"Weldbond". It "dries crystal clear" , just like their label says. It is a thick, tacky, white glue that holds & holds. I have glued paper to wire & plexiglass to wood with it. I paid under $5.00 for 8 oz. at my local hardware store. If you can't find it, E-mail the company at ftross1@resonet.com and they might tell you what kind of store carries it in your area.

Ann Bramlet

Metlan: I submit that the finest wallpaper paste ever made is Metlan, a powder in a small box you should be able to get at any good hardware or wallpaper store. I've used it for years. I once covered a (full-size!) refrigerator w/printed tissue wrapping-paper. ( Tissue is at least as good as fabric for covering odd-shaped or curved surfaces.)

Metlan doesn't have to be sifted into the water as many pastes do; it never lumps. I've kept the mixed paste covered in the fridge for weeks on end & it's never lost its sticking power; you can endlessly re-position wallpaper & it doesn't grab. I have found no flaw in it. It comes in at least two, probably more, types; the two I've used are "for medium weight wallpapers" and "for delicate fabric & grasscloth". The latter is the one I put the tissue on with. The person who first told me about it 25 or so years ago said he'd papered a room w/newspaper comic pages, and that only with Metlan did the print on the back not show through.

Hilda

Dust vacuum: you can make a dust vacuum for your saw with either pvc piping or with an extra vacuum hose from a vacuum shop. Tape the hose just above and behind where the cutting blade is, barely out of the way of the cutting action, and bring it around to a portable floor vacuum. It does not take much power. You could also abandon the little blower. Between the two you should be able to eliminate about 90% of the mess.

Barb Jones

Scroll Saw Vacuum: A lot depends on the setup for your scroll saw. Most of my tools have a hole somewhere in the casing to which a vacuum can be attached. I have a mini shop vac that I hook up and turn on when I use my tools and that works fairly well (but doesn't catch everything). There are adapters, if the vacuum tube is too small for the tool. Some are the size for a regular shop vac - which works even better if you have one. They are noisy though.

Jacqui

Jeweler's Saws: They are a wonderful tool - I use one constantly for cutting out fine wood detail. You have a lot more control than with a Micro-lux or scroll saw, although it's much slower. And, naturally, you can use it on metal too, so you can make all sorts of custom hinges, hardware, etc.

But PLEASE BE CAREFUL! Although it looks like a smaller version of a hacksaw, and the thin, almost hair like blades look pretty harmless, they can do some hurting without some basic rules!

Blades come in many sizes. They break easily, too. When you buy them, get an assortment of sizes and at least a dozen of each size you choose. The courser blades will cut quicker, but not as finely. The finest will take forever, but you will be able to get fine detail and have almost no sanding to do. Different kinds of wood work best with different blades - it's mostly try and see. The blades have teeth that must point down when in the saw. Some sizes you can't see the teeth. I gently (and VERY slowly) rub my thumbnail down the blade before installing it to make sure I have the teeth going the right direction.

The tension must be proper for it to even work. Insert your blade into the top thumb screw and tighten. Then I usually brace the handle against my chest and the top of the saw frame against my bench, and squeeze until the blade is in the bottom clamp of the frame. Tighten the bottom clamp and slowly release. Now "pluck" the blade - it should give a nice "ping" sound, but have a little give. If it has a dull tone, or can be wobbled 1/2" or more, open the bottom clamp, squeeze and re-insert. If your "ping" is too high and there is no give, loosen the blade - first cut and it will break.

It's a great idea to wear safety goggles when using a jeweler's saw. I used to be a jeweler, and when learning the craft, I had a blade just disintegrate on me - ended up with a section in my pointer finger. And they are one directional, like a fishhook. Not fun to pull out. Pieces of blade can go flying when they break, and eyes need to be protected.

The blades do wear out - if it's not cutting like it was 15 minutes ago, throw it out and use a new one. They will break - it's the nature of them. If they get stuck in your wood, gently try a sawing motion while backing up, but if you can't move the blade, release it from the saw frame and it should pull out easily. If you are cutting metal or plastic, lubing the blade with beeswax can make the cutting easier.

Bev

Toothpick Tool: Did you know that you can make your own little tools of various sizes and shapes to use while working with polymer clays? Just dip the tip of a toothpick into tacky glue, take a small amount of uncolored clay (preferably Mix Quick or transparent Fimo) and form the bit of clay onto the tip of the toothpick to the desired sizes and shapes. Bake in oven as usual.

Mary Eccher

Clay Cutters: Although I use Kemper's claycutters I have two other clay cutting suggestions! If you have or can find aluminum tubing (K & S is one brand found in some mini stores and model shops) you can make a telescope of sorts out of two sizes which fit one inside the other. Cut about a one inch length of the wider one and a 3 inch length of the narrower one. Use the larger one the cut the clay, and the smaller to gently push it out! I have also make myself cutters of my own design by bending strips of the kind of aluminum from disposable pie pans into the shape I want, super gluing the ends together and gluing on a handle, like a basket handle in an arc across the top. BE CAREFUL if you use these, the edges are sharp and this is not a project for kids!

Alice Zinn

Chrysnbon Kits: The Chrysnbon products are WONDERFUL. Just remember to use a Testers glue, and I use Testers Model spray paint. The detail on these items is wonderful, and you really can't tell they are plastic when finished. If you need a dull finish we use a Testers Dull Coat. Testers comes in both gloss & matt. Their Gloss White is perfect for porcelain. Can even look very much like wood by staining. I have never had a problem putting together a Chrysnbon kit. They go together beautifully. I have made several of the Victorian Bathrooms. One thing about the Chrysnbon kits is all the neat accessories that come with each kit. ie: towel bars, t-paper holder, plunger, etc. Have fun!

Diane

Applying plastic brick to your walls. If your brick is the stiff plastic brick from Houseworks, use Quick Grab. Use according to directions on the pkg. Works great!!! Should mention that these thick, stiff bricks can easily be cut with a miniature table saw. And a miniature jig saw can also be used for curves and cuts that are not straight with the world!!

Betty Dann

Dremel Sanding Disks: Sanding discs and full sized orbital sanders will both leave a circular sanding pattern on whatever you are working on.  These would be appropriate for reduction sanding, where you are trying to remove a large amount of material.  If you use them on furniture and such, you will have to follow them with another sanding method in which your sanding strokes go with the direction of the grain of the wood.

If you sand against the grain of the wood, it may not show up until you apply stain or paint.  Then you will notice ugly lines going across your piece.  Usually it is easy to see the grain, it will look like fine straight lines running usually along the long part of the wood.  Ideally, you should always sand with the grain, using progressively finer and finer grits.

The best sanding method for minis is to use a small sanding block, which can be made from a small scrap piece of wood - you can wrap a piece of sandpaper (the same width as the block but longer than the block) around it and staple the paper to the top of the block. Depending on what you are doing, you also can lay a piece of sandpaper on a flat table top, and rub your wood over the paper.

There is an old woodworkers adage to "take care of the middle and the ends will take care of themselves" - usually people tend to round over corners and such when they sand. This is especially true when you don't use a block. I do sometimes use sanding drums in my Dremel when I am trying to reduce a large area or do curved edges.  These rotate in such a manner so that you can avoid the "swirls" that you get from discs. Belt sanders will also work to sand with the grain.   I have never tried the small discs on a Dremel, so I don't know how well they hold up.  I have used disc sanders in larger tools, but only for very rough work.Bonnie Gibson - Tucson, Arizona

Clay Gun: I have really gotten a lot of use out of my clay gun for Fimo, it is sometimes called an extruder. It's wonderful for so many things. The clay should be quite soft, I sometimes even put it on the ground and use a foot on either handle and push the Fimo out, this works really well and doesn't hurt your hands. The circle and square shape is good for making jars- extrude, bake then slice. The flower shape you can extrude, slice and shape into petals. The screens are good for hair and the thin rectangles can be formed into bows or woven into baskets. I've extruded the small mesh screen circles and made wreaths by twisting the lengths. The ribbon one I have used for siding and shingles on mini bird houses and for the handle on a watering can. Hope this helps you with your decision.

Jean Day

Clay Gun: it just depends on what you're making. I've used it a couple of times making shapes for leaves, or for cacti. It's great if you want to create multiples of a specific shape, if that shape is available for the tube, such as cylinders, stars, leaves, etc. You can also make several shapes and combine them in interesting ways. But it has no use for free-form sculpting of things like faces, animals, etc.

Dave Pierce

Clay Gun: In order to use the clay gun, your clay has to be extremely soft or it will just bend the clay gun inserts. It is also hard to extrude the clay and you need a bit of leverage. The gun is very useful though. I use it in my book for making an assortment of things, my favorite being drain pipes and bathroom pipes. It also makes great pasta strands.

Mary Kaliski

Clay Gun: If you have never visited Maureen Carlson's web site - it is great.  She has all sorts of supplies, tips and classes for the clay artist: http://www.weefolk.com/ In her miscellaneous tool selection she has a great tool for the Clay extruders. Klay Gun Pusher-a home built device to help you push the clay through the clay gun. (the clays are sometimes very hard, especially Fimo) We also sell the design for the pusher, in case you want to make your own.  This costs very little, but is well worth it. if you ever have a chance to take one of her classes - she is a great teacher.  In one of her classes that I took she said that she did not like to buy Fimo clay to have shipped to her during hot months of the year.  They tended to bake in the shipping.

Her fingernail tools and toenail tools are great. Be sure you visit her collectible pages on her web site.  She makes adorable characters.  These are also found in many stores through out the country. Maureen is also the originator of the push molds that you see in the stores.

Mary Ann F., Frankenmuth

Scoring cardboard.; So as not to score to deep or in other words to control the depth of the cut. Remove the blade from its holder (as in Xacto) and clamp it in a small "C" clamp with just the amount protruding that will give the depth you want. Yields a controlled depth cut.

Bob...Delray Beach, FL

Drills: I prefer the MicroLux Miniature drill in the MicroMark catalog for drilling small holes.  Actually, You can use a bit up to 1/4" in this drill.  But it's still a small tool.

Fannye in TX

Drills: For just drilling in thin material or in confined places I use a finger operated drill. I do not know the name of it. It is about 4"long and has a metal chuck at one end and the other end accepts the palm of your hand on a rotating ( ala lazy Susan) cap. I use old worn out Dental bits for the drilling The chuck closes fine enough to accept the bit shanks. The rotation of the bit is provided by the thumb and index finger while the palm exerts pressure. The other hand can act as a guide/stabilizer if needed. The item cost under $10.00 and can be found in well stocked hand tool sections. The Dental bits can be obtained for nothing by asking you painless;-> Dentist for them.

Dr. Bob, Delray Beach, FL

Drills: A small drill that is easy to use for very small holes is a "pin vise".  Micro-Mark has one on sale in the March, 2001 issue of Dollhouse Miniatures in the middle of page 77.  You just twist it between your fingers and it drills a very nice hole without jumping around and splintering, and you can control the depth of the hole if you didn't want to go all the way through the piece.  I use it to drill holes for wooden door knobs on some of my cabinets.

Spencer in Taos, NM

Drills: I also find the Dremel Moto Tool difficult to use for the tiny drills. MicroMark has a small hand drill with a spiral shaft.  You move a collar up and down to spin the drill.  Of course the best way is to use a SMALL drill press, but unless you are drilling a lot of holes, probably not a practical solution.

Dean Jenson

PRECISION DRILLING: With all the talk about pin vises for drilling small holes, I thought I would add a  trick that we use to precisely position holes. The K&S brass tubing and brass squares sold at most hobby shops can be used to precisely guide drill bits. All this works because each size slips (telescopes) smoothly into the next larger size.

For example, suppose you want to cut a toothpick in half and then drill a 1/32" hole precisely in the middle of the end. This may be to fit a tiny wire "peg" to strengthen an otherwise fragile joint. Find the nearest size of brass tube that will just slip over your drill bit. Use a razor saw or tubing cutter to cut a 1/2" piece of this tubing. Now find the size tubing that just fits over your tooth pick. Cut a 1" long piece of this. Now cut 1/2" pieces of each tubing size between. Slip all together with the largest over the end of the toothpick and the shorter ones butted up to it.

If the largest is loose on the toothpick, wrap neatly with aluminum foil to "shim up" the space until it is not "sloppy" Drill. through the smallest tube into the wood. Your hole will be very nicely centered and square to the material. That  demonstrates the basic idea.

For drilling holes in edges, rather than ends,  solder or super glue bits of flat brass stock as "tabs" to opposite sides of a square tube which is the same size (outside) as the piece you will be drilling at the place you will be drilling. NOTE: Round tubes DO telescope nicely into square tubes. For repeated or production drilling, you may choose to add a 90 degree guide from one side to assure your drilling is straight in as well as centered. Add a butt stop or temporary clamp for repeat positioning. For multi-hole drilling that will be repeated, build a fixture with multiple drilling tubes and work piece positioning guides.

As an example, we used to make kits for wicker furniture. The seats were cut from 1/16"cherry wood with holes drilled near the edges where floral wire was inserted (plus legs and spindles at corners).  We very carefully laid out the drilling pattern on a piece of flat brass. Each drilling spot was precisely marked, spotted with a center punch, and then drilled on a drill press to 5/32" diameter . We then soldered 1 1/4" pieces of 5/32" tube into each hole (1/8" inside diameter). On the other side of the flat plate, mount bits of flat stock to position the precut wood. For drill bits, we used a wire-tiny size with a 1/8" shank except at corner positions which were drilled slightly larger for legs and spindles.

On the same piece of brass, we made drilling fixtures for chair and settee seats and arms plus "soldered in place" end add drilling guides for the legs, spindles, and stretchers. (Just to keep the entire set together).  We spent a couple days building the fixture but could then prefabricate about 4 dozen kits in a few hours. DIY miniaturists may find production fixtures worth the effort for railings, cabinetry, and such. The whole idea of drilling guides using K&S brass  goes well beyond these basics.

It is a good idea to build a tool organizer block with places to keep full sets of drill bits (regular bits in 1/32" increments plus a full set of smaller bits with 1/8" shanks. Add places for each size of tube (square and round) in 1/2, 3/4, and 1" lengths plus 1" square tubes with extension tabs for edge or side drilling. I use a wood block in a plastic cube box that I can cover to take to workshops or club meetings but which gives easy access with the top removed. For those who may recall when we used to sell them, "No", we no longer make the drilling guide package. It would, however, be an excellent club project to share the costs of all those sizes of 12" long tubes. For most miniature purposes, you probably only need up to 1/4".

Mel Koplin