Not Following Directions

I read the assembly instructions for the staircase again this morning. The first thing they say to do is make the posts. There are six of them. What you are supposed to do is glue three of the long flat strips together to make one post.

I started to do that and then I realized that they would end up being 1/4 inch square. Why waste all of those nice straight pieces of wood? Why not just use 1/4 inch wooden dowels? So that's what I did.

The instructions also say to glue the platform to the posts first. Yeah, right. How do you glue something that is suspended in the air? I couldn't figure out how I would clamp the platform that way. I still don't know how I can clamp them.

So, I started with the base and then added the platform. A Cheerios box with a piece of 1/8" basswood on top was the perfect height. I do a lot of improvising here! LOL

Now I'm waiting for the glue to dry. The next step is adding the stairs.

I didn't like the finish on the bare wood so I weathered the floor and the platform before I started gluing. So far, so good.

Hopefully, this won't fall apart when I try to move it.

Weathered Wood

Photo taken at New Smyrna Beach FL

I'm planning to try a weathered wood technique for the deck on my beach house. I purchased some "Weather-It" from MicroMark but haven't tried it yet. I also bought a tool that I've been wanting for a long time!

Now I can finish those picture frames and something I'm working on for my summer swap gift!

It seems there are lots of ways to get the look of weathered wood. Here's an idea from Leslie Shepherd at About.com miniatures.

Here is another technique I found. Click on over to see how Darryl Huffman created his awesome railroad bridge! I also found Darryl's Ebay link where you can purchase his instructional videos. Everything you need to know about making outdoor scenes.

Railroad modelers have great ideas and tips! Here you can see some layouts and buildings.

Larry Rickert shows some wonderful photos of a 2007 Model Railroaders Convention. This is one of them!

Now that I'm inspired and armed with tools, it's time to get to work! Real life work, that is...

Wish I could stay home and make minis!

Blessings,
Kathi