MLPMagic13 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Tonight I came out from my bath to find my Three Gables House that had been dry fit together unassembled on my bed. Which I thought was odd, since no one would have just unassembled it. I should have known what happened because one of the cats was laying near it, an expression on his face he only gets when he does something disastrous. As I was staring at the pieces, trying to wrap my mind around what I was seeing, a family member AKA the cats owner asked me if I heard the crash, because the dead had to hear it. I hadn't heard it over the water. Mansfield, the little dear has a penchant to start running like a crazy cat. But he is also the clutziest cat I have ever seen. I didn't realize cats could be so graceless until I met him. Well, he suddenly was overcome with the desire to leap from my shelf onto the house. As per usual, he landed short, turning the roof into a money bar as he frantically tried to readjust. Before his owner could get to him, the whole thing came crashing down. Thankfully he's okay. My glass cake pedestals, my glass candy dish, the stove, the chrysnbon table all came out unscathed. My bjd who was sitting next to the house landed the other direction and is fine. However, the roof support broke in the worst place. Is this something I can glue back and have it be structurally sound? If so, what is the best type of glue to use? Or should I just see if I can get a replacement part? Thanks for any advice, I'm totally unfamiliar with MDF... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLPMagic13 Posted April 25, 2018 Author Share Posted April 25, 2018 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 oh my God, I'm so sorry this happened to you....but on the other hand too funny. I say this because my angel cat is sleeping in my arms as I type this. I wish I could help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hood Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 CATASTROPHY.......... I am sure quick grip will save the day. I haven't found anything it could not fix. Be patient and let the glue set 24 hours 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chapchap73 Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Too funny. I had a similar incident happen a while back with a house I was doing except it was my own fault. I dropped a heavy plate right through the roof taking out the main support. I tried gluing it, but didn't have any confidence that it would hold weight at all so I had to scrap that house for parts. If you do glue be sure to clamp, clamp, clamp. Also since it's MDF instead of wood it gets a torn look when it breaks. This can make gluing it tricky since the fibers get in the way and make the piece longer than it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 If it were me (which it wouldn't be, since after my one encounter with mdf I said NEVER) I would invest in square stripwood the size of the roof support piece from the hardware store and cobble a replacement from that. I would certainly let the cat's owner pay for the stripwood and for anything else that needs replacement, if they offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsbeth Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 That was artfully told. Pretty sure I have glued and taped and clamped MDF back together without much effort in the past. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbnmini Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 oh no!! OK, I am sorry, but your delightful telling of the story just made me giggle....I could just see that crazy kitty!! I do hope you are able to repair the MDF, but as suggested, a square dowel of the same size may have to be your back-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Could you drill a hole in each piece and insert a wooden or metal dowel to hold it together? Glue also, but that would provide reinforcement. Like a rod holding together a broken bone. If you can't fix it, Miniatures.com might be able to send you a replacement piece? (This is the contest house, right?) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLPMagic13 Posted April 25, 2018 Author Share Posted April 25, 2018 13 hours ago, Inge said: oh my God, I'm so sorry this happened to you....but on the other hand too funny. I say this because my angel cat is sleeping in my arms as I type this. I wish I could help. It is pretty funny, we all got a good laugh over it. :) 8 hours ago, Bob Hood said: CATASTROPHY.......... I am sure quick grip will save the day. I haven't found anything it could not fix. Be patient and let the glue set 24 hours Haha, we should call him Captain Catastrophy! I will grab some tonight, and try it. 7 hours ago, chapchap73 said: Too funny. I had a similar incident happen a while back with a house I was doing except it was my own fault. I dropped a heavy plate right through the roof taking out the main support. I tried gluing it, but didn't have any confidence that it would hold weight at all so I had to scrap that house for parts. If you do glue be sure to clamp, clamp, clamp. Also since it's MDF instead of wood it gets a torn look when it breaks. This can make gluing it tricky since the fibers get in the way and make the piece longer than it was. Oh no, all I can do is hope for the best with the glue. I will remember to clamp, clamp, clamp! :) 5 hours ago, havanaholly said: If it were me (which it wouldn't be, since after my one encounter with mdf I said NEVER) I would invest in square stripwood the size of the roof support piece from the hardware store and cobble a replacement from that. I would certainly let the cat's owner pay for the stripwood and for anything else that needs replacement, if they offer. I had already decided this was my one encounter with MDF before this happened, haha. That is a good back up plan in case the glue -more like me- goes amiss. :) 5 hours ago, Elsbeth said: That was artfully told. Pretty sure I have glued and taped and clamped MDF back together without much effort in the past. Good luck! That's good to hear. Hopefully it will go back together smoothly. :) 3 hours ago, jbnmini said: oh no!! OK, I am sorry, but your delightful telling of the story just made me giggle....I could just see that crazy kitty!! I do hope you are able to repair the MDF, but as suggested, a square dowel of the same size may have to be your back-up. We get a lot of amusement from his craziness. If I have to hunt down a square dowel that will be fine too. :) 1 hour ago, fov said: Could you drill a hole in each piece and insert a wooden or metal dowel to hold it together? Glue also, but that would provide reinforcement. Like a rod holding together a broken bone. If you can't fix it, Miniatures.com might be able to send you a replacement piece? (This is the contest house, right?) Is MDF hard to drill? That would be something I would have to address before any glue is applied..... Yep, the contest house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsbeth Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 16 minutes ago, MLPMagic13 said: It is pretty funny, we all got a good laugh over it. :) Haha, we should call him Captain Catastrophy! I will grab some tonight, and try it. Oh no, all I can do is hope for the best with the glue. I will remember to clamp, clamp, clamp! :) I had already decided this was my one encounter with MDF before this happened, haha. That is a good back up plan in case the glue -more like me- goes amiss. :) That's good to hear. Hopefully it will go back together smoothly. :) We get a lot of amusement from his craziness. If I have to hunt down a square dowel that will be fine too. :) Is MDF hard to drill? That would be something I would have to address before any glue is applied..... Yep, the contest house. I hated drilling/sawing it. I'd avoid that if you can just glue it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Also, if you drill, saw or sand mdf, be sure to wear a mask and safety glasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khadi Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 I'm sorry. I can certainly empathize. I have a cat whose purpose in life seems to be to destroy things, including, my dollhouses (with help from his brother). Laughing is the only way to deal with it because it's better than crying. Good luck with your repairs. I agree with Holly that if you can anyway cut a replacement, it's probably best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soapz Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 I would glue it, sand it - and then use wood petrifier for the whole piece. You can still prime it and paint after you do that. I've done that to a shelf and it worked like magic...... I used this one and was pretty impressed.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abloom Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 When you glue it, no matter what glue you use, I would be looking for some way to reinforce it with wood or metal - some thin piece that you could either insert inside the seam by drilling, or else just glue alongside it, maybe on a back side that doesn't show. I've found that even a very thin piece of wood, reinforced by good glue, is pretty strong. Love the kitty story! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 2 hours ago, abloom said: When you glue it, no matter what glue you use, I would be looking for some way to reinforce it with wood or metal - some thin piece that you could either insert inside the seam by drilling, or else just glue alongside it, maybe on a back side that doesn't show. I've found that even a very thin piece of wood, reinforced by good glue, is pretty strong. Love the kitty story! Like a biscuit joiner? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abloom Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 6 minutes ago, havanaholly said: Like a biscuit joiner? Well that would be ideal but it's way beyond my skills. I was just thinking that when you glue structural pieces end-to-end, the joint is really weak even with a strong glue; if you tried to bend it, it wouldn't take much force at all to break it where it was glued. But if you glue the ends together and also glue another long piece along the sides of both pieces, spanning the broken and glued place, it's a lot harder to break. I would just use a thin craft stick or whatever I could find that wouldn't show too much. If you wanted to get fancier, you could do the same thing with a piece of metal like a straightened out section of a large paper clip that spans both pieces, by drilling lengthwise into both of them. I don't know if that's clear; it's simpler to do than to describe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 With the biscuit you just cut into each of the broken ends half the width of the biscuit, slather it with glue, stick haf of it into one cut. slop glue on the surface of the break and gently hammer the other half of the biscuit into the other cut. It's your long piece, only instead of gluing it alongside the outside it's entirely inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abloom Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 Holly, you make it so simple! I'll have to try that. I'm sure I'll have a chance soon; I break things all the time, even without the help of my cat :] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 I don't have a cat, I manage to break things all by myself. Solutions have to be simple for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLPMagic13 Posted April 26, 2018 Author Share Posted April 26, 2018 17 hours ago, Khadi said: I'm sorry. I can certainly empathize. I have a cat whose purpose in life seems to be to destroy things, including, my dollhouses (with help from his brother). Laughing is the only way to deal with it because it's better than crying. Good luck with your repairs. I agree with Holly that if you can anyway cut a replacement, it's probably best. Cats can be such a pain, can't they? But they are worth all the grief they can bring with them. :) I 15 hours ago, Soapz said: I would glue it, sand it - and then use wood petrifier for the whole piece. You can still prime it and paint after you do that. I've done that to a shelf and it worked like magic...... I used this one and was pretty impressed.......... I hadn't heard about this before, I will have to grab me a bottle of this it seems so useful! 15 hours ago, abloom said: When you glue it, no matter what glue you use, I would be looking for some way to reinforce it with wood or metal - some thin piece that you could either insert inside the seam by drilling, or else just glue alongside it, maybe on a back side that doesn't show. I've found that even a very thin piece of wood, reinforced by good glue, is pretty strong. Love the kitty story! That's a good suggestion, I think I will get some wood strips and just line the whole thing with it. That way I can stain it and make it look like an architectural detail instead of a piece of MDF. Thanks everyone for all the suggestions, you all have been very helpful! :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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