Staircase Rods?

[Brezavaqt]

I've been searching for staircase rods (is that what they are truly called?) all morning and the ones I found on Ebay just aren't exciting me. Does anyone know how I could make my own? I'm thinking beads and wood...but that's about as far as my miniature thought process will get me. (Bear with me, I'm just starting to really think in miniature; you know, when I go to stores, I start imagining what I can do with stuff in miniature!)

Here's a photo of what I'm talking about. (I just don't like the plain little balls on the end. But, haven't ventured into the clay world and am just not that creative!)

[minifan]

I've seen people use toothpicks and bead bobbles on the ends...try this website...I love it for things of "bobble-like" nature...

http://www.bindelsornaments.nl/joomla/inde...d=1&lang=en

[havanaholly]

Toothpicks with seed beads glued on either end and painted brass works, or you can hit the hobby shop for brass wire and use wee brass beads on the ends. And yes, they're called stair rods.

[MerriMagic]

If you have a really old-fashioned hardware store near you, you might look for brass rods of that thickness. I stumbled over a whole fantastic selection at our quaint hardware store..it has SO MUCH COOL STUFF!

You'll probably find the rods if you ask a store clerk, and if they aren't sure where the rods are, ask about sheet brass for door plates. That's where the rods in my store were located.

I can also get hollow tubing, in copper and brass..perfect for lamps. And brass strips even as narrow as a quarter inch. I love the independant hardware stores..they carry the good stuff. Places like Home Depot and Lowes are like Walmart..they carry only what is broadly appealing to the masses..you can get some good stuff, but nowhere near the variety of some of the old fashioned HStores...because that's how the old fashioned places survive..they carry specialty stuff, instead of trying to compete with the big chains.

LOL our hardware store has a Baby Grand piano sitting smack in the middle of the store. It plays music all by itself, and at first I thought it was an antique...but it's really sophisticated, with a computer brain, so it plays a HUGE selection of music, although most of the time, the staff has it playing ragtime, I guess because the jivy music encourages buying? I know it gets ME in a good mood to buy! LOL they bill themselves as "Extreme Hardware".

I know there must be many stores like this scattered around. Just dig in the yellow pages till you find one..and I suspect you can recognise them by their old wooden floors and a musty, sawdust smell.

I'm including a url for ya so you can see the piano if you're interested... Very cool store!

Word W. Smith Hardware store.

Jeanne

[Sherry]

I stained toothpicks and glued bronze glass seed beads on the ends. They don't look too bad. They're in my Painted Lady album. If you want fancier ends, get some of the bead wires with the fancy ends on them and cut the wire off and glue them on the toothpicks.

[Brezavaqt]

There's just so much talent here! Thanks everyone. I'm going to see what I can come up with. Keep an eye on my gallery!

[spminiatures]

Mini Mundus used to make them and they were quite nice. I used them on my staircases. They apparently have been discontinued but you might be able to find someone who has a set

[chattycathy66]

I was just thinking...if you can't find the beads you want, and if you want more of the "elongated" end piece on the stair rod...like in the above picture, you could form something from airdry clay, or even fimo and add to the ends of toothpics, then spraypaint gold...just a thought....