And they function just like I was hoping they would! Here's how I did them...
Make the hinge pin hole open to the front of the jamb so that the door can be slid into place through the front rather than having to be fed up through the bottom.
Cut a trim piece to cover over the hole after the door has been installed. I used 1/8" x 1/16" and cut it to cover the entire length of the jamb..
Measure where the bottom hinge pin will need to be in relation to the jamb (distance away and centered), then make a hole. I used a pilot hole punch, then pushed in the hinge pin with pliers until I reached the depth I wanted. Mark with a Sharpie where the floor meets the pin so you know how far you'll need to seat it into the door.
Remove the hinge pin head (I used wire cutters) and with a small dab of wood glue, insert it into the bottom of the door to the depth you have marked. Do the same for the top hinge pin and insert into the top of the door.
Angle the bottom pin into the hole in the floor, then work the door up and slide the top pin into the jamb opening you made.
Glue the trim piece over the top of the jamb.
Ta-da! Working doors with a realistic transition from one room to the next! Now they just need a little touch up paint, then I'll be ready to tackle the ceilings!
And the other loose end... The D.I.Y. Chocolate shop...
I took the scrap wood to the scroll saw and cut an approximate cash register shape that I'd drawn on the wood.
Made sure the scale was about right, then sanded and sanded...
Added a little paint and some buttons...
A sticker for the back and there is is! A homespun cash register in half scale!
I might add a flower box, and I still have to finish up the wiring.
The dust cover is drying now.
Since I am finally wrapping up a few things, maybe I'll even get back to the Storybook Cottage! It's so close, and it's the perfect time of year to spray the furniture! My work area is clean, so it feels like anything is possible!
xo xo,
Jodi
What a fun filled report! The technique for installing pin hinge doors without thresholds is genius! The chocolate shop is adorable with its new cash register and all, and I love the juxtaposition in the 1”-scale bedroom. A clean work area? That is a rare sight at my house.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sherrill! I am so happy that the idea worked out! I had done something similar to my display shop doors, though with those I was able to insert the bottom pin hinge through the underside of the floor. This method is great for when you can't put holes in the ceiling from the lower floor.
DeleteDon't you just love those 1:24 scale kits? Please tell me what you use to glue the dust cover together. I tried silicone but it didn't work.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn! It was my first try with those DIY kits and half scale and I have to say I was delighted with both! They are the perfect sidetrack project when you need a break from having to engineer everything yourself, and when you just want to do something small and finish in a few weeks! I used the same Testors glue that you'd use on the Chrysnbon kits and it seems to have done beautifully! It sort of melts or welds the plastic together so the trick is to do one piece at a time and let it complete the chemical exchange for at least four hours. I used a small 4" square to keep my pieces at 90 degrees while they bonded, then boxes to support the older bonds while the new ones set. Here's the link to the Testors I used:
Deletehttps://www.miniatures.com/Liquid-Cement-in-Precision-Applicator-P18428.aspx
It smalls nice, too!
Your innovative solutions regarding the interior door thresholds has proved to be a winner, Jodi! I've always felt that they are too big and clunky if left as is, and find the doors far more realistic without them- Good Job! I also love the classic and Classy panelling above them as the illusion of extra hight on top, suits the room to a "T" :D
ReplyDeleteAnd what a Exquisite little candy shop! It looks like half scale, but regardless the size, you have made a Really Impressive mini establishment and now that you have a cash register, you can 'OPEN" for business :D
elizabeth
Thanks Elizabeth! I am so happy that the idea worked out and hope to use it again on future builds! It is hard to realize the scale of the room and the doorways so I should have also place the bed in there to help visualize them. Next time!
DeleteThe little kits were a lot of fun and a great side project to keep me interested in doing something while I mulled over the next steps in the other projects! I think you'd enjoy doing one yourself!
What an excellent way of solving the door jamb problem! Your doors open like real doors, without having to apply true hinges. And your chocolate shop is divine. I'm going to stop by to buy some truffles and sit outside with a cup of hot chocolate (or is that a sundae)? :-) I love your demonstration of scale. Isn't it amazing how much smaller half scale is?
ReplyDeleteThanks Deb! Someday I will have to get over my hinge phobia but I do like the clean look of hidden hinges!
DeleteI am not sure of the one cup is supposed to be a scoop of ice cream or a beverage either, but it was neat the way the kit had you use brown beads! I added the no hole beads myself for the cherries. But in either case you are welcome to come by and indulge in any treats your heart desires on the house!
It is amazing the difference in scales and seeing what half of something looks like in a side by side comparison! Half scale would save me so much display space! Next time I actually purchase a new project, it will definitely be considered!
wowww. Excelente idea para la caja registradora.
ReplyDeleteLa habitación esta quedando fantástica.
Un saludo
Gracias Marian! Fue divertido intentar ver si podía tallar algo simple, ¡y definitivamente intentaré el método nuevamente en el futuro!
Delete¡Un buen trabajo!. La caja registradora ha quedado genial. Las puertas encajan perfectamente.
ReplyDeleteGracias isabel ¡Me alegra que te guste!
DeleteFantastic work Jodi. The doors work perfectly and the pin hinges hidden - aesthetically much better than that chunk of wood across the floor. And great little cash register! So cute! Hope you have a productive weekend in your clean studio! X
ReplyDeleteThanks Shannon! I am so happy to have figured out a solution, even if it did take a long time to mull over! Making the cash register from scrap was a fun little triumph, too! I hope I am productive this weekend, too. Russ is home, so I might not get any mini stuff accomplished!
DeleteThat's brilliant! I can't wait to try out that method of dealing with the doors because I hate those bumps transitioning from room to room.
ReplyDeleteThe chocolate shop looks great!
Thanks Sheila! I hope you do try it! Ordinary brass hinges aren't always the look you want for a door. I was going for pure white except the handles so I love the hidden hinge method! Glad you like the little shop - it was a fun distraction!
DeleteWOW squared! Great job on the doors. (the room is beautiful) I have seen pictures of your sweet shop, but I didn't realize it was a smaller scale until now. You have done a great job on it too. I will have to put some dust covers on my list of things to do. Great pictures too! Keep it up! Troy
ReplyDeleteThanks Troy! Glad you like the door solution and the little shop! I have learned the hard way how long it takes to dust all of these mini projects, so I may just devise dust covers for all of them at some point!
DeleteBeautiful doors! I use the same system.
ReplyDeleteThe cash register is perfect in this small shop.
Why didn't you tell me sooner ?!? I have been thinking of a solution for months! 😁 I am glad you like the doors and the shop! 💗
DeleteGreat good idea with the door, the cash register has also become beautiful, oh yes the new staircase is great!
ReplyDeleteThanks Gonda! I am happy you like the results!
DeleteOh wow, you've been busy! And I've only ever worked with 1:12 and its crazy to see the difference in scale. Thank you for the pictures!
ReplyDeleteIt is quite shocking to see the difference side by side isn't it Brandy?!? When I look at half scale cottage kits and see they are only a foot wide it blows my mind! Seeing the shop inside the 1/12th scale bedroom really drives it home for me too!
DeletePreciosa escena y el trabajo de las puertas fantástico;gracias por las explicaciones.Besos:-)
ReplyDeleteGracias Rosa Maria! ¡Fue una gran sensación completar ambos proyectos!
DeleteWhat a fabulously clever door solution. I don't mind very shallow thresholds, but those that come with the ready made doors are just so clunky, so I have been ripping them off and replacing them with really thin ones - which of course makes the pin a lot less stable. I can see how getting the pin right into the floor will make it all so much more stable - genius!!
ReplyDeleteAnna
Yes it is a real and realistic problem! Replacing with thinner wood also leaves a huge gap between the door and the new, thinner threshold, so then you have to add a piece of wood to the bottom of the door and/or a kick plate. If only the door makers would listen to our cries and update their designs... But as always in this wonderful hobby, where there is a will, there is eventually a way! 😊
DeleteI am in awe of your dexterity having tried pretty much the same solution to the no threshold problem. I really struggled getting the holes in the floor in the right place. Well done and don't they look soooooo much better for it. Marilyn
ReplyDeleteThanks Marilyn! Getting the pilot punch around the blind corner on the jamb facing away from me was challenging and I broke out in a sweat before it was all over! I am sure in the future, now that my brain has wrapped itself around the concept, I can make the process more elegant! Maybe create my own piercing tool that when placed against the jamb is the exact distance in width that the pin needs to be from the jamb. I'll work on it!
Deleteoooh that sounds 'techical' but hugely useful. I did do a bit of a think about how I could devise some sort of 'jig' but got nowhere. It is a challenging fix for sure. Life would be so much simpler if manufactures of doors met the challenge before we buy them. Was just at a show and saw some 'no-pin' hinges but did I make a note of them - did I heck - could have been Houseworks???
DeleteInteresting! I'll keep my eyes peeled for them! I bet a company like Alessio would be more likely to be open to requests. A lot of miniaturists are just fine with the thresholds or don't really notice them at all. I wish I didn't!
DeleteThe pins are 1/8" away from the door edge, so a pin centered and cemented through the bottom of a 1/4" x 1/4" piece could be placed up against the jamb and carefully tapped in. I will give this a try on my next door and report my results.
Aha, genius, it must work..... Let us know if you remember. I hate the thresholds and wish I had made myself remove them from this project but, typically, I mentally shrugged my shoulders (probably because I wanted to do more interesting stuff) and plodded on.
DeleteHa ha! Yes our grand plans when we start on a project and the things we let go because we just want to move on! Mine are countless! And Dalton House looks fantastic so no regrets are necessary!
DeleteThe doors are beautiful and your solution for hinging them is brilliant. The cash register turned out lovely. I love your little chocolate shop. It's amazing how small it is and so well proportioned.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Drora
Thank you, Drora! I knew there had to be a way and I am so happy that it worked! Making the cash register was so fun because the pressure for perfection was absent! I really did enjoy half scale!
DeleteLiterally squealing with delight over this adorable chocolate shop!!! The cash register is too cute! What a smart idea. And I'm in love with the outdoor space, it has such quaint curb appeal. It makes me want to start working on this year's CC kit I got. I hope to do some sort of little cafe to show off the food miniatures I've collected. Seeing this build has me looking forward to it even more! Good for you finishing up everything! It's so easy to get distracted and have builds in perpetual work in progress mode. YAY Jodi!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kristine! It was such a fun distraction, and the designers did a really great job with the function and the cuteness factor! When you do get the chance to begin yours, I think you'll enjoy it!
DeleteI have so many things in half way done mode, yet I still feel the temptation to start new projects all the time! I drive myself crazy! It does feel so good to let go of some of the guilt whenever I finally cross something off the list!
Also I'm a bit late at figuring out but I finally understand the door dilemma. Such a smart solution!!!!
ReplyDeleteHa ha! It took me ridiculously long to come up with the solution for the channel/trim for the pin at the top of the door! It's embarrassing how slow the mind becomes after your 50th birthday, lol!
DeleteI'm so happy that your idea for the doors worked - and how it worked! This is really a great solution and it looks fantastic. And it's amazing how fast you're working - the candy shop turned out awesome (Btw it was fun to see it in the bedroom. Who would have thought a bedroom could become such a could model to compare scales? *smile*). The cash register was just the right touch of Jodi-genius and so were all your additions. The project shows well how much fun you've had and it's really an inviting, charming place for a Kaffeeklatsch. And whatever loose end you're picking up next I'm wishing you loads of fun while I'm looking forward to see new results.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Birgit
Me too, Birgit! Finally!!! Doors that work and that you don't have to bend your knees to get through!
DeleteI am happy that you like my little homespun cash register! It was so much fun to make something cartoony and cute! And I should have added a coffee machine because that would have been the perfect compliment to the cookies!
I am tempted soon to begin a kit where I stick to the instructions (mostly), make no (or very few) structural changes, and actually use the parts that came with the kit! Will I be board with simple, or is simple still complicated for me? Only time will tell!
wonderful! you are so gifted...
ReplyDeleteHa! You'd be so good for my ego, Marion! Wanna come live with me here in the US? It's easy to ignore, Trump - I promise! :O)
DeleteYou are very talented! Love the room and the chocolate stand!!
ReplyDeleteMini huggs,
Conny
Thanks Conny! 💗
DeleteFantastic idea for the doors they turned out wonderful. Wow I love the chocolate shop so much detail and soooo tiny.
ReplyDeleteHugs Maria
Thank you Maria! I am so happy that you like the shop and the doors!
Deletefabulous ! what a beautiful work
ReplyDeleteAn excellent idea to photograph the ceilings as you did, it's splendid
hugs
Thanks Claude! 💗
DeleteHi, Jodi - That's an ingenious solution to the threshold problem on the doors. I admit that I'm not familiar with those worrisome thresholds, but I admire your creative and technical approach to fixing the problem! I love all the finishing details on the tiny Chocolate Shop, but I think my favorite thing is the cash register - it looks as sweet as the confections! It was fun to see the amazing difference in scale at firsthand with the shop inside the house - it makes 1:12 scale seem almost huge. (Or at least really big!)
ReplyDeleteMarjorie
Thanks Marjorie! If only I could leave well enough alone!!! It is amazing to see the difference in scale between 1/12th & 1/24th and to realize how much less space half scale takes up! I totally get the draw to that scale now!!!
DeleteYou're having way too much fun there, Jodi! The half scale shop is very sweet, haha. Thanks for the door hinge solution, it makes perfect sense to do it that way and since I have a whole house waiting to have the interior doors installed, I'll be using your technique throughout.
ReplyDeleteThanks Megan! I'm so glad that you find the hinge solution useful and I hope it works perfectly for your house too! The little shop kit was a lot of fun and a great distraction!
DeleteI LOVE the idea for the door hinges, definitely Something to try on my house, SO much easier than the dreaded hinges. This is such fun watching others do what I dream of !! huggsss
ReplyDeleteThanks Stephanie! My hinges always give me fits and end up looking wonky, so I had to come up with an alternative! I am happy that you see potential for your house, too! Having friends in the community with the same brand of mini fever who offer a fresh perspective and great ideas is priceless and so encouraging!
Delete