Attaching Cabinets to Walls: Have you tried using the tiny nails available for dollhouses - the kind that are used to make connections in the tape wiring? They come in several lengths. Or, use sequin pins and cut them off to the right length. I would suggest that you use wood glue, with a bit of any kind of instant glue to hold them in place while the wood glue dries. Also, you might try double-sided tape to keep them in place while the wood dries and it can just stay there.

Charlean

Attaching Shelves to Walls: I drilled through the wall, glued sewing pins into the holes, then glued the shelves resting atop the pins.

Lee

Pleater: Can you not use corrugated cardboard with plastic wrap over it and an old credit card to make pleated drapes?  I haven't tried this but heard about it somewhere.

Marlene

Attaching Shelves to Walls: I used Elmer's Wood Glue to hold cabinets, pictures and mirrors. I sanded the area where they were to attach, then placed glue on both surfaces. I waited a couple of minutes and then held them together tight a full minute. Or, try Crazy Glue. It holds a man in midair, so it might hold cabinets as well.

Leslie

Cutting circles: The easiest way I ever found to cut circles was to use a Dremel Moto-tool in a Dremel drill press.  I made a jig with a plywood base that can be clamped to the table, and an acrylic "spinner" that turns on a pin exactly under the bit.  I use a long, thin bit (sorry, the Dremel number has fled my mind, but if you are really interested after you read this, I can get the bit number for you), draw the circle I want lightly on the first piece of wood, double-stick-tape (from the stationery store, NOT carpet tape) the wood to the center of the spinner, move the Moto-Tool out to the edge of the circle and lower the bit a little at a time as I spin the spinner.  It cuts through the wood and you have a perfect circle.  Take the spinner off, remove the circle, tape a new piece of wood to the spinner and do it again.  Takes a little time and patience, but the pieces are perfect.  A little sanding and you are all set. 

Note:  I make the spinner perfectly square, scratch lines from corner to corner to find the center, cut the wood square and match the corners of the wood to the scratched lines to center the wood under the bit.

Jeanne

How to Handle Quik Grab glue: I set the tube upright in a small jar.  That way when you take the lid off it is not as likely to ooze so much.  Then I take a toothpick to get the amount I want from just the very tip of the jar.  Not perfect by any means but makes it somewhat easier to control.

Dorothy

Quik Grab: Here's a little hint that I got once from one of my students. (I'm always learning from them, one of the pleasures of teaching!) If you take the end of the metal tube and squeeze it with a pair of pliers so that it becomes an oval instead of a circle, the stuff doesn't run out on you as badly. Now don't overdo it and close the end completely.

Next the solvent for Quik Grab is mineral spirits. If you wipe off the end of the tube with a paper towel lightly soaked in mineral spirits, you will be able to get the top off and use the tube again. Also lots of people think it works like other glues, just put some on and your parts will stick; but that isn't true. Quik Grab is activated by pulling the pieces back apart and reapplying. The more you do it the faster it seems to grab hold.

Shannon Moore

Cleaning Oil-Based Stain from Brushes: Just wash out your brushes that you have used with oil-based stains with plain old soap and water. I usually use dishwashing liquid. They clean up very well and you don't have to worry about ruining your brushes or having them burst into flame. Just pour a little soap in the palm of your hand and scramble the brushes around in the sudsy mixture. You may need to repeat this to get them really clean.

Dottie

Quick Grab: I like it for many jobs:   Siding sheets, moldings/trims, etc. I even used it to repair a broken glass dish once - YES, it will glue glass!

Quick Grab is air-activated, so once the tube is opened, it will 'dry out' over time. I try to always squeeze from the bottom of the tube (yeah, I do that for toothpaste, too - LOL), and force out as much air as I can. I store mine upright in a small glass jar and put it back in the jar even while I am using it. This helps keep the glue from oozing out while open, between applications. I use my ever-handy baby-wipes to clean off the open end during and after use, and they help clean up spots on my fingers, too.

Laura

Tiny micro hand held jigsaw: I bought mine from Micro Mark. They have an entire selection of hand held tools and are wonderful for smaller scales and delicate wood.

Sue Thwaite

Cleaning Oil-Based Stain from Brushes: I just throw my brushes in the regular garbage once they have dried. I use sponge brushes for larger projects and sponge-tipped eye make-up brushes for the smaller projects. Our local waste disposal company has no problem with this.

Pat M

Easy way to pick all eentsy teensy tiny mini stuff up is with a raw spaghetti noodle, slightly wet on the end. Touch lightly to object, then place object in glue on surface, and the glue will "grab" it away from the noodle.

Kay Baughman

Minis Lathe Turning Class - Rolling Pins: The first actual turning class has been posted on our web site (www.vandijkminiatures.com).  This class provides instructions for turning a miniature rolling pin and features step-by-step photographs.  Lauren and I have been working together to get this class set up after working out some of the problems with the photos.  It seems we needed to get much closer for everyone to better see the instruction pics, and we think we've got it down pat now.

The photos take a while to load, but we feel it's well worth the wait time.  All of the classes will remain on the website so that anyone who just joined us, or needs to refresh, can review any of the lessons.   If you've got questions, suggestions, comments or ideas, please contact me privately.  This is a busy season for us and I have not had time to read all of the online miniature's groups digests.  There's a lot we can learn from each other.

Gerda van Dijk

Cleaning Oil-Based Stain from Brushes: I have used oil-based stains for the past 20 years. I don't own a can of water to put them in, as I clean and reuse them. The things I do throw away, I allow to dry out first, before putting them in the garbage. If you want to dispose of your brushes and rags, and don't have a can of water, just lay them out somewhere to dry. Drying oil-based products generates heat. If you have a lot of things soaked in petroleum products drying, such as several brushes and a heap of stain-filled rags, the heat can be considerable and spontaneous combustion can occur. The water acts as a heat sink, keeping the heat generated below the ignition level. However, one brush, allowed to dry naturally before permanent disposal, will not constitute a problem. If you want to be extra careful, place it on something fireproof (a couple of bricks, a clay tile, etc.) and make sure it is not near a wall or curtain.

Jeanne

Quick Grab Glue: I use nail polish remover on a Q tip or paper towel over a toothpick to keep the glue under control.

bill

Small Drills: I use quite a few very small drills, in sizes 61-80, which are tough to get back in order and back into the drill index once they are mixed up. The first and most logical way of dealing with them is to only take one drill out at a time and to put it back in the index when done. If only everything were that easy.... When you do have to use more than one in a session (as for example, drilling several test holes to figure out which size you really do need), I find it helpful to poke the drills themselves into a piece of paper, much as you would anchor a needle in a piece of fabric. Then you can write the size of drill on the piece of paper and it's a little easier to keep track of the sizes that you have "in use." And, if you stick the drill into a little Post-It, you can temporarily stick it onto the project that you are working on when you have to go do something else, such as make dinner...

By the way, some useful drill sizes to know: #72 is the same size as a common sewing pin, #76 is the size to use for the Reallife line of hinges and pulls, and #70 is the size for the larger Houseworks hardware line.

Pam Boorum

Tools: Micro mart makes a tiny portable scroll type saw that is fabulous for cutting windows etc. You just drill a tiny hole to insert the blade and it cuts GREAT!

Sue Thwaite

Tools - Hole Cutting: Saw a Dremel accessory the other day that converts it into a smaller Zip saw. It had a clamp on base and a side cutting bit. Can't remember exactly but it was under $25.00. Clamp on a steel carpenters square for a guide. Plunge into the center of the window and cut out to both ends of the desired dimension. Then move the square, reclamp and repeat for the other two sides. If you do much of it, make a little block equal to the distance from the edge of the base to the edge of the bit. This will let you set up without measuring as long as you don't throw the block out as trash or use it in the wrong direction.

Don Dickens

Glues - I have switched from Zap-A-Gap to Quick Tite liquid and/or gel. No more stuck fingers or hands...has a special dispenser, no clogged ends. Also does not have fumes as bad as ZAP. GREAT STUFF! My favorite white glue is WELDBOND. Not as thick as Tacky, but thicker than ELMERS. Dries clear and will glue PEWTER, metals, Styrofoam, glass, etc.

Sue Ann Thwaite

If you use a glue syringe or glue bottle with a very small hole, to keep it clear of glue, use a plastic price tag thingy, (the long thin bit,) in the hole, when you are not using it. It doesn't rust, (like a pin), and it's easy to pull out.

Alison Fleming