A Revision and Some Stools/Benches

 I'll start with the big thing that happened. I got both sides of the roof on!  The glue was still drying when I took the picture but I'm cautiously optimistic that it's going to stay where its supposed to.

I have one super thick Vogue magazine that I use to hold things into place because its just flexible enough for this sort of thing. 

A nice little preview of what the living quarters will look like when everything is finished.

You know me, I can't resist a picture taken through a window. Even without the candles 'lit' I like how it looks.

I also did some work on the chimney for the living quarters. The chimney pots are in place and their decorative aspect added.

I need to add a little edging to the top of the chimney but I want a less regal more rustic look for this build. The former queen doesn't live here after all!

The chimney can't be attached to the house yet. I need to get the roof on the forge first and that's going to take a little bit of work. 

I did revise the handle for my whetstone though. 

It looks a bit more to scale now. At least to me. 

I also made some stools/benches for the living quarters. I read that chairs were actually a rarity during Tudor times, at least for anyone but the wealthy and/or nobility. Most people had stools or benches to sit on.  I guess chairs were complicated to make, kind of like bureaus, so everyone made do with simpler furniture.

To that end I made a start on mine. The glue is drying and once it's done I'll add a few more touches to make them look a little more 'Tudor'. But I think I've made a good start.

You can see that I'm also trying to make a hairbrush. Once the glue is completely dry I'm see if everything holds together when I separate out the bristles. If not, back to the drawing board.

But I got a couple more things crossed off my list. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

Oh, Dante is the most intrepid explorer, Sunday morning he decided to investigate the top of the bookshelf. 

How are all of you doing?

Anvils

Tools

Whetstone

Finished goods

Forge Roof/ceiling

Forge Bargeboards

Second floor/ceiling beams

Second floor/ceiling

Second floor walls

Second floor fireplace

Second floor railing (so no one falls down the stairs)

Bed

Candlestick

Dormer

Windows

Forge Chimney

House Chimney

Dragons for chimney and chimney pots

Benches/stools for kitchen. 

Baskets

Rush mats

Knitting/sewing...something for the upstairs bench.

Fur throw

Fireplace tools, (tongs, shovel, poker)

Pease Porridge Pot

Sink with dishes

Bucket of water

Barrel of water for forge

Roof

Bargeboards

Tree

Well/water pump with Water!

Landscaping?

Furniture, Tools, Dormer and Roof

 I've been working on different things for the dollhouse, adding more detail to the walls amongst other things. 

I also added the brackets and support beams to the side of the house. And while the glue was drying on that I got started on the accessories for the forge.

Two anvils, from Shapeways, needed bases to bring them up to a comfortable working height. I added some hoops to hold the tools. They're a little too shiny though. I need to dull them down with some matte poly or glue or something.

I wanted to have beams supporting the roof on the upper level that reflected just how cramped and somewhat limited the space would be. So I used square dowels and some of the brackets along with wooden beads and some toothpicks to augment the glue holding everything together.

Some of them for the front of the house have magnets embedded into the wood to hold the front wall on. Measuring and geometry are as delightful as ever but I managed to get everything lined up.

I also rethought the idea of using my old cradle. I love it but its more eighteenth century than it is Tudor period. So I built a new cradle with basswood lengths, toothpicks, and dowels. I had tiny little wood turnings and used them along with the toothpicks to hold the canopy. Beads to top off the dowels and cherry stain on the whole thing. It seemed to take me forever. But I think it's worth it in the end.

It's just a little longer and higher than my old one but I think it looks pretty good. 

Since a few things had a long drying time I started that process and worked on other things when I could set them aside. Acrylic water added to a sink, a barrel for the forge and a bucket. I also used painted hot glue and silica gel to make vegetables for the pease porridge.  Since that's a slow cooker the pot will rest on the hearth. 

While the 'water' was drying I began to make my fireplace tools. I started with wood and aluminum wire and then primed it with gesso before painting them black and then adding a layer of metallic black for the finish. 

I also used glue sticks (cut to the right length) and hollowed them out a bit, then used jewelry wire for the handles and aluminum wire for the base. More gesso and some dark silver paint and they look like something our blacksmith would make for his own use.

Since I'd already added the hooks for the tools to the fireplace I hung them up (carefully) and then added one of the tankards to the last hook. The other tankard will sit on top of the fireplace or maybe on the table.

And by the time that was done the roof/ceiling and beams were ready to install. And that is always an interesting endeavor. But I did manage to get it done with a minimum of cursing and glue on things it shouldn't be on.

One beam rests on top of the fireplace, and doesn't have the fancy arch/braces because with them no one would be able to get into bed. 

Since that had to dry I turned my attention to more tools for the forge. I made a working set of tongs, out of wood and jewelry wire. 

And then I set to work making a whetstone. It's a little more complicated than it seems because the foot press is supposed to turn the stone so you can hold whatever to the surface with both hands. My handle isn't strong enough so I need to rethink a bit.

I started with wheels and filled in the groove on one side with woodfiller and wood glue. Then painted it to look like stone.

I made the half box and stand which will hold the water and used some hot glue to make sure it was sealed, then added my acrylic water.  Then the handle, rope and peddle.

The handle is out of proportion as well as not working quite right so I'm going to redo that. But so far it's not looking too bad.

One thing is bothering me and its the empty space next to the stairs and fireplace. It's just blank and I know it should be utilized somehow. maybe another cabinet? Any ideas?

I hope you're all doing well. I need to go and read the blogs because I'm about two weeks behind!

Anvils

Tools

Whetstone

Finished goods

Forge Roof/ceiling

Forge Bargeboards

Second floor/ceiling beams

Second floor/ceiling

Second floor walls

Second floor fireplace

Second floor railing (so no one falls down the stairs)

Bed

Candlestick

Dormer

Windows

Forge Chimney

House Chimney

Dragons for chimney and chimney pots

Benches/stools for kitchen. 

Baskets

Rush mats

Knitting/sewing...something for the upstairs bench.

Fur throw

Fireplace tools, (tongs, shovel, poker)

Pease Porridge Pot

Sink with dishes

Bucket of water

Barrel of water for forge

Roof

Bargeboards

Tree

Well/water pump with Water!

Landscaping?