finally finished!

Good evening loyal readers,

The game table, I am glad to say, is finished.

Taking in consideration this, besides the simple bookcases in the library, is
the first piece of furniture I made, without having any instructions or measurements to begin with, in spite of the flaws I am quite satisfied with how it turned out.

Notice the bands of veneer go in opposite directions? that was the most fun to
work on. That and the sliding panels.
I've got a hunch that I will try my hand at more furniture in the future, simply because it is fun to experiment with.
And no matter the end result, you always try new ways and learn from it.

after sanding the (far too) glossy finish off, I gave the table a veneered skirt and put a matt varnish on. imho the skirt brings the table more in proportion.
The matte varnish is a lot better to my liking. It is the same varnish that was used on the bookcases in the library, it has a bit of a yellow-ish shine to it what doesn't make it look so new.

After that the table was smeared with a dark wax and then rubbed with a soft cloth.

So that is the game table.
Now off to new adventures.

By the way, have you all seen John's (Merriman Park) centerfold  pages :p in Miniaturas magazine? super! Again congratulations, John! (if you haven't, make sure you take a look!).

The past year so far has been very chaotic; I tried to work on minis so often, but every time I sat down to get started something more important came up.
That is why I posted so many pics of the gametable, when I show a lot of pics, maybe I can fool some of you in believing I actually worked hard on minis all summer ;) :D
Just kidding, hope I have some new stuff to show you in the next post.

Hope you'll all have a lovely weekend!
hugs,
Gee

Game table put together

Hello Sweeties!

Hope you are all doing swell!
I'm up in the middle of the night to show you the game table.
Yesss, I have finally found some time to put it together and of course could not wait a moment longer to show you the result.
After I have been playing with it first, no surprise there.
Well, here it is, hope you'll like it:

As you can see there's a back gammon board under a chess/checkers/draughts board, and nine men's morris at the other end.

The picture in the middle shows the table when these two games slide away and reveal two backgammon games and in the middle a box closed with a lid that hides the pieces for the chess game.

The upper picture shows the two backgammon playing fields and the opened box
in the middle.

Still have to stain the legs but I decided to first give the table a skirt, so you won't see the box peeking out under the table anymore.
Now it looks just like underwear under a too short dress.

The skeleton of the table is limewood, and the veneers used are ahorn, cherry, limba, walnut root veneer and others.
Around the tableleaf is a small raised edge, so that for example dice do not easily fall off.


I liked working on this very much although I really had almost no time left for mini, so it was a scarce fifteen minutes here and there.
Big bummer was I accidently stained with a glossy stain while I wanted a matte finish.
But I can live with that ( can you really, Gee? can you??)......ermmm...I guess I have to now boohoooo.
I really would like the veneer to have a yellow-ish shine and an old look, so will be experimenting with some wax and chalk on it later this week.
It all has a bit of an unused feel to it so that has to change.

Sorry I have left you waiting for this post for so long but life's hectic, as you probably all can relate to.

Welcome to my new follower, I hope you feel right at home here; please do not hesitate to talk along.

I hope I can find time to do any mini again soon
Until then, take care of yourselves and don't forget to laugh and have fun!

Hugs,
Gee

game table part 2

Hello readers,

Guess it is about time for a small update on the game table.

I know, I know.... I work fast as a snail...
but on my behalf: I have made some parts again...and again....and ag.... you get the picture, and it still has flaws (don't tell anyone).
Besides it has been hot hot hot over here, too hot to get any work done whatsoever and then really the only option left is to relax with a drink :)
I did not even get around to do any of the embroidering I planned to do.

As you can see, a lot of the gluing is done, now all it needs is a bit of sanding, making an opening lid, putting the pieces together, add an edge and varnish it all.
Keeping my fingers crossed it will work as I envisioned it.

Welcome to the new followers and thanks for joining!

Hoping you'll all continue to have a beautiful summer, my dear friends, and
big hugs to all of you,
Gee

game table part1

Hello everyone,
Have been doing some work on the game table lately.

Made some parts, like the checkerboard.

I made the game parts the same way Debora was so kind to show us http://petitpunt.blogspot.nl/2013/05/making-chess-board.html

These parts will later be inserted in the table, I'll  show you that in a later post.
(I see now I forgot to put a coin beside it, I'll do that when I show you the table in a later stadium).
That is, if I ever finish the darn thing.

Talking about furniture: I came across this pic while surfing the internet; isn't it just gorg? Yes it is, me knows :)

How I wish I could make that (working and out of the blue, of course). ;)

Let's see' what else is there to tell you..... Oh, I know.... I  did not show you my workspace yet.
Well, here it is.

Normally the table is packed with mini stuff, so to my standards it is very empty now. Erm... as you can see I did not clean the table before taking the pic, so this really is ''a moment out of the life of'' :))

I am typing  this on  my daughters' tablet; unfortunately my laptop refused to do anything  for me anymore, I am trying to get some sort of life back into  it.
that is, as long as it is not green or phones home.

Welcome to the new followers, I am very pleased to see you here and hope you will enjoy your visits.

I am still waiting for materials to arrive, until then the work on the powder room + bedchamber has come to a complete stand still.
That company is closed for holiday and as much as I support holidays, I do hope they hurry up :))
So far my slightly chaotic post.

Hope you all are enjoying lots of sunshine!

Sending you all a big hug,
Gee

Update: I believe I got my laptop to work again, yeahhh!
But it is so old now and I've fixed so many problems over the last years, it is a matter of time before it will go to PC-heaven.
Well, you will be the first ones to notice :)

War on veneer 2

Well, I was really disappointed when writing the last post but the comments of you guys, Ray and John, let me see things in perspective again; thanks!

Speaking of disappointments.. I was watching the football match (for the European Competition) between Holland and Germany last Wednesday evening on TV.

Mind you, I am not a sports fan by any means, I get tired by even looking at it and only watch some of the matches that are played for the European Championship or the World Cup.

It is a quite amusing pastime to look at 22 sweaty, muscular men running like madmen across a field, doing some silly little dance whenever a goal is scored. 

When our national team wins, its party-time all over the country and that is fun, if only for the way people dress up.

On that (nowadays rare) occasions the whole country seems to unite and that always makes me wonder why people just don't act that way all year round.

Anyway, 11.4 million people in Holland watched the national team lose the game.

So there was a sort of collective disappointment in our country on Thursday.

Not sure if the disappointment was about losing the match or about the abort of parties though.

On Friday everything was back as usual again.

So far on disappointments and perspective.

On topic again:

The veneer arrived today!

Look at this:

Now isn't this gorgeous?

Personally I think it is just beauuuuutiful!

And it is soft as silk, too.

I don't know the correct translation for it, but I suppose it is something like Olive Oyster veneer. It is a slice of root from the olive tree.

I will only use part of the center, already sanded a few millimeters off and cut it to size, will glue the veneered top on tomorrow, keeping my fingers crossed!

Next step is to dry it thoroughly, because I have moistened some of the veneer.

When dry I will show you pictures again.

Have a great weekend and don't do anything I wouldn't do!

Hugs,

Gee

The war on veneer

Not much happening in dollhouse-land and because I can see my blog has been visited, an early update:

Unfortunately the third attempt also cracked, so I've cut out yet another top.
This story is getting all of the characteristics of a never ending one, but if the fourth attempt fails again then I'm calling it quits.
There are too many other things to do, both in miniature as in real life, to spend that amount of time on this.
However even then I will make other attempts in the future; just can't stand the idea of having to give in to a stupid piece of veneer.

It is not my habit to point out in capitals what I do wrong, and won't bother
you with that again after this little project, but figured, better to learn from my
mistakes than make them yourselves.

By the way, discovered that the veneer I use has become somewhat brittle, due to the fact I keep it in my living room where I've really turned up the heat from November 'till April.
Or anyway, I guess that is the reason.
So I have moistened the veneer just a tad, and that makes a difference.

In the meantime I am anxiously awaiting the new veneer; must admit my expectations are high but things always look different in a picture, just can't wait to see and feel it.
Sensitive as I am to the touch of materials, that is probably even more important to me than the look of things.

The veneer I ordered is also thicker than the other veneer, so there will be some sanding involved. As it is not available in thinner sheets, this will have to do.

I expect  the veneer and the new blades for the scalpel I've ordered to arrive within a week.
OMG, wish it would have arrived yet so I can continue and get it done with.

Hugs and I hope you are doing well,
Gee

again veneer

Still busy with the veneer.
I made another attempt, I had come this far:

Sorry for the bad quality of the pictures, they are taken at night.
When I tried to continue, this happened:

      

Several pieces fell out/broke off and a crack appeared.

That could all be repaired but that's no fun.

What to do?

I know! start a new....

I even like this design more than the ones before... 

In an aha!-moment I made a phonecall to the supplier of my veneer.

Before I knew it 30 minutes flew by; this man really knows all

about veneer!

I had this idea on how to fill the big C-volutes and he helps me to obtain 

what I am looking for. He thinks he has the perfect veneer for the job.

He also came up with some ideas of his own. I like that.

Great teamwork!

Only thing is, he has no spare time 'till friday before he can look further into

my order.

But lets be honest, I'm no Speedy Gonzales either.

When this fails, there is yet another option but if not absolutely necessary

I will avoid that one.

In the meantime, I will go on cutting when I have the time.

Progress is really slow but you know, before I would have thrown the lot out

of the window but now I am really having fun, even when things go wrong.

Can you believe that!?

Another update when there is progress!

Hugs,

Gee

Veneer

I've got a new follower this week, it's Mij. Welcome Mij, hope you will enjoy following my blog!



Promised a new picture and here it is... not much to see yet, but the outer bands are on...
Next week I will work on the flowers and leaves.

How-to's on working with veneer can be found on the internet and people use different methods.
This is the way I like to work with veneer.

The thickness of the veneer I use is 0,6 mm.
Before I do anything to the veneer I cover the top with masking tape to prevent most of the splintering, scratches and to be able to gently draw on it with a pencil without leaving marks on the veneer itself.
Towards the end, when the only thing left to do is sanding and staining/oiling/whatever finish you want, it is easy to remove the tape by gently rolling it up using your thumb or fingers.
Be carefull not to tape the sides, or there will be gaps between parts (if your pattern requires to glue parts together).

A scalpel, sharp pair of scissors, cheap break-off knife and a metal ruler are the only tools I use.
Whenever you cut a line, decide on forehand wether you cut the line at the right or left of your pencil-stripe, or in the middle.
1 mm. can make a big difference in a miniature piece.
Do not work on veneer when you are tired or distracted or in a hurry.
Always remember you work with very sharp knifes.

Because the veneer is so thin straight lines can be cut carefully using a sharp pair of scissors.
Sharp is the keyword when working with veneer; only sharp tools make sharp lines and you want your parts to line up as close as possible.
Other, more intricate lines you can score using the break-off knife or a scalpel.
Make sure you keep the knife at the right angle when you score, I keep mine at a  90 degree angle.
Do not try to cut through the veneer in one stroke.
Your knife has the tendency to follow the grain and there is a pretty big chance your veneer will be ruined.
A far better result is reached when multiple scores are made with a sharp knife,
using not too much pressure.
If there is no pattern used and you want to veneer a table top for instance, cut your veneer slightly bigger than your item is; you can cut the excess off once the glue has dried.

White woodglue is used to glue the veneer to the underlying wood and a toothpick is all it takes to divide the glue evenly; after you have put the glue on, check to see if the glue is divided evenly and carefully check the outer lines and corners.
The glue has a tendency to dry very quick there; if needed apply another thin coat of glue in that places.
It is important to be sparse with the glue: blobs will show when the veneer is dry and can hardly be removed without ruining the piece you have put so much effort in.
Too much glue will also come out sideways when you put pressure on the veneer.
That can leave marks when staining the piece.

Once you are sure you have glued the veneer in place, put some heavy weight, like books on it. Be extremely careful so the veneer does not slide.
But do it fast, or the veneer will start to curl up.
Let dry overnight so you are sure it dried thoroughly.

When you have finished your work of art, gently rub off all of the masking tape.
Sand it ever so slightly using steel wool 00000, following the grain.
I use no steelwool but I use Abranet, sold at Craftsupplies.com.
That stuff is expensive but goes a long way.
Take the dust off using a slightly damp cloth.
Let dry several days before staining, the glue must have lost its moisture or else
it will leave marks underneath the stain.

When you want to finish your work, do not use any water-based product.
Remember: water and veneer don't go together.

Succes in working with veneer!

Gee

Sael

Vandaag is de nieuwe vloer klaar die in de Sael komt.

De vloer is gemaakt van eiken fineer.

Het patroon is naar de vloer van de Spiegelzaal van paleis Versailles.

Patroon en werkwijze staan beschreven in het boek Magnificent

Miniatures van Kevin Mulvaney & Susie Rogers.

De vloer is geolied.

*****

Today I have finished the new floor for the Sael.

It is made of oak veneer.

The pattern used is that of the floor from the Room of Mirrors in the Versailles palace.

Pattern and how to are described in the book Magnificent Miniatures by

Kevin Mulvaney & Susie Rogers.

The floor is oiled.