Watson Mill - a pictorial review

by brae  

UPDATE 2024 - this post is being moved to the new blog, so most of the links are broken. Please check back later.

 

Just starting my usual recap post to make it easier to find things. This post will change as I get further along in the build.

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Greenleaf Dollhouses held their Spring Fling contest for a number of years, including some years before miniatures became an everyday thing for me. The 2009 kit had an arch roof and an interesting shape. The kit is still available today, but I bought one some time ago for a someday project just in case they went out of production. Jen Barrick's Loganberry Mill was one of the first miniature houses that drew me into the hobby. She dropped the scale down to half scale and made the most amazing sail set. It's truly an inspirational build from the inner mechanisms to the realistic landscaping. So, that is where I started...with an idea for my own take on the kit...Watson Mill.

The initial dry fit:

I kept the full scale aspect and made this more of a fantasy build in the vein of Roland's Retreat. That saved the hassle of adding a full kitchen and bathroom. My plan was a mill rehab with most of the inner workings of a proper mill long gone and replaced with the cozy decor of its current resident, Gustav. He was made by Johana of Rustles from the Meadow.

I added 4" in depth to the kit since there were things I wanted that the small space of the original kit would not allow.  I also moved the door to the side and padded the walls in preparation for working components.

I wanted an arched door to keep with the curved aspect of the facade.  There's a relatively low ceiling on the first floor at 7 3/4" tall, which knocks out the ability to use the lovely Palladian door that stands just under 9" tall.  I also didn't want to overpower Gustav's modest stature with an enormous door.  Enter the Designer Home Hogarth window with shutters.  I bought this new old stock window at a local miniature show.

I cut the inside bits on the scroll saw, and pieces of strip wood were added to fill in as needed.  I filled, filed and sanded (and sanded).  Since doors open in, the frame had to be reversed with the fancy trim on the inside.  On the outside, there is a nice deep entryway. There's a tiny round window next to the door so Gustav can see who's-a-knockin' at the door.  :D  This the 1 1/8" Simplicity Window from Heritage Laser Works.  To cut this hole, I used a 1" spade bit.  Here's a post on cutting holes for the various openings.

I've cut circular openings with the standard Dremel before, so that's what I've used for the bedroom window - a 2 1/4" Simplicity Window from Heritage Laser Works.  In my class with Tom Walden, I learned to make multiple passes with the Dremel to get a clean cut. That was my issue the first time I tried cutting circles -- cutting too much thickness at once.  My issue this time was not checking the knob holding the pivot point in place after the first cut.  The vibration loosened it, so it was cutting a larger circle than I wanted.  I didn't notice this until it was full on traveling outside the circle.  :\  This is a fairly simple fix, though, so I just shrugged.  I still swore, mind you.  :D  I filled the wayward hole with wood putty.  I'll wrap some cardboard circles to fill in some of the diameter of the hole.  It will all be covered by interior and exterior finishes in the end.

 

The Sails

The sails were a good deal of fiddly work (part one, two, three, four, five) with a few good mockups first.  I did some research on windmills and a fair bit of virtual sightseeing, but I am by no means an expert.  Watson Mill was not meant to be a precise model, though there are some remarkable works out there.  The first one I ran into is a 1:30 scale mill kit by Amati.  Another fabulous resource is Penterbak, where you find many different scale models with exacting details.  It's in Dutch and google translate works only so well, but you can see from the photos alone just how much work went into these.

Finally, I learned some terminology.  There's a wealth of information in the online publication of The Dutch Windmill by Frederick Stokhuyzen, though I admit I skipped around to parts I needed.  There's also this awesome website with a video by The Yorktown Windmill Project showing how to make a common sail.  (They also have a great page on the conical roof, which I have done in miniature in the past.)  After seeing this real life example, I decided to change my design to match.  My sails don't have the gentle curve of the true sails, but again I was going for the essence.  

As for the sails, they had to actually spin.  :D  Bruce Hirst has some great instruction on how he made his working mill, so that was a great starting point.  I had the challenge of an open back structure so I needed to be creative in disguising and setting any mechanical details.  I had to close up the arch near the upper back and addressed the mechanisms fairly early since that determined many adjustments to the basic structure.

This motor from Winbell's Store on aliexpress is what I ended up using to run my sails.  It runs at 5-6RPM vs the 2.5RPM in the tutorial but it is also 1 5/8" in diameter as opposed to 2" in diameter for the Micromark motor.   It has two wires attached in the back and runs on 12V AC power, much safer to work with and the wires are small enough to feed through reasonably sized drilled holes.  I opted to skip the gears that Bruce used in his setup. Being AC instead of DC (no, don't ask me to explain the difference just accept that there is one), the motor runs on a separate line from the dollhouse 12V DC system.  I bought this transformer to power the motor.

Having a motor that turns counterclockwise made a difference in how the sails were built. Even though the wind won't power them, I built the sails to correctly correspond to direction. Here is clockwise, and here is counterclockwise.  You can see the difference in the lead edges and angles.  I built the sail structure first to make sure my motor could handle the work before starting the mill itself...a bit of reverse engineering.  :]  I didn't want to do all the work just to find out I needed a different motor in the end.

The sails are built from mainly 1/16" x 1/8" strip wood.  The adhesives used were Elmer's Wood Glue supplemented with super glue gel.  The Easy Cutter Ultimate was a lifesaver here.  I started with four 12" lengths of 1/4" x 1/8" strip wood to make the whip (center shaft of the sail).  This was longer than I needed, but I wanted extra just in case.   Instead of trying to cut holes in the whip to form mortises, I notched the pieces every 3/4" from the end.

There are 11 sailbars per sail at a length of 2.75" each and 3 hemlaths (outer vertical strips) per sail at a length of 9" each.  Since I was cutting by hand, there were some gaps.  I used Minwax Wood Putty in natural pine as filler.  Could I have been more precise?  Maybe, but I get in a hurry for tedious portions of a project.  Once it was all stained and aged, it all blended in.  :D  A corresponding piece of 1/4" x 1/16" strip wood enclosed the notches to make the mortises in the whip.  I cut and added the little blocks (don't know the term) that keep the sailbars uniform along the whip.

This might have been a bit of overkill for a model, but I also used nails in addition to the glue.  I don't need these suckers popping apart later on down the line, and since they will be motorized it's likely worth the extra time and effort.  I did drill pilot holes so I wouldn't split the boards.

I developed a hub inspired by the 1:30 scale mill kit by Amati and this windmill build by Penterbak.  It is built from styrene (plastic) instead of wood because I worried about longevity and solidity during operation.  I used square tubing from Evergreen, glued in a cross formation using Testors cement.  On the back, I glued a cap cut from round tubing to connect to the windshaft.

Shims were required to make the whips square where they entered the hub as was sanding to fit, my least favorite phrase in mini making.  :D  However, a tight fit in the hub means no glue or pins are required to keep it all in place.  If I need to replace anything, just pull it apart at the hub.

The shaft is a 5/16" diameter wood dowel with a hole drilled in the center on one end.

The motor has a threaded shaft, so my friend and I went to the hardware store to find a suitable screw to fit.  Another friend cut the heads from a few of the screws so I could attach one end to the wood shaft, and now I have a few spares for the future (or for the other motor in my stash).

To support the motor, I created a new back wall with a larger space along the barrel roof.

 

The Main Room

The wallpaper is Happenstance Fluke by The Paper Loft.  I wanted the appearance of aged plaster joining directly with the flooring, so that's what I tried to accomplish in the finished room.  I stained the red oak flooring with Minwax Dark Walnut.  I love the grain of this flooring but not the pink cast, and the dark walnut was able to highlight the grain and tone down the red.  After it was completely dry, I burnished the surface with a scrap of paper bag and then sealed with two coats of Delta Ceramcoat Matte Varnish.  It's an old floor, but perhaps it was refinished during the renovations.

I finished the ceiling for the first floor in crisp white to reflect light.  I stippled the paint to create a delicate texture I thought would go better with the aged appearance of the wallpaper.  The texture also hides the wood grain.

The big feature of the main room is the circle library (part one, two, three, four, five, six and seven).  I started with cardboard rings and built the library from there.

I then covered the cardboard with peel and stick wood that I had left over from the Model T Van build.  I used additional adhesive just to make sure the bonds will hold over time. Cyd helped me out by cutting laser cut circles for finishing.  I sanded away the charred edges and then glued it to the support structure.  My supports are not uniform circles, so the laser cut trims help disguise any imperfections.

The original inspiration had 18 dividers, but my version has only eight for balance and fit. I made angled dividers to match the original. I covered the sides of the angled inserts with peel and stick wood. To finish the front edges, I cut shapes from 1/32" basswood to match the laser cut circles.

To build the shelves, I cut 1/8" wide channels in the plywood wall using the Dremel Trio. The channels provide a sturdy hold for each shelf cut from 1/8" basswood.  I started with 1" wide basswood strips and cut them down to end up with a roughly 3/4" deep shelf.   I hand cut the angles around the circle supports.  Not easy.  :\

The two end boards are slightly deeper than the shelves.  For the top, I cut a piece of 1/4" strip wood for stability for the eventual final trim.  Since the plywood wall would stain different from the basswood and veneer, I needed to cover it.  I cut the liners from 1/32" thick basswood.  This thickness of wood barely reduces the shelf depth, and I did take that into consideration when I cut the horizontal boards.  

The curved edges sit under the circle, so the joins are not visible when the circle is in place.   I cut two curved shapes for behind the shelves of the circle.  The curves didn't need to be precise, so I cut them with an X-Acto by hand.  I cut Darice mirror sheet for the center section.  I will line the back of the mirror to bring it up to the matching 1/32" thickness.  I'll use layers of paper when I get to that part.  For now, I've left the protective film on it.

I had planned to stain the library Minwax Natural after my test sample seemed to bring out the grain while leaving the color minimally changed.  Well, in a large area, that didn't really work so well.  It turned rather orange, like raw salmon cutlet orange.  The edges of the circles darkened significantly as well.  :\  I knew it was going to bother me, so I opted for a second coat of stain, this time using Minwax Driftwood.  The green in Driftwood balanced the red in Natural, and the end result is darker but a better color overall.  The darker edges of the circles no longer seem out of place.  It actually looks like it was made from reclaimed wood, which makes a lot of sense for an old mill.  :]  A happy accident.

I cut some paper shims for behind the mirror, removed the protective covering and pushed the circle in place.  The circle can be taken out to clean or replace the mirror as needed. I added a fancy routed trim for the top to cover the plain brace there.  I added a piece of baseboard I believe I got from Debora when she was cleaning out some full scale supplies.  I sanded the ends to curve toward the side trims since the baseboard was a little too thick for the space.  After adding the final side trim, it was all done!

And, for final reference, here is the original again.  I skipped the long curved trim for lack of space.  Besides, I like mine as is.  :]


no discernible source

Yes, I made a lot of books!  :O

Not to be left out of the limelight, there's also a working dumbwaiter (part one).  I've had dumbwaiters in my idea file for some time now.  There's a great example of the mechanism here at Old House Online.  The basic premise is relatively straightforward with just a lot of wood construction.  The problem is, a fully enclosed dumbwaiter would block a significant part of the modest back opening, especially on the upper floor.  So, I compromised between a bucket on a rope and an enclosed dumbwaiter.  I built an open dumbwaiter car running on a track along the wall with a pulley system.  This way, the car will move smoothly up and down to carry milk (or Scotch) upstairs and yet take up less visual space overall.

The car should rest at counter height when on the lower floor, so I bashed a 1 1/2" Houseworks base cabinet by cutting down the depth.  This also gives Gustav some storage in his small home.  I built a fancy car from tiny turnings and basswood, then added a slider bar to the back.  The track was formed from strip wood to make two channels facing one another.   When I install the tracks after decorating, I plan to leave space enough at the top so I can slide the car off the track for cleaning, repairs or replacement.

Here are the model ship single sheave blocks I ordered from the UK from Maritime Models.  Yep, they actually work.  These will be perfect for my dumbwaiter pulley system.  :]  So wee.

To illuminate the main room, I used two new old stock ceiling light kits by Illinois Hobbycraft.

The light above the circle library is lovely for showing the detail.  The cat is Meeko made by JMDS.

There is not a lot of room for a wall sconce for reading, so the best bet is a floor lamp.  This one is by Ray Storey.

The other ceiling light sits closed to the door and compliments the layout I've chosen for the other side.  This includes a modest kitchen and a work area toward the front.  As much as we know he likes reading, I've always envisioned Gustav as a dabbler in minis.

Perhaps he works smaller -- maybe he makes birdhouses.

I purchased the settee from eBay.  It's so rare to see these in green upholstery instead of red.  I had to do a bit of repair work, but it blended reasonably well.   I think it fits the space and brings a bit of nostalgia to the room. Plus, what a great lounge chair for reading with that tall back support.

I figured I would try out the Tribal Foxes rug for the main room.  No, I still haven't finished the edges...have to be in the right frame of mind for that work.  But, we can't have the coffee table blocking the center details of the rug.  Pushed to the side, it looks meant to be!  :D  In fact, this is how I would set up the room if I lived in it so I didn't risk stubbing my toe each time I went to sit down.

 Two House of Miniatures Chippendale Benches complete the library area furnishings.  One of these might seem a little large for the work table, but in a small home, furnishings have to do double duty.

I stitched bargello seat covers for the benches using a pattern from the book Miniature Needlepoint and Sewing Projects by Kathryn Falk.  The one on the left took 5 hours and the one on the right took 4.25 hours, just like the first time around.  It must just take more time to plot the first one, whereas you can just copy for the second one.  The 40 count linen was rough in a couple of places for the second one, so it might look a little threadbare in spots once done.  It will just make it look old, so I'm not worried about it enough to redo it.

For the kitchen area, I made two Queen Anne Side Chairs from The House of Miniatures. These are simple chairs with just enough interest.

I have sanded the legs, but I never fully round them as the instructions or photos show.  I like a bit of structure to cabriole legs even if it is not in keeping with the true style.  They are painted Zinc by Americana.  What I like about this dark grey is the blue cast to it.  I finished with Delta Ceramcoat Satin Varnish and upholstered with a cotton print from my stash.

The table kit had plain white top made from some sort of porous material like cast plaster and wood legs.  I could not tell you where it came from, though.  :\  I bought it quite awhile ago.  I liked the small size of the table, 2 3/8" square, though I did cut a modest 3/16" from the top of the legs for better overall proportion while keeping the appealing tall, skinny profile.

A Greenleaf forum member suggested enamel tabletops, so after scouting around the net looking at examples I chose an open design printed in navy blue.  I painted the apron and legs with Zinc by Americana to coordinate with the chairs.  The tabletop material I opted for was water slip decal, using Testors Decal Bonding spray since I had that on hand. Because my design was so small, my intent was to cover the entire table with the film since there would be no way to cut around the tiny details.  This provided a uniform surface without a halo around the border design.

The decal had a lovely gloss sheen on its own, but I wasn't sure how delicate it would be without sealing so I finished with Testors Gloss Lacquer Overcoat.  I probably should have sanded the surface more beforehand.  Even after the gloss sealer, the cross-hatch painting imperfections showed through.  I guess it's just an old, well-loved tabletop.  I always trust the happy accidents, and the surface is not very noticeable in photographs unless you try to capture it.  I think it turned out beautifully.  :]

I cut down the depth of a Houseworks 2" kitchen base cabinet by 1/4" since it was a tad too deep and used Minwax Driftwood stain with satin varnish.  The knobs are wood painted black.  A beautifully rustic cabinet.  :]

The pitcher and bowl are from my stash of minis.  It's a favorite that I had been hoping to use in the mill but it wouldn't fit upstairs.  Problem solved.  It's now a kitchen wash set.

 

The Bedroom

The bedroom is limited to table lamps or wall lamps considering the barrel ceiling and the windshaft.  There's a black double wall sconce with replaceable bulbs for above the bed and a Chrysolite table lamp for the cabinet.  I think these fixtures give enough light right now, though I will be rewiring the Chrysolite lamp with an LED since the current bulb is non-replaceable.  The LED will brighten the room a little.

The gorgeous bed will likely end up in another house down the road, and I will make a replacement at that time.  But, for now, I want it where I can admire it.

It's a vintage bed with inlay and naturally aged bedding.  I won't cover up the existing fabric, but a folded sheet set ready to dress the bed might be lovely.  It's by Block House and came with the box.

The cabinet is vintage Lisa of Denmark (similar to Lundby) that I picked up a few years ago. Being a slightly smaller scale, it has never worked well in any build to date.  The mill, however, provides a perfect spot for it.  Its hinge pins show on the top surface, but I can cover that well enough with a runner.

I bought this pale yellow metal wash stand from The Dolls House Emporium some time ago mainly because I liked the shape and color (looks like they don't have it anymore). I decided to use this for the upper room of the mill and needed to find a bowl since one wasn't included.

The small shelf in the back and the size of the hole limited what would fit.  The ceramic bowls I had were either too small around and fell through the hole or were too tall and wouldn't fit under the shelf.  Debora said she had the Chrysnbon chamber set and would send me the bowl and pitcher.  They are plastic but very well detailed.  They also were a perfect fit.  I sprayed them with white gloss spray paint followed by several coats of gloss sealer.  They look fairly convincing as porcelain if you don't look inside the pitcher to see the mold lines.

 

Landscaping and other exterior features

I want a relatively steep landscape for the mill, considering the base board is 20" square (part one, two).  I built up three layers of 1/2" thick builders foam and marked where the mill will sit on top.  I did use a freshly cut whole piece for the bottom layer, but the middle and top layers were made from scraps to use up the stash.  I used Weldbond glue to attach the layers and then pressed it flat with magazines overnight.  In the front, I want a bit of relatively flat land for some fun features to be revealed later.  :]

After looking at this for a bit, I decided to add a modest foundation covered in egg carton bricks.  I had egg carton bricks on hand, so I didn't bother to reinvent the wheel.  Most of the time, I will measure my board and determine how many bricks across I need and adjust the measurements accordingly.  It's a small foundation, so I didn't think it would matter much once landscaping is in.  Since my bricks didn't end well at the corners, I opted for corner stones cut to fit.  I chose brown based bricks instead of my usual brick red.  :]  

I added a couple of dark brown and black washes to tone down the grout, then finished off with a spray of Testors Frosted Glass to dull the finish.  There will be more aging during the landscaping process, but I love how it looks so far.  You can still see the subtle color differences.

The addition of a foundation made the landscaping too short on the door side, so I pried up all but the lowest layer of builders foam and cut new pieces to create the steep grade to the door that I had always had in mind for the build.  These pieces will stay loose until later on so I can further shape them for the final landscaping.  There will be more modification, but I think this is a good start, very tall and stately.  :D

One of my weaknesses is new old stock lighting.  I often rewire or use for parts.  Outside, there will be a coach lamp.

This is a vintage lamp by Miniaturelite.  I bought a grouping of these, two with posts and two without.  I'll take this apart and rewire with an LED.

For the exterior finish, I chose wood shakes.  It apparently takes six years to forget what a right proper pain it is to wood shake an entire house.  :\  It's a lovely finish though, and very forgiving especially on an old mill.  Instead of dark cedar, this time I will be using light wood shakes that I can stain to look weathered. These are from the defunct and partial Tudor Queen Anne kit.  No sense in buying supplies when I have some languishing in the stash.  They are thin and rather uniform, which makes life easier.

First was determining the size of the individual shingles.  True to scale shingles looked out of place for Baxter Pointe Villa, so I hand cut the 1,700 shingles by length and width to work best for proportion.  Considering the mill structure is even smaller, I figured I would have to do the same.  The 1/2" by 3/4" measurements used for Baxter Pointe Villa seemed like they would work for the mill as well.

I did a rough calculation and will need approximately 1,635 shakes.  Not that far off from the amount needed for Baxter Pointe Villa, but there are fewer windows and no chimney for Watson Mill.  After counting the bag, I discovered I have only 1,617 shakes.  :O  No margin for error.  But, if need be, I will use other shakes for the small back wall.  Houseworks makes nice light wood shakes that will work well enough to finish out the set.  I will start here, though.

to be continued...

Baxter Pointe Villa is for sale

by brae  

I'm finally listing a house for sale (here's the listing on eBay).  I doubt I will let go of many, so this is a big step for me.  :]  I'm located in the Chicago area if someone coming to the April shows is interested.  Due to the delicate wind turbine and porch, the house cannot be shipped.  For the full write-up on the build, click here.  :]

The exterior has approximately 1,700 cedar shake shingles, each individually cut and glued in place.  The custom built chimney features egg carton brickwork.

The house has four rooms: kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom.

The 12V lighting is all hard-wired.

The house features one of my custom made aquariums.

There are flameless lighted candles in the fireplace.

The kitchen cabinets are fixed in place and feature working doors and drawers.  The sink is custom made, and a removable half fridge is included.

There are two barstools included for the breakfast bar.

The results are in...

by brae  

Ye Olde Taxidermist has won an Honorable Mention in the 2016 HBS Creatin' Contest!  :D

It's a great honor to have my work recognized.  A huge thank you to HBS!

For the full recap post on Ye Olde Taxidermist, click here.

You can see the winners and remaining entries posted here.  Congratulations to all on your creativity and hard work!  :D  Now on to this year's contest kit -- not sure if I will enter, but there's plenty of time to mull over my ideas.

Introducing - Ye Olde Taxidermist

by brae  

UPDATE 2024 - this post is being moved to the new blog, so most of the links are broken. Please check back later.
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Introducing Ye Olde Taxidermist, my entry in the HBS Creatin' Contest 2016.
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Keep your dearly departed in your life during their afterlife.  That is the heartfelt mission of Ye Olde Taxidermist, though the shop also caters to naturalists by preserving fine animal and bird specimens for posterity.

Ye Olde Taxidermist makes house, or farm, calls in a stylish Model T Van.

The shop even has a telephone, if you are so inclined.

No animals were harmed in the making of this build.  In fact, they all had great fun seeing who could stay still the longest.  Roland kept making his holy crap, I think I've been stuffed jokes and making this face, which caused an onslaught of giggling among the rest.  Silly animals!  :D

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Ye Olde Taxidermist started as the Backyard Bungalow kit.

I added two inches to the foundation and cut down the depth of the front porch.

The foundation has egg carton brickwork.  I eliminated the side windows to save on wall space and covered the exterior with clapboard siding sheets.

I added a removable back wall that is actually done in two pieces.  The back sunburst gable is glued in place, but the lower wall slides out as needed.  The exterior color is Warm White by Americana.

It has interior trim to match the side walls, so it looks seamless when viewed from inside.  There's a jewelry finding nailed to the side as a knob.

Suppose I should have put some art on that back wall.  :D

I changed the kit's double door to a single door with a transom window.  I built the new frame from 3/8" x 3/16" and 3/8" x 1/8" strip wood, just as I had done for the  Brownstone door, adding 1/16" by 1/16" strip wood to keep the drafts out.  The door color is Plantation Pine by Americana, and the frame is Warm White, also by Americana. I used Opryland door hardware and made the kickplates from heavy paper.  I painted the paper antique bronze and added nail detailing.  The door lamp is a black coach wall sconce.

The oval doormat is from Arjen Spinhoven Miniaturen.  The porch soffit and floor boards are skinny sticks, with the soffit painted French Blue by Folk Art.  The gumball dispenser is from Hobby Lobby.

The display window showcases some of the dearly loved pets of the shop owner. Sherwood is by micksculptures724Isabeau is by Maya Schippl, and Grover is by tmd_art.

The Mackintosh chair features some of the first miniature needlework I stitched.  I refinished the wood as well.  I did research this chair to see if it would be good for a 1915 setting.  Having been created in 1898-1899, it was already a bit dated.  :D

Grover's stand was made using a candle stand kit by The House of Miniatures, with the height lowered just a bit.  The window lights were made from Chrysolite kits (one from my stash, and one from Debora).  I altered them from chain lights to post pendants with aluminum tubing.  I also used 3mm LED bulbs from Evan Designs for longevity.  They look like true bulbs as well.  :]

 

The window unit and its base are removable for ease in changing the display.  It would have been cumbersome to reach through the back of the building and set the display in reverse from behind.  The window unit's trim disguises the fact that it's a separate assembly.  Right now, I have the trim held on with mini hold wax so it remains removable as well.  I need to get some stickier putty so it stays put better.

The whole window assembly is built so I can remove the window plastic to replace it or just swap it out.  At first I planned to slip the glass in through the top, hence the open slot.  Now, the whole top trim is removable.  I've also run one extra wire under the lower base just in case I ever want to add other lights to the window...or even create a Christmas display.

I used silver sticker letters and flourishes on the front pane.

I like how this photo makes it look like a smaller scale build, like quarter scale.

There's a curtain separating the window from the main store interior.  It is removable for cleaning or replacement as needed.  The cash register was a gift from Barbara, though I did touch up the paint around the keys (a detail not seen after the effort).  The ledger is from Looking Glass Miniatures (the stack of string-tied boxes shown in other photos are also from here).

The wall calendar features the artwork of Theo van Hoytema.  I edited the art to make an October 1915 calendar.  The owl looks positively perturbed -- too cute!  :D  I painted the copper plant stand with a delicate patina.  The flowers and lamb are from Barb's Corner; the eagle is from ABC Dolls & Miniatures.  I made the griffin box from a kit by Lisa's Little Things bought at one of the local shows.

I modified the Chrysnbon phone/clock/coat rack kit to make a smaller wall phone.  I used the hook, receiver, mouthpiece and bells to make my own. The original mouthpiece was too long for the style I planned to make, so I cut down the arm to make a shorter version. I used scrap wood to make the housing and stained it medium brown.  I painted the black parts with Testors semi-gloss black.  I left off the name plate that many of these phones had since it would have been too small to be legible and would have detracted from the overall look.

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The two large counters are from miniatures.com.  I stained them Minwax English Chestnut and used a finishing technique to disguise any large grain or glue spots.  The shorter counter by the door was made from a vintage kit found on eBay.  I was able to cut the pieces into a custom angled counter that allowed better flow into the shop from the front door.

I made the reversible open/closed sign and painted a Chrysnbon coat rack.  The umbrella is by FranMadeMinis.  I used Brodnax Willow wallpaper and stained the interior trims.

I used three bird prints from A History of British Birds published in the 1850s by Rev. Francis Orpen Morris that I had made for The Newport many years back.  They've been in storage for some time, so it's nice to have a few displayed again.

For the rustic flooring, I used the leftovers from The Artist's Studio flooring, various lengths of board Mike cut for me.  I glued the individual boards directly to the mdf floor base using Elmer's wood glue, supplemented as needed with dots of super glue gel.  I sanded the boards with my Dremel Multi-Max oscillating tool, first using 60 grit paper followed by 120 grit paper.  The end result was a smoother surface, but I left it a little uneven to keep the rustic beauty.  I stained the floor with Minwax Dark Walnut.  Since these were different types of wood, the stain didn't mask the random coloration I liked so well.  It just darkened the look overall.  Dee-gorgeous!  :D  I had originally planned to sand this and apply another color as accent but I couldn't touch this finish, though I did add nail detailing using an awl and paint.

The barrel ceiling ended up being more of a gentle curve, but I still love it.  I used crown molding along the side walls as stops for a piece of mat board.  It's covered with textured scrapbook paper called Pressed Tiles - Brown, by The Paper Studio (purchased from Hobby Lobby).  Love this paper!  I painted it Liquitex Antique Bronze.

The three-light chandeliers were a test of wills.  These were made from Chrysolite Heritage Chandelier kits given to me by Debora.  I swapped out the included non-replaceable bulb lights for Cir-Kit Concepts candle sockets with varnished wires.  The required splicing of six wires into two bundles of three, ending in one exit wire each, inside the main cone is not an easy task and you get one shot at it because you cut the wires so short.  I had to scrap three sockets in one attempt.  :\  But, it all worked out in the end.

The chandeliers have bases that are glued to the ceiling.  The fixtures have pieces that fit and twist into these brackets, so you can remove and pull them down as far as your wires will allow.  This makes for easier servicing -- no working in tight spaces.  I used bronze acrylic paint to cover the red wires so they wouldn't be as noticeable.  I also changed out the included chain for heavier chain and used wax to hold the hurricanes and shades in place.  They are fiddly but perfect for the space.

I made the light switch from polystyrene sheet and rod.  Talk about fiddly and small. Those buttons are 1/16" in diameter.

There are numerous animals on display.  Most are artisan pieces I've collected over the years.  I made tiny dioramas for them, though the animals are not glued in place.

I used leftover scenery materials on top of driftwood pieces.  Some bases were cut down and sanded to better fit the size of the animal while others were left as is from the bag.

I made the Burrowing Owl, and Friedrich is by micksculptures724.  I made the carrots using the tutorial from Sugar Charm Shop -- a few stumps to plant and full carrots for show.

Ophelia is by *Reve* and Endora is by agzr*studios.  I made soft pillow beds for each cat. Barbara sent me the red, pink and ivory silks as well as the nest artwork shown in other photos.  The green quilting fabric is from my stash.

Hugo B. Agerton is by Steve Panner, who also made Roland Sneakypants shown earlier in this post.  I made the mushrooms using Peiwen Petitgrand's book on making clay food.

The badger art is from the Graphics Fairy, printed on parchment and mounted on card stock.  Clyde the Hoopoe bird is by Katie Doka.

Sanford is by Steve Panner.  I added an aquarium pebble, tall grass and bits of foliage to the base.

Juniper and Archer are both by *Reve*.  I used more of the carrots for Juniper's vignette.

Sam the Toco Toucan is by Katie Doka.

I re-purposed two House of Miniatures items for the bird perches -- a bookstand and pedestal desk.  I've kept the tops for other uses.  I finished them in dark walnut with a satin varnish.  I used pieces from the old tree branch I used in The Artist's Studio with the wood stained to match.

For Igraine by Olga Proshina, I stained two brackets and added jewelry finding accents.  A thin floral wire capped with belaying pins holds the bat suspended.

I went through many ideas before finally stopping on a vintage taxidermy shop set c. 1915.

The other ideas were sound, but it was all decided once I found the 1:16 scale 1913 Model T Van kit by Entex that included decals for a taxidermist.  From Mouse to Mastodon.  I love it!  :D

Yes, that's a different image on the box cover than what I've been showing.  There was more than one kit release over time, but even though I had two kits with different front images, the parts were identical for both.  Interestingly, this one is shown built with the driver's side opposite but with the use of a spare tire instead of the plastic covers.  That would not have been possible with the parts molded as they were.  Four different sets of decals were included: Carnation Milk, Coca Cola, The Texas Company and Templeton & Son Taxidermists.

I find it humorous to see the beverage slogan right next to the taxidermy decals.  yeep.

I ended up making my own removable sign boards for the van for a few reasons.  I wasn't keen on using the name on the included decals, and I wasn't sure about my success in applying large decals either.  And, I might want to use the van for something else in the future, so I can just swap out the boards.  :]  These are printed on regular paper and mounted to bristol paper for added weight.  Mini hold wax keeps them in place without marring the paint finish.

I have a full post dedicated to the 1913 Model T Van build with links back to the individual posts for easier reference.  The van fits relatively well for scale in my final project, but I do love it even on its own.  This was not an easy or forgiving kit.  So many parts broke during assembly, and a few were even broken from the start.  I had two kits, and even with that, I ended up having to glue the suspension so the front wheels would not turn and the van would not roll.  But, I was able to add LED headlights and taillights.  Overall, I'm glad I took on the task and I'm pleased with the look of the final model.  :]

The backdrop used is a countryside landscape I found online with no discernible origin in a google search.  I wanted something with a rural feeling.

The landscaping board is finished on the edges with iron-on veneer edging.  I then glued layers of white 1/16" foam sheets by Woodland Scenics using Weldbond glue.  I went with thin foam so I could keep the land relatively flat on the baseboard while still allowing for natural unevenness.

I smoothed out the transitions with stucco patch from Home Depot, and painted the whole base black/brown.

I used Fine Ballast Dark Brown by Woodland Scenics for the dirt and Woodland Scenics Ballast left over from Baslow Ranch for the gravel.  It's all set in place with Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement.  I've planted black-eyed Susans along the front.  The stairs were built from scratch.

There are depressions in the gravel from where the van has pulled in and out along the side of the building.

The grass is Heki Wild Grass in dark green.

The roof is removable to provide access to all of the wiring as needed.

The roof is covered with asphalt shingles by What's Next (found a vintage lot of these on eBay a few years back).  The roof ridge is finished with heavy paper sprayed with stone finish spray paint.  I've done a shingle lap before, but I just didn't like the results I was getting this time around.  As for whether asphalt was a correct material to use in 1915, well, you'll be happy to know I did look it up.  :D

I wanted finished eaves, and I initially tried scoring the mdf boards.  That wasn't as clean as I wanted, so I used some super thin scored wood sheets from my stash and cut piece by piece.  Added trims around the edge hold it all in place and disguise the fact that the roof is removable.  From underneath, it looks clean and solid.  :]

There's a 19.5" tall tree adjacent to the building (parts onetwothreefourfivesix and seven).  The height of the tree was meant to put the building in better proportion with the Model T Van since there are different scales at work here.  It started out as a maple, but it ended up being more like an ash after I stumbled across a wonderful tutorial by Connie Sauve on making realistic trees.  I switched direction mid-build, so there was a bit of a panic and rush to get this part done.

I ordered candytuft in basil green (I loved the orange and red, but I didn't want to overpower the building or the Model T).  I looked at the local floral shops, but the floral sprays they had were different and not really workable.  I used three bunches for this tall tree.  The people at Scenery Solutions were top notch in getting me the supplies quickly!

Since I started with green, I had to paint only the stems.  Quick and dirty, no fine detailing here.  It transformed them immediately.  I can certainly see why these are so popular in model railroading.

I made one branch to fit over the roof, because who is going to climb a ladder to trim it?

 

The canopy provides good coverage, but the bark texture is my favorite part.  :]

I made a birdhouse from a kit by Twilla's Tiny Treasures, purchased at one of the local shows.  I like a white birdhouse best, but next to a white house, spring green is my second favorite choice.  :D  It came with gingerbread detail, but I left that off for a simpler look.

 

There's a handy push mower to make quick work of the upkeep.  It's a Phoenix Model kit from Jennifer's of Walsall.  It's recommended to use Devcon 5 Minute Epoxy, so I bought some from amazon. This stuff stinks to high heaven with the hardener smelling like rancid, rotten eggs, but it is as advertised at least.

I sprayed the handles and blades with Testors Model Master Metalizer Lacquer in Aluminum Plate. It buffs to a fine metallic finish. I hand painted the grips semi-gloss black. To keep it simple, I chose black for the wheels and guard. The hubs and connecting rods are Testors Flat Olive Drab, leftover paint from the Sopwith Camel from years back. After assembly, I touched up the paint and added some grime detailing...just enough to give this mower a few years of service. I glued the handles half-way between resting and upright so it would look natural while still being able to sit close to a wall, or against a tree.

And, of course, when you're back in 1915, you should have photos that feel as though you've stepped back in time.

Let's take the van for a spin!

It's hard to believe the year is almost up, the deadline is here and another build has been completed.  I'm feeling motivated, though, so perhaps the next great thing is just around the corner.  :D

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A special thank you to Debora, Bill, Lyssa and Barbara for your support, friendship and contributions to the build!  And, a warm thank you to everyone for your kind comments and encouragement along the way!  Until next time...

Model cars & airplanes, etc.

by brae  

Just a recap post to make it easier to locate past models and works in progress. Each section has a link to the latest post in the build, which can be followed back through the process.

RX-7 in 1:24 scale - melding of Aoshima C-West, Fujimi and Tamiya kits. 

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Citroën DS 19 by Heller - 1:16 scale - work in progress

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1913 Model T Van by Entex - 1:16 scale

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Datsun 240ZG by Tamiya - 1:12 scale - work in progress

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License plates in 1:12 scale

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Motor Racing Team Tool set by Tamiya - 1:12 scale

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Mac Tools 1:12 scale tool locker - purchased model

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1950 Volkswagen Beetle Saloon by Sun Star - 1:12 scale - purchased model

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Sopwith Camel by Academy - 1:32 Scale 

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Mercedes Benz Hybrid Bike - 1:12 scale diecast model by Maisto - purchased model

Audi Quattro Citybike - 1:12 scale diecast model by Maisto - purchased model

Audi Quattro Trekkingbike  - 1:12 scale diecast model by Maisto - purchased model

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Remote control Audi TT - 1:14 scale - purchased model

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Baslow Ranch Farm Wagon - built from a covered wagon kit by Allwood

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The wayback machine -- this post features three model cars from many years ago, all in 1:25 scale.

Jaguar XKE

Volkswagen Beetle

Datsun 240Z

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