BiffMalawi

When I first started at the Little Dollhouse Company, my bosses very Scottish father asked me " So, What do you tell the lasses down at the pub you, do for a living." He was shocked when I answered that I told them the truth>

Yes you can certainly attach the light like that. I know tape wire can be frustrating but Gloria is right you won't regret it. Kelly mentioned moving the light around. In my experience it is never a good idea to move the lights around. No matter what wiring system you use, it always so delicate. I cringe everytime I put a wired house in the car for delivery. I always take my tools with me because at least 50% of the time something shakes loose. I always walk away for a while if I start getting frustrated, your hobby should never upset you. I usually at least switch to a different part of the project. Hang in there when you get back to things always go better.

Wallpaper paste: 1 part water, 3 parts wood glue, 1 drop of dish soap. Apply to the wall and the paper and you can slide it around abit to get it just right.

It is really important to prime or seal both sides. I also try to light on the first coat. I would rather do a couple of coats than soak it with one heavy one. No warping is one of the advantages of MDF but it sounds like alot of cutting. MDF is really dusty when cutting it. Definitely do it outdoors or at least well ventilated and with a mask.

I'll agree that I prefer to work with wood but I have built at least 30 MDF kits, and have no real issues with it as a material. I have cut it, drilled it and routed it and it held up to anything I have ever wanted to do. I would prefer MDF to poor quality plywood. It is very dusty though so I'll second the good ventilation and if you are going to do a significant amount of cutting take it outside or you'll be cleaning up the dust forever.

I have built 2 of RGT's barns. They use channel top and bottom. The groove is about 1/4" deep and 1/4" wide. The top and bottom of the door itself is cut out on the front so it will fit into the channel and the front surface of the door is flush with the front of the channel. Here's a link to a picture. It is hard to see but check out the windows as they are done the same way.

Thanks for the warm welcome. I'll post pics when I have some. Unfortunately I was not allowed to photograph any of my work at the Little Dollhouse Company so we will have to wait for new work.

I was big into model trains when I was a kid, loved planning and building the layouts just didn't want to play with them after. Fast forward about 30 years and I was walking down the street and saw a sign looking for a builder at a local dollhouse store. I went in and got the job. Worked there for about six years, until my art studio took up to much of my time and I had to quit. I still do some commission work now and have some cool projects of my own in the planning stages. I just need to find the time. I can't for the life of me remember where I left it. I am looking forward to stealing ideas from y'all... sorry I mean gaining inspiration from.

I would also love some Asian or Indian designs but what about other purpose buildings. If you saw the CSI miniature killer episodes. They made a chicken slaughtering plant. Creepy but challenging. What about factories or an apartment building. I ran across a four story house once that would have made a great apartment building. The boss wouldn't take the leash off.

Dolls for me. I am planning a reproduction of the big hall in the movie "Moulin Rouge" in a retro 1970's cabinet TV. Lots of interesting characters in that crowd.

I use Wellbond wood glue exclusively. It is fairly thick and I find it easy to use. I buy the big bottle and refill a very small bottle to give me greater control over the amount of glue that comes out. I always keep a damp cloth around to wipe off excess. I have also scraped of excess glue that has seeped out while drying. I have a small air driven pin nailer that I use on thicker wood to hold pieces until the glue sets.

In my experience hair dryers are rarely hot enough and do burn out easily if you go hard with one. However there does tend to be smaller ones available than most of the heat guns available. For small areas or taking small delicate items off, I often heat up the end of a knife or metal scraper with the heat gun and then use it to push under or through the glue.