Door Knobs and mail slots

[Minimeee]

Hello,

I’m building the Laurel and purchased a housework’s mail slot and door knobs. Neither came with directions and I’m not seeing any tutorials online. Does anyone know if there is a way to make the mail slot actually work? I’m wondering because the slot has two pieces. Also, the door knob is in two pieces - a plate and a knob. Do I use a tiny drill bit to put a hole in the door for the knob?

I’m a newb to the forum. My first dollhouse build, but I watched my mom build my three dollhouses as a child (Coventry Cottage, Brookwood, and the Cambridge). All of which I still have displayed in a closet in my home office. I was a lucky girl and hoping my daughter enjoys her Laurel as much as I enjoyed my houses.

[havanaholly]

If you make your own door you can cut a mail slot (if you want a "working" one).  Won't you want a knob for the inside of the door, too?

[FurMama]

Welcome Melissa! I have one of those on the front door of my townhouse. It doesn't work because it is on a fake door-- 2 wood rectangles stolen from a kit and glued where the inside and outside of the door would be. You could cut a hole on the inside of the door that matches the cut out part on the slot piece that goes on the inside. My front piece does not look like the flap is separate or able to open but then it is glued down. If someone were very good with metal it might be cut and made to work. 

[Minimeee]

Thank you ladies! I ended up gluing the two pieces of the mail slot together so it doesn’t actually work, but still looks nice. I did have the doorknob working, but then the hole got wider with use and it was a bit too loose so I glued it into place.

[amyole]

I have found that mini doorknobs are best when not used, as I have had a few pull off or loosen (maybe there is a trick I don't know about to making them more sturdy?). I usually recommend that the new owners of the houses just use a finger to push the door open or closed so there is less stress on the knob.

[havanaholly]

I have always considered the doorknobs & other hardware to be purely decorative.  I drill shallow starter holes to gently hammer the knob shanks into the wood of the doors, first dipping the shank into E6000.

[Vickid]

I believe I'm going to make all my inside doors non moving.  Too many things to try to get done while I can reach everything.  I'm making the Garfield.

 

[havanaholly]

I make templates of all my door and window openings, then I make boxes from sstrip wood that will fit those openings and make pin-hinged doors and working or non-working windows that fit into those boxes, and when I have n=finished the painting, staining or wallpapering I glue the doors and windows into their openings and then install their trims.

[Minimeee]

Since the door on the laurel was 2 pieces of wood glued together (thick), I drilled all the way through it with a 3/32 bit then super glued a doorknob into each side of the hole. They seem to be holding tight. I like the idea of pin hinging, but didn’t read about that method in time. I went the route of the tiny brass hinges with nails - I had some extras stored for decades in my childhood dollhouses and decided to give them a try. They were putzy, but not impossible. I also superglued those before I nailed them on for extra reinforcement.