vcr603 Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Okay...she got me the Orchid house. And no hot glue? The only other glue I have is Elmer's ! What are the basic things I need to get started...........I did get a table already! Sorry about not including the model house I got....Guess I really am new at this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Hi, Virginia, and welcome to the community. Your daughter made a good choice in the Orchid. Elmer's glue will work. Many of us use Aileen's Tacky Glue (similar) or Elmer's Wood Glue for gluing the house together. For basic kit construction, you'll find the following useful: --utility and/or eXacto knives with sharp blades for helping to ease reluctant parts from the stamped sheets --sandpaper for rough edges (emery boards work well for smaller pieces ... buy 'em in bulk at a dollar store) --tape, masking or blue painter's tape, to hold parts in place while they dry. Somewhere in the forum is a more comprehensive list, but I can't find it. A decorating hint for the Orchid: when you're doing the upper floor, you may want to paint and/or wallpaper before you put the dormers on. Much easier to handle those deep corners. There are many examples of Orchids in the galleries and blogs. It's a favorite of many members of the community. Ask for help or clarification when you need it. More than one of us got splinters in her fingers while scratching her head over how the double-hung windows are handled :o ... no shame in asking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Kathie has said it all basically! The Orchid is lovely! And there are a lot of them in the galleries! Eye Candy they are too! Wolfie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uppitycats Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Read the instructions. Then READ them again. And maybe again. And "dry fit" the house together -- use that masking tape or blue carpenter's tape to put the pieces together first, before you touch the glue bottle, to be sure you understand where everything goes. The Orchid is a neat little house, and maybe will inspire you to tackle one of the really big ones, later! And don't be afraid to ask questions here. Everyone is VERY helpful, even for what you might think are "dumb questions". We've all been novices once...and many of us are still in "kindergarten"! :o Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Elmer's glue will work.I built my first kit, the Dura-Craft San Francisca, completely with Elmer's white all-purpose glue.For basic kit construction, you'll find the following useful: --utility and/or eXacto knives with sharp blades for helping to ease reluctant parts from the stamped sheets --sandpaper for rough edges (emery boards work well for smaller pieces ... buy 'em in bulk at a dollar store) --tape, masking or blue painter's tape, to hold parts in place while they dry.Sometimes sandpaper comes in the kit. I usually staple mine to the sanding block. This is absolutely THE basic bare-bones list with which you can build any house kit. I would add a pencil or a pen and a steel straight-edge or carpenter's square.Somewhere in the forum is a more comprehensive list, but I can't find it.The FAQ section seems to be gone. My basic rule for beginning any kit is to open the box and remove the sheets of instructions & schematics. Sniff & pet the wood and listen to see if the kit wants to talk to you and tell you what it wants to be. Look over the warmup sheet. This is a good place to put the acetate sheet of window inserts to protect them from becoming scratched or damaged. Read the instruction sheet. Put the plywood sheets into numerical order, comparing them to the schematics sheets. Read the instructions again, comparing the numbers in the instructions to the numbers on the schematics shhets and identify the pieces. At this point I lay everything back in the box, close it and go fix a drink and read a chapter of a trashy novel or eat a piece of chocolate and get a good night's sleep. When you're ready to begin, read over the instructions one more time. By now 'way back in the recesses of your mind you have begun to form a picture of how the house might go together. Trust me that you want to install the doors, windows & their trims AFTER you have done your painting & decorating.A decorating hint for the Orchid: when you're doing the upper floor, you may want to paint and/or wallpaper before you put the dormers on. Much easier to handle those deep corners.:oAnd don't be afraid to ask questions here. Everyone is VERY helpful, even for what you might think are "dumb questions".Ann knows that term, "dumb question", is a RED FLAG for me! There are NO dumb questions! This is NOT intuitive, not everyone is born knowing how to put kits together, and you just come right on ahead and ask all the questions necessary to help you figure things out! You can put those interior walls anywhere you want to, or leave them out altogether, if that's what you want to do. I have another Orchid kit I hope to put together this coming year or so (since I just made dolls for it a few months ago). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 And don't be afraid to ask questions here. Everyone is VERY helpful, even for what you might think are "dumb questions". We've all been novices once...and many of us are still in "kindergarten"! Have fun! YEP, even if the question has been asked many times before... sometimes new faces have a new answer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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