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

drawings and dressoir

I am very glad and proud that John also became a follower of my blog, welcome on board, John!
Excited that the 3 miniaturists who's work and personality I admire and like so much are now all 3 followers of my blog.
A big thank you, guys!!  this is really motivating!

Today I finished the sketch for the cupboard or in fancy french the dressoir, whatever you like to call it.
Tomorrow I will probably cut some of the veneer; my plan is to work on the top first, it's a design with bands, a swirl, flowers and leaves, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well AND that I don't cut any fingers off in the process ;).
I hope to have enough time to work on it this upcoming week, if so I will post a first photo towards the  weekend.


Speaking of weekend... hope you have a great weekend!

three men, three blogs

After looking at and reading sites (and blogs and forums) about dollhouses worldwide for about 15 years now, this last year I narrowed it down to three blogs.
Three blogs of men who are in my opinion the three best at this moment, I consider them artisans and
they will no doubt have a great future in the miniature world, for as far as they did not reach that yet.

Mulvany & Rogers, eat your heart out...

The first blog is Merriman Park. http://www.john-merrimanpark@blogspot.com/
Have a look at Johns' beautiful entrance hall and the gorgeous drawing room, for instance.
I will not force my opinion, but....come on.... isn't that just fab!??
Merriman Park is fun to read and always makes me smile.
Be prepared to be amazed.

Next there is Giac's blog. http://www.englishmanordollhouse.blogspot.com/
Make sure you see the beautiful scullery and staircase, to name just two, and feast your eyes.
Giac is building a gigantic manor, lots of how-to's on the way, and the result of his work
is stunning.
Don't be a stranger and read that blog.

Then there is Ray's blog. http://www.modernminiatures-whitledge-burgess.blogspot.com/
You simply have to see Ray's staircase which made me drool and he also makes the most exquisite
kitchens. And more!
Ray too is sharing how-to's, so important for those of us who want to learn new stuff.
Read, learn and enjoy.

Gee

Tonight I was searching the internet for houses that I could put on my wishlist to see if I ever get the opportunity.
I came across this link:

http://dovegreyreader.typepad.com/dovegreyreader_scribbles/2012/04/a-visit-to-dennis-severs-house.html

A Visit to Dennis Severs' House

At the time of writing this it is two weeks since my twilight visit to Dennis Severs' House at 18 Folgate Street in Spitalfields. Yet I can still see and smell so much of the house which makes me think perhaps I did manage to glean something from an experience that felt like no other.
The game is that you enter the house as if you have interrupted the lives of the Jervis family, early 18th century Huguenot silk weavers who were in mid-meal when a time-traveller from centuries hence crept into their house having paid £14 for a good look around.

Dennis Severs was 'an artist who used his visitors' imaginations as the canvas' and who apparently lived in the house until his death 1999 in much the same way as the original occupants might have done in the 1720s. I can vouch for the fact that a visit is a truly memorable and extraordinary encounter. If the intention is to have passed through the surface of a painting then I most definitely did my best.
No photography is allowed inside the house and this feels right. To have been distracted by my camera would have felt completely wrong, as would have been any reproduction of those pictures here...I needed to see it and feel it, smell it and hear it all and let that leave an impression on my imagination which it most certainly has.
My visit started at 6.15 pm with a brief introductory talk outside from the curator who asks that I remain silent, no talking and definitely no mobile phones, thus making for a visit of complete concentration. I did make some notes and interestingly the notes revealed something afterwards of which I may have been unware at the time.
You don't need to to be able to read what I wrote...but just look at pages one and two...

and compare with pages five and six...

The whole house is candlelit, but to varying degrees and when the visit starts down in the kitchens, in the cellar, the crowded table laden with food and manuscripts, the delft tiles around the sink and the range glowing and radiating warmth from a real fire, with the freshly baked scones on the griddle, are all just barely visible to the eye. This is 18th century light and with the ceiling a scant three inches above my head below stairs, as I moved on through the house and through time, (because the final room brings the visitor into the 19th century) that light had gradually increased, but in a way that I might have missed but for my notebook.
This is still-life drama, the chance to become lost in another time, and not so much what you see as what you imagine too, and little signs and notes constantly upbraid the lazy visitor...

'You either see it or you don't...you are looking at the thing rather than what the things are doing...'

and a few rooms later another reminder...

'What! You are still looking at 'things' instead of what 'things' are doing...'

and then...

'Would you recognise art if it fell out of a frame...'

and suitably chastened I vowed to try harder.
There are bells peeling and footsteps, the floor creaks and the clocks tick and chime and then you catch background whispering which had me looking over my shoulder and about to say 'Shh' to other visitors who must have been talking ...except they were about to say the same to me, and it dawns that this is the family who have just left. As you approach they depart, as you depart they re-enter.

Then a voice off-stage says ...

'Rebecca, we'll need more fuel in the morning, keep an eye out for someone peddling it on the street..'

And a very unnerving moment when I coughed and so did the invisible resident... I'm telling myself that was a coincidence.
The smells were a heady mix of ginger and spices various and coming as a consistent and gentle reminder to use all my senses as I then heard a baby cry and bird song, and noticed the wig on the chair and upstairs in the withdrawing room, the half-toasted waffle still on the fork, the broken tea cup perhaps knocked over by the ladies of the house wearing their large hooped dresses. The sewing basket lay open, the music cast to one side..they had been singing 'Mrs Spriggs Gave Parties' just before I walked in it would seem, the little house of cards behind the chair...perhaps that was the children.
And I desperately wanted to sit down and watch and listen to what my imagination was telling me, but of course that wasn't allowed. I was a bird of passage not a resident.
Up into the bedrooms and an imprint in the cushion in the window seat...someone had seen me approaching and disappeared... leaving behind a full chamber pot I hasten to add which I decided not to sniff.

I moved on up to the attics and clearly a time of poverty has descended on the family. The light was stark, the air noticeably cooler, the fire a mere flicker in the grate though still real, and everything much grimier, crumbling lathe and plaster giving way to gaping holes in the ceilings, washing hanging on the landing, the rugs rumpled enough to snag my feet on and make me look down, a plate of oyster shells on the table perhaps not the luxury food then that we view it as now, and in the background gunfire. At this point I knew that explanations would follow if I looked hard enough and sure enough this is 1837, the King has died a new young Queen is about to ascend the throne.
The final room back downstairs and a Victorian parlour crammed to the gunwhales with all that wonderful Victorian clutter, the smell and the light different again and I realised this was the oil lamps.
I did a great deal of standing and staring which is built into and an acceptable aspect of the visit during which you are never made to feel rushed or hurried, if you go to walk into a room, or approach a stair case having missed a room, someone just silently stands in your way. In fact everyone was overtaking me but my imagination wanted its moneysworth and most certainly got it.
As I emerged blinking back into the 21st century I did have that sense of the disorientation of time travel were it possible, with every inch of my imagination out on stalks and working overtime as I walked back along Folgate Street....
and then around Spitalfields where so many of the old buildings remain and signs of a bygone era are in constant evidence..


until in creeps the 21st century with quirks of its own..

I even managed to preserve that imagination through a journey on the tube back to Bloomsbury and into the next day and a visit to Sir John Soane's Museum, more of which soon.
But if you are in London please don't miss a visit to Dennis Severs' House, it really is magical.


Sounds great, huh?