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New to Minis Building The Primrose


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I am so excited about this new "project". As a lifelong crafter I can see where all my experience will be "put to the test" building dollhouses. I've always wanted to build a mini and now that I'm retired I'm starting one for my grandkids!

This forum looks great; I'm glad I found you!

Sarah

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Welcome to the little family, Sarah, I got lured into this hobby building for a granddaughter, only I started with a fairly large kit. Once you get the Primrose put together you can add another house to it, or leave it as is.

What kind of cuts are you planning to make in the wood? Among my favorite tools are a steel straight edge/ ruler with a cork back and a box-cutter type Stanley utility knife with retractable trapezoid-shaped blades. It easily cuts 1/8" plywood in about four gentle and one final firm cut. To do the job faster for large cuts I love my Dremel Trio.

My basic tool kit includes masking or painter's tape for the dry fit and for holding things in place whilst glue dries; a good carpenter's wood glue for the wood parts (NOT hot glue, no matter what your kit's instructions read) and a clear-drying tacky glue for the clear plastic window & door inserts; you cannot have too mini clamps; a sanding block, and a package of emery boards to sand those small, fiddly bits; a sturdy craft knife (my weapon of choice is the aforementioned utility knife); a carpenter's square to check for squared corners and plumb; a heavy duty Stanley stapler and steel staples that fit it (I like to reinforce joins, especially when building for children to play with); and, of course, safety goggles and a small First Aid kit. You can add to your tool supplies as you continue to build, but those should get you at least started with the Primrose.

BTW, there's no "right" way to approach a build, you find what works for you. I never omit the dry fit, though, as that's when the kit either begins to talk to me, or else gets really chatty about what it wants to look like and what its story is. Do NOT fear mistakes, they are learning opportunities (I have learned a whole lot!)

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What great advice, Holly! Thank you for your quick response. Maybe you sensed that I'm eager to dive into it, and I am. But, I need joinery and electrical advice and skills. Maybe I should take my questions to another topic?

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Joinery advice? The kit comes with tabs and slots in it. One of the purposes of the dry fit is to shave or sand the tabs & slots to fit, and another is to take note of where you'll apply the glue and clamps (and staples, if you use them) to put it together. You can also see what areas you will want to prep and possibly decorate before actually gluing it up, and what and where you might wish to stain or prime before gluing (since you're going to want to keep your glued surfaces bare) I to an awful lot of tracing and masking during and after the dry fit).

You can open a topic in the Greenleaf Dollhouses section of the Question about a Particular House forum for asking questions and posting about your Primrose build.

We have a tape wire electrifying tutorial or two posted here. As you work your way around, do play with the "Search" button and other features.

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