IndyCindy Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 Have any of you made a Cat's Paw Miniatures trunk kit? I'm curious if they're easier or more challenging than they look. I'm eyeing the round top trunk pictured below. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdodyd Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 How dexterous are you with your fingers? I just finished a miniature Jenny Lind travel trunk from a kit by Brasses by Suzanne Russo. The main assembly was not too difficult but the attaching of the tiny brass hinges and other fittings was challenging and hard to do neatly with my old arthritic fingers. Does the kit say if the wood-look parts are actually wood or are they tape of some sort? If you have to bend wood (by moistening or immersing in water), it gets a lot more difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 I fumble. A lot. I'm trying g to get used to using tweezers as fingertips, but I think I need a better pair. And I'm miffed the nails to hold the hinges in place keep the doors from fully closing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyCindy Posted May 18, 2020 Author Share Posted May 18, 2020 I'm not really sure what the individual components and pieces are for the kit, so it's hard to say what would be involved. I manage pretty will with tweezers and my fingers, but was hoping someone on the forum had made this exact kit or one similar to it (same maker) and could weigh in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Jess and Joy, many, many years ago (before computers and printers) I worked in an offset print shop as a paste-up artist and discovered reverse tweezers: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 I'm not being flippant Holly, but do they still sell them? I've never seen them before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyCindy Posted May 18, 2020 Author Share Posted May 18, 2020 I’m being dense, but how do reverse tweezers work? I mean how are they different from regular tweezers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FurMama Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 You mash the center to open the part that grasps. They close automatically when you stop pressing. The tweezer holds the object and you don't have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 (edited) Jess, check Harbor Freight and the big box craft stores. I got a set at a hand tool tent sale by the side of the road on one of our many road trips; your local flea market might have someone selling them. Googling showed that Wally World (Wal Mart) carries them. I was staining the parts of a furniture kit before assembly and accidently had a wee cabriole leg fall into the stain can; the reverse tweezers fished it out and since then I confess I do an awful lot of staining that way! Edited May 18, 2020 by havanaholly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyCindy Posted May 18, 2020 Author Share Posted May 18, 2020 I know what my next mini tool purchase needs to be. Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Oh! I am so glad to hear I'm not the only one fishing small parts out of the stain/paint/ what have you can. Lol. I did that on purpose after words but thought it used up too much stain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 I hold the piece over the stain can until it stops dripping, then blot it with the old teeshirt rag I use to rub stain into the larger pieces of wood. I buy my stain at the Habitat for Humanity ReStores; MUCH cheaper! although I did score some small cans of stain at a thrift store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 Any suggestions to attaching the hinges so door hangs strait? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 I stopped using hinges because the slightly rounded heads of those teensy brads still cause the hinge to bind & make the door not want to work, or to hang, properly. I either sandwich strips of chamois between the halves of the door and the trim & wall, or I make a strip wood box to fit the opening and pin-hinge the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyCindy Posted May 20, 2020 Author Share Posted May 20, 2020 7 minutes ago, havanaholly said: I stopped using hinges because the slightly rounded heads of those teensy brads still cause the hinge to bind & make the door not want to work, or to hang, properly. I either sandwich strips of chamois between the halves of the door and the trim & wall, or I make a strip wood box to fit the opening and pin-hinge the door. This is helpful to me right now. I attempted to attach a door to the Aster I'm building with hinges, and those little nails/brads kept popping out. . . I never did recover 2 of them that went missing. I hadn't yet figured out what to do, so thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 I put the nails in on one side and after I nailed them in I pulled them out, put glue in the holes and re-nailed them. Once I figured out nails on the other half of the hinge stops door from closing, I super glued that hinge to the door frame. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 47 minutes ago, IndyCindy said: This is helpful to me right now. I attempted to attach a door to the Aster I'm building with hinges, and those little nails/brads kept popping out. . . I never did recover 2 of them that went missing. I hadn't yet figured out what to do, so thank you! Checkout the blog that mid life madness posted.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiliPutian Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 Did you know that it doesn't open? I've been meandering through the world of mini trunks since I'm wanting to do a steamer trunk (the kind that stands on it's side and opens) but I had no luck so I'm bungling my way through a diy one...I'm also doing a writing slope by a company that also does a trunk that opens...the quality is really rather nice even though it's cardboard. Anyway, long story short, what about this one by the same company? https://www.thelittledollhousecompany.com/dollhouses-miniatures-furniture-kits/miniature-furniture-accessories-diy-kits-c-262/miniature-steamer-trunk-with-lift-out-tray-kit-for-dollhouses-p-14296 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.