Scale: One way to make a true scaled down replica of something is to measure and reduce. I find working in metrics helps for this because I can just get out the calculator, I can do - - 500mm / 12 = 41.7mm but 18 3/4" / 12 leaves me cold. Another way is to get a scale ruler (or an architects ruler) it has the full size measurements marked on it - but in the right position for scale. A "no measure" way of getting close to scale is to compare to something that is in scale. Find a doll that is in scale, or a picture of a person that is in scale and compare the thing you are making to the doll. This is especially useful for things you can't measure easily and have a bit of natural variance.

Sandra in New Zealand

Holding Small Items: Buy a bag of wooden golf tees (very inexpensive). Take a pine board (1 X 6 about 12 inches long). Drill rows of holes (the same diameter as the point of the "T" about 1-1/2" apart almost all the way through. I prefer Fun Tak or Blue Tak as it doesn't leave a residue like the wax to attach the item to the top of the golf tee. Hold the tee while your working and stick in a hole to dry. If your working with REALLY small things, I take the tees to my belt sander and make the head of the tee smaller, even down to 1/8 inch in diameter.

Ruth, Grass Valley, CA

Bending Metal Tubing: I purchased a mini tube/wire bender at a train type hobby shop. It is made by K&S, the company that makes a lot of the metal supplies for modeling. It is called a Mini Wire Bender - Stock No. 323. I think a hobby store could get one for you or you might be able to find K&S online. And you don't even need to hold the tubing in hot coals to use it!

Chris in Minnesota

Leather for walls. I have used rubber cement for gluing leather and it stands up to a beating.

Bob in Hollywood FL

Thick leather: Thick leather can be shaved or "skived" in order to make it thinner.  There is a special knife, called a "skiving" knife that does the job.  The idea is to make the edges thinner so that two pieces can be joined together with less bulk.  I'm not sure how one would split or skive a larger piece (really carefully, I would think!) but I bet there's a way.   If you can't use the pieces as they are, I suppose you could sacrifice a few scraps to experiment with splitting the leather.

Jeanne

Thick leather: To make thick leather thin, I used my hubbies’ razor and shaved the fuzz off the back.

Trace

How to thin thick leather: You could try to thin, or "skive" it, down to a more usable weight. I use a straight edge razor blade, but you can also use an Exacto knife, the sharper the blade, the better. Just flip the leather over, and use your blade on the flesh side of the leather to scrape off layers until it's as thin as you desire. It does take some practice to not slice through if you're trying for "really thin", it's not usually a quick job, and some cheap leather doesn't skive well at all, but I've successfully skived 3 mm thick leather down to paper thin.

Michelle

Sears Mini tool kit: You can reach it this way tho: www.sears.com - when you get to the home page, click on tools from the top menu. When you get to the next page, do a search for "mini tools". From the page that shows the available tools page down to mid way (approximately the 17th item down) and pick the one that says 50 piece tool kit. You will then go to a page which shows a picture of the tools etc. in the kit along with the price.

Lynn in the Foothills of the Ozarks

Orchid bark - I had to laugh about using a food processor for Fimo: I ruined one with Fimo! Now my ex-coffee grinder is being used to grind real orchid bark for my tiny orchid pots. When the orchid bark is small enough, I mix it with white glue and a few drops of water and carefully spoon it into the pots. If you don't put a few drops of water in, the glue will dry shiny.

Mary Kinloch

Stained Glass Leading: Those of you using liquid leading for the minis may want to check out the "Plaid" (Brand) "Tip-Pen" Craft tip sets. One set contains 3 very tiny Metal tips that will fit the plastic bottles; the other set contains four tiny caps, 3 tiny bottles and one "bottle" that is actually a mini syringe. Either of these sets really makes it much easier to get the mini leading lines better than the original "liquid leading" bottle. It's so much easier to squeeze steady and drag with the smaller kit bottles (especially the syringe bottle), and the micro fine metal tips make the leading very tiny for mini scale. The tiny tips also work great with liquid glue for those of you who like to glue fabric. Here where I live, in SW Missouri, the little "Plaid" brand, metal tip sets are sold at all the craft stores and at Wal-Mart.

Wilma Kinder, SW MO Ozarks region

Glass Leading Tip: For those who have a small syringe that is used to deliver small amount of stuff. Fill the opening with liquid solder. After the solder has "set" use a pin or needle (size-diameter) is your option and poke a hole through the solder lump. This will be the diameter of the "leading" for your leaded glass windows. Now fill the device with more liquid solder and proceed to make your lead lines on the glass. When finished, empty all the liquid solder from the device and place a pin in the original opening you made so it does not fill and "set" with more solder.

Dr. Bob...Delray Beach, FL

Free Catalog: Anyone who will be participating in the on-line miniature class really should get the woodturners catalog from Craft Supplies USA. Even if you're NOT going to woodturning, this catalog is a GREAT source for glues, finishes, and all kinds of products that miniaturists can use. AND IT'S FREE. You can get it by calling Craft Supplies USA at (800) 551-8876 or go to their
web site:

http://www.craftusa.com and order it there.

Gerda

Those cheap-o brushes Beverly mentioned are available at Dollar Tree stores, 24 brushes for $1.00. For larger areas to stain get the disposable foam brushes.

Beth

There is help for a newbie to power tools, I am not an expert but have a book that helped me a lot at the start. The book is from Barns & Noble SBN:06-463413-2 by George Daniels, "How to use Hand and Power Tools. Your local Library, may have a copy on the shelf.

Lenora

Painting Styrofoam: you definitely need water-soluble paint such as acrylic! I have used Styrofoam to build props and settings for theatres, and it *will* shrivel if you use other paints -I know this from experience. We used a wire with a high resistance and applied voltage over it to cut the Styrofoam. The current in the wire will make it hot and melt the Styrofoam, and it is a very good method for making rounded shapes. This may be a little hazardous if you don't know what you're doing, though, so a safer alternative may be a hot knife. We used wood glue to glue parts together, but since there isn't much air flow between two pieces of Styrofoam, it takes a long while to dry and the pieces must be clamped together for a long time

Asa from Sweden in Fairfax, Virginia

I got a really cool book from the library this weekend. I don't remember ever seeing it mentioned here so here goes. It is "The Crafter's Guide to Glues" by Tammy Young. It looks like it would be wonderful reference book to have on hand. There are all kinds of hints about different types of glues and ways to use them, which glues to use when, and a few projects to get ideas from. It also has a few points about cleaning up messes made with some of the glues.

Joanne in Beavercreek Oregon

Painting Styrofoam: You can spray paint Styrofoam if you use Design Master. This was created for florists. It is used to dye real flowers, dried and artificial flowers, baskets, raffia, and Styrofoam. I have also used it on balsa, basswood and other items. It is available in translucent or opaque colors. There is a wonderful whitewash that is a favorite of mine. If you can not find it in your local hobby shop, ask your neighborhood florist to get the color you want the next time he/she makes an order from their wholesale house.

TIP: Cover a Styrofoam brick with one or more layers of saran wrap and insert toothpicks loaded with your newest creations and spray away.

HINT: Don't forget, because the floral industry is working with products that are live and fragile, design tools used by them are usually user friendly and therefore can be used for other art and craft forms.

Becky

Foamcore edges: The best way I have found of tidying the cut edges of foamcore is to glue a strip of light weigh card around the edge. use tacky glue, some craft clues will melt the polystyrene.

If you are clever when you cut the foamcore you can cut thru one layer of the paper and the foam in one place, then a little further along cut right thru the 3 layers. Then peel one layer of paper and the foam off the other paper and then fold that piece of paper up so you are covering the cut foam with the same paper that covers the rest of your foam core. This makes a really neat finish with only one cut edge (the other being a fold.

Sandra Monk

Wood and glue: What is liquid nails? For most of my furniture I use a BOND Squeezable Tacky glue I purchase at Earth and Tree. It bonds quickly and seems strong. For my flooring I use Quick Grab. It can be messy, smells but I find it does indeed grab quickly. I also use it for siding. For my hearths and bricks, I use BOND 484 TACKY extra thick white cement. It is kinda like a silicon cement in that it does not get brittle. I had it recommended for flooring but the moisture content warps quickly. The answer I was told was to use weight. I don't agree with that. My tactic is use a glue that has minimal warpage on large areas to be covered. My guess is that if you are a piece of wood and you are destined to be a stir stick, or Popsicle stick, then that is all you're good for. When you make a basket out of these (did when I was a kid) warping was not a problem because you used a small amount of glue in a concentrated area. When flooring and siding, the amount of glue will cause these woods to cup. I use a lot of apple and pear wood also. They resist warping well. For pine I use the basswood. Finished correctly, it gives a good pine look. I have a limited amount of old poplar I save for special projects. I often use planks that are 1 1/2 inch or larger for my flooring. I do Early American and I like the wide plank look. That is another reason I say to use wood sheets. You get a piece 3" x 24" and you are not limited by the width or length of your floor planks. I try to offset the joints in a realistic manner. This is hard to do with 6" long sticks.

bill

Cutting Plexiglas:  I got a Plexiglas cutter at Home Depot - about $5.00 - and it works great.  Makes a very smooth cut.   I am using Plexiglas on the house openings to keep the grandkids' little fingers away.  They have such a hard time not touching.  Hope this means that they will be miniaturists some day!

Carole Pierce