The "Sinking" Saga Continues...

In the midst of my cleaning & reorganizing campaign, my education in sink making continues. The chaotic photo below shows my homework in various stages of completion/experimentation.

So far I've played around with different Barewood pieces, built some of my own using basswood, dowels and jewelry findings, and my latest guinea pigs are some Bespaq pieces. I am having a little fun adding, subtracting and rearranging them. No need to worry too much about ruining them - they are of the bargain basement variety.

Here they are after having gone at them with a blow dryer, microwave, chisel, pliers and Xacto knife. I have a vision and a plan, so please bear with me...

Some things were a little more difficult to pry apart than others. Trying to get the glass inserts separated from the doors was a bit of a challenge, but I learned (finally) the best way was to apply a good deal of heat with the blow dryer, run the Xacto along the seam where the glue met the glass and the wood, and then slowly pry them off. I also learned how to repair a blown out hinge and reattach trim so you'd never know it came off. See? Very educational!

I had learned in a previous experiment that the best way to remove glue residue from glass (any kind f glue), was to soak the glass in acetone. Works like a dream, and if you use a coffee filter, you can salvage the acetone and add it right back to the bottle. Not that I am cheap, but I'll do just about anything to avoid a trip to WalMart whenever possible!

I wanted to add my own countertops to some of the pieces, so I took measurements and made mock ups out of cardboard. I have learned that a good visual often saves a lot of cutting and sanding.

My husband Russ is a contractor, so he is big on tools. This is awesome for me because he often buys them for me and is an excellent resource when I have a question. For my birthday in December, he bought me a small Microlux Table Saw from MicroMark. 

This was excellent for cutting the 1/8" basswood countertops, though if I could suggest an improvement to MicroMark it would be to have a wider cutting table. There is only about three inches on either side of the blade, so that's all the width you get for setting the fence. My cuts were all around 3-5/8", so I had to free hand. It did cut much smoother than my scroll saw, like butter actually. Keeping a straight line was just a matter of going slowly and keeping your eye on the blade where it met the line. The other small suggestion I would make to MicroMark is to have the miter guide lock in at the end somehow. If it lifts up out of the groove while cutting, it could ruin your day. I think I can Jerry Rig something to solve this potential issue, though. Overall, I am happy with it and excited to have an accurate and diverse cutting tool in my arsenal.

Each of the furniture pieces were of varying height, so to keep the height between 32" to 42" real life inches, some of the designs had to be modified. Some will have bowl sinks while others will be recessed.

Some tops will be faux marble, but others are going to get a little more experimentation with faux quartz and granite finishes. This will be an interesting process and I'll be sure to share my triumphs and failures.

For the next few days, I'll be busy packing up and shipping the eBay auctions which end tonight at around 5:00 Pacific time. I am super happy and so grateful with the bidding, and a little shocked at some of the bids! Most of all, I am excited that these beloved little minis are going to get a new life and a new adventure!

Have an awesome week mini friends!

xo xo,
Jodi