Sunday 16 April 2017

DIY Desks and Tableware!

Whilst binge watching Critical Role again last night, it hit me that I still hadn't got round to making Max and Juno a desk or table for their living room. (I still need to remake the sofa, but it'll do for now.)

I wasn't in the mood for any proper woodworking, so I had a rummage and a quick browse of Pinterest for inspiration and hit on the perfect combo. I've been trying to go for a sort of industrial/shabby chic look with the furnishings, and I really liked the look of old reclaimed metal and wood for furniture.

I'd bought this novelty connecting 'pipe' drinking straw set years ago as I thought it had potential, and well, I was right!

Industrial Desk WIP


I ran another clear section through the corners and 'T' section then glued them together for strength before coating the whole lot liberally in superglue and rolling it through bicarbonate of soda for a nice cast iron texture. 

I managed to do the same to my fingers which was less than pleasant but never mind.

Industrial Desk WIP

Once fully hardened and less gluey I painted the whole thing black, with some dark grey eyeshadow brushed over the raised areas for a nice subtle metallic sheen, then it was given a liberal coat of matte varnish and left to dry overnight.

The desk top on the other hand was little more than a scrap piece of vaguely rectangular balsa wood. (I decided what with it being made of reclaimed timber it didn't matter if it was a little squint here and there!) Rather than try to stain or weather it, I cheated, and used a piece of full size wallpaper!

Wooden crate effect wallpaper - perfect for texture!

I've got a ridiculous amount of wallpaper samples now - none of which were taken for actual full size rooms! Most patterns are too big for miniature use, but this particular one, of wooden crates, had plenty of potential. Unfortunately some of it got ripped which limited what parts I could use. I originally wanted a plain section without any text but this part really started to grow on me.

I used a combination of Bostik glue and double sided tape to affix it to the paper, then carefully folded and glued the edges, cut holes on the underside for the legs and glued them in place. All in all, drying times excluded, it probably only took about half an hour to make!

Industrial Desk WIP

Industrial Desk WIP

With a few accessories it swiftly turns into a nice little workstation for our budding artist.

Juno's desk

Juno's desk

Chilling on a Sunday afternoon

Not quite in the same vein, but I did this a while ago and never blogged about it so here you go, bonus tutorial!

My friend Heather got me into Playmobil for accessories - you can order them separately online and they have a lot of potential if you're into modern miniatures. There's a lot of stuff I've bought already for use with my Julips as many of the objects are intentionally overscaled so they work for 1/12th. A few of the boxes and things work for 1/6th, but it was one rather unexpected item that turned out to be pretty useful!

1/6th scale cutlery WIP

Decently scaled cutlery is really hard to find and while these aren't anywhere near 1/6th scale intentionally, they work rather well. The only problem is that the handles are too short and stumpy, designed as they are to fit the Playmobil hands.

1/6th scale cutlery WIP

Still, where there's a will there's a way, and I had a good idea on how to tweak them.

1/6th scale cutlery WIP

Yup, just a bog standard cotton bud/Q tip!

By shaving down the sides with a scalpel, they slotted into the hollow shaft rather well.

1/6th scale cutlery WIP

Depending on the colour of the cotton buds you can get away with just gluing them in and cutting them to size.

1/6th scale cutlery WIP

The knives look a bit rubbish but the rest work quite well I think.

1/6th scale cutlery WIP

I used some nail polish on the rest though for a bit of variety.

1/6th scale cutlery WIP

Now I just need to make them a kitchen/dining room!

6 comments:

  1. It is always fascinating to me that what is originally intended for RL use becomes the PERFECT solution for dollhouses. These drinking straws would be a novelty that would quickly wear thin if used as intended but converted into industrial miniature furniture, they will never loose their appeal.

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    1. Exactly my thoughts too! For me half the fun of this sort of hobby is making everything my own, and recycling materials is far more rewarding than buying pre-made!

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  2. Ok, that table is nothing short of amazing! What a clever girl you are and lucky for Max and Juno that you are so creative! I have never seen the Playmobil cutlery before, but a bit of genius in your transformation of them for Max and Juno! Great job!

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    1. Thanks! :D
      You should take a look at their website, there's loads of interesting boxes and containers that work really well for 1/6th scale and they're super cheap too!

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  3. I love how you find and reuse stuff- it's always fascinating. The table looks absolutely incredible- and so unique too. I was tickled to see you use Playmobil for 1:6 scale- I've actually managed to adapt it to 1/32 scale as well. It all depends on the piece... but it's a useful resource to have for sure.

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    1. Aww, thanks! :D I keep looking for more to use that paper on, it's really addictive! XD
      Oh I can imagine, there's just so much in that range that comes in handy!

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