there a difference after all??

Marianne

Dremel replacement batteries: You can call Dremel customer service and order them direct. It is an 800 #.; 1-800-437-3635

Drbob...Delray Beach FL.

brad/nail tip: If you need to nail brads or small nails stick them through a business card first and use it to hold them. I like this idea-- keeps my fingers out of harm's way!!

Melly

If you are nailing a very narrow thin piece of wood----soak it in water for a while and that will prevent the wood splitting. Credit for this hint goes to my model ship building DH, who is busy on another ship. Oh, that he would concentrate on mini furniture.

Elise in Va.

Converting to one inch scale: Every few months there are questions about converting full scale things to 1/12 scale. This is because there is no intuitive easy way to accomplish this. I prefer to keep it as simple as possible and this is how I go about the conversion which I do on a daily basis.

You will need to learn a few rules:

1 inch = 1 foot. Most of you already know that one! VBG

1/2 inch = 1/2 foot = 6 inches

1/4 inch = 3 inches

1/8 inch = 1-1/2 inch

Most important in the building and furniture world:

1/16 inch = 3/4 inch in one inch scale.

Most building trim, millwork and furniture designers use 3/4 inch lumber as the standard building block in design. (Mel referred to it as a one by) Early in the 20th century 7/8" was popular. There isn't much difference in miniatures. The variation in thickness between 3/4" and 7/8" in one inch scale is only the thickness of a business card.

I base all my thickness calculations on the fact that 1/16" becomes 3/4" in scale. Therefore 1/32" becomes 3/8" in one inch scale and 1/8" becomes 1-1/2".

Thinking this way I usually use the 1/16" graduations on the ruler. I can easily read them. There is a 1/32" marking on the reverse side of my 6" steel rules. That is useful once in a while, but very hard to read. There is also a 1/64" scale which is only useful as a fingernail file.

We sell these rulers. See the web site. http://www.smallerthanlife.comThis sounds complicated but becomes simple with use. No fancy scaling rulers are needed.

BTW for other thicknesses like 1" and 1/2" that are needed in furniture I go to decimals of an inch and use a micrometer or dial caliper. This is mathematically converted. 1" converts to .083" and 1/2" converts to .042". There are no convenient fractional conversions.

Pete Boorum

Drying Rack: Any Dollar store or variety store will have the   plastic folding racks to hold delicate washables that have been hand washed. These usually have a hook at the top-like a coat hanger and many arms that fold down-like an umbrella. The arms contain clips. These are invaluable as a drying rack for small things. I have one in the studio by my spray box. It is so handy to clip items to the arms then hold the hook with the left hand and spray paint   with the right. I also have one hanging from a piece of plastic chain attached to a hook in the ceiling. This is directly over my design table.

Becky

Decorative Molding from Caulk..??? Has anyone ever made decorative molding from spackle or caulk?

I've seen this done in real size, but haven't tried it in mini. Real size, the caulk is laid in a fat line on a long table.   Then a carved or shaped scraper is pulled gently along the line. This scraper is cut/shaped   like the reverse of the end product desired. Three times, the scraper was pulled along the line. Then the plaster is allowed to dry. The result is a lovely decorative accent for fireplace mantles, over door embellishments etc.

Judie - Daytona Beach, FL

Stripping Wires

Jayleen posted - "Cir-kit has a little wire stripper that costs about $2 that is the greatest thing I've ever used for stripping wires."

This is merely an alligator clip. You can buy a bag of them from Radio Shack for the about same price. I wouldn't be without mine.

Ruth

Stripping wires: Cir-kit has a little wire stripper that costs about $2 that is the greatest thing I've ever used for stripping wires.

Jayleen

Pumice is a wonderful material used as a finishing agent and so is rottenstone. Both are a powder, very fine somewhat like powdered sugar. It is used with an oil as a lubricant and that oil can be just any kind, baby, mineral, motor, etc. I even used the nasty, crudey oil drained from my car on one occasion when I couldn't find anything else. Despite it being what it was, I obtained the best softly glowing appearance that closely resembled the patina of an antique on that piece of furniture. I used it to repair a somewhat less than perfect finish on an old piece of furniture with great success. Both pumice and rottenstone are gray, one lighter than the other and which to use depends on the finish you want. If you want a very low sheen, use rottenstone, but if you desire a soft shiny ( NOT that awful high shine) finish, use pumice. I am embarrassed to say I had never thought of using either on wood minis that have that horrible garish bumpy finish. I would think either would tone it down to a acceptable appearance. I have read that some furniture has been dipped or painted with glue for a finish. How true I don't know and I also don't know how one would remove that.

Mel - Mass., USA

Airbrush Advice: There are a number of airbrushes on the market.  Paashe is probably the veteran of the business and is favored by most professionals.  Badger has also been making them for decades (I received one of their entry level models as a kid, and that was 35 years ago - WOW!).  There are a couple of newer brands available as well.  Regardless of the brand, they all fall into one of two categories - single action (these are the very inexpensive ones) and double action.  I've had both.   You want a double action model.

With a single action your control is very limited.  You press the trigger and paint sprays out - pretty much like a can of spray paint.  You don't have any separate control over the amount of air vs. paint.  Usually, these types are also an "external" mix type, meaning the air and paint actually mix together after leaving the airbrush on the way to the object you're painting.

With a double action, you control both the amount of air flow, as well as the amount of paint that is mixed into that flow.  Typically, you press down on the trigger for air flow - the farther you press, the greater the air flow, and you rock the same trigger back to add paint to the flow - again, the farther you rock back, the greater the paint volume.  This is what provides the fine control that distinguishes air brush work. Most  double action, or dual action, brushes also mix the paint and air inside the brush ("internal" mix).  This provides a more homogenous mix and usually finer paint droplets hitting the object to be painted, resulting in a smoother finish.   Its also nice to be able to blow just air at what you're painting.A quick blast of air as you start the job can help to  remove any stray dust particles, and when you get a bit too much paint on your project, you can use the air flow to more quickly dry the newly applied paint before is can sag into a run.

There are also models that offer different tips for different jobs (e.g., a small tip for fine work, a large tip for painting large objects), and a couple of different paint reservoirs (i.e., bottles vs. "cups").   Bottles are just that; glass bottles to hold you paint.  They can be capped between uses.   Color cups are usually small, metal cups that hold a limited amount of paint.   Use what you need, and either discard the bit that's left or pour it back into the container for storage.  Many models can use both as the situation dictates.

I've used both Paashe and Badger double action brushes and been pleased with both.  I can't opine on any other brands.  Hope this helps.

Dave

Airbrush Advice: If you can afford the price difference, get the double acting brush.  If you get a single action brush, you are limited and will eventually wish you had the double action kind.  I currently have a single action and certainly wish I could now afford a second airbrush so I could exploit the virtues of the double action brush.

Regardless of your decision, the decision to buy an airbrush is a good one.  You will find it's a fun tool if you will spend the time and fortitude to learn to use it in your projects.

Dave Brazelton

Airbrush advice:   I bought an Aztec, as that seemed to be liked by modellers (made by Testors). The clean-up and paint bottle changes are both easy with this model, apparently, and it has a good grip.  I found good airbrush info at  http://www.io.com/~fazia/arbrshfq.html There is also, naturally, an airbrush.com

Michael's 40 percent off coupon makes it cheaper than any I found online.

Lynette in WNC

Bond GR-R-RIP" White Cement No.631:I am not an agent for this company, and sometimes it is hard to find.   Miniature stores can order and carry it.  It's tacky on contact, and works on almost everything...It is wonderful when working with foamcore.

Sets up quickly...Comes in two sizes, small, and BIG!!!    

Jan

Glue: Just wanted to share something with you. Until recently, when I needed a glue,  I have usually used a white tacky glue or super glue for dressing and accessorizing my miniatures. At a show, I purchased a glue called Magna-Tac 809 and this last week I have used it for everything from the mohair, moss and feathers on my faeries and to the ribbons, jewelry and petticoats on my dancing gypsy doll. It dries clear, (really clear!). and it is creates a bond that is unbelievably strong.

I haven't looked for it around town, but I am sure it can be purchased at craft and fabric stores. Also, here is the web site listed on the bottle: http://www.beacon1.com

Lyn Trenary

I found an easier way than I planned on for the arch top windows: Instead of cutting and laboriously shaping a piece of wood 5 mm thick   (the thickness of the window's grooved   side strips)   to fit, I'll just cut the arch top hole in the plywood 10 mm less in diameter and run the vertical window strips from the window sills to the edge of the drilled hole, so that when the strips and sill are in place, the visual line of the window strips will continue smoothly straight up into the arch top. That should work fine since the outside of the wood windows are 3 to 4" inset into the brick walls in real life, and that would make them flush with the face surface of the plywood backboard on my model.

The arch top will need to be grooved with one groove for the upper window   to fit in properly, but since I can't use the table saw for that as I did the side strips, I suppose a mini router bit with bottom bearing will do if I can find one.

The fun part comes later for windows, the 4 grooved strips holding the "glass" on those Houseworks windows are an amazingly minute 5/32" thick by 3/16" wide with a 1/16" groove for the "glass" to fit into.

I suppose I can mill some strips 5/32 thick by maybe 3/4" wide so I have something to hold onto.  I found a tiny 2" x 1/16" saw blade on a 1/4"  router shaft at work,  I guess I can try the table router with a new fence guide with a groove cut in it to allow the blade to stick out 1/16" and run the strips over it then rip the strips to the 3/16" width on the table saw. The REALLY fun part which I haven't figured out yet is cutting these strips for the arch top's upper "glass," now THAT should prove interesting! I might just fudge it since the tops won't be openable anyway, by just cutting some veneer out to fit the curve and gluing one on each side of the "glass."

Randall

Dremel Tutorial up and running: The Dremel Tutorial (with photos) is now up and running thanks to the wonders of Anne Gerdes of the administrative staff. Thanks for all that showed such patience while it was put together.

If there are any questions you can post to SS or e-mail me. I will collect the questions and if there are repeat questions I can try to answer them all at once. The site is http://www.smallstuff-digest.com/dremel.htm

DrBob...Delray Beach, FL.

Vertical sander; during a Dremel tool demo one customer suggested using the scroll saw as a  vertical sanding machine. Here is what he proposed.

1. Remove the blade.

2. Place an emory board between the 2 blade clamps.

3. Turn on the scroll saw and use the movement of the emory board for a  sander while resting the work on the saw table.

Added thoughts: Cut a hack saw blade to fit between the scroll saw blade clamps also place a   strip of sand paper in with the clamped blade and you have a more rigid sander.

DrBob...Delray Beach, FL.

Dremel table saw belt... I wrote to Dremel customer service and they suggested that I go to   McMaster - Carr Supply Co.  It is a warehouse in California (562 692-5911)  - web page is http://www.mcmaster.com  The correct belt for the Dremel saw is Catalog 6952K51 running about $2.60 each.   They arrived very quickly. The belts are endless flat belts that are 1/4 inch wide and have a 10 inch circumference.   They seem to be a rubberized green fabric which should be interesting and could prevent some of the slippage that the Dremel saw belts have a problem with.   My Dremels are tried and true,  I have two of them, a Microlux and a Preac.  They all have their own reason for being. 

Renee