Monday 6 July 2015

Which compromise to choose?

Here comes what seems like another negative post - I hope they aren't being received that way.  I intend to document every little wrinkle in this latest build for my record and in hopes that it finds someone completely new to the hobby and that it helps them with their project.  In both those cases it should help to see the things that don't work for one reason or another, as well as all the successes.

I wanted my interior doors to be fitted without the 'step' across the bottom but I still wanted to be able to open them. (see post 24 June)  Generally I don't think it matters being able to open the doors as most of them in most dolls houses are set sideways on between rooms and there is no advantage to getting any kind of view through them.  I did make a glimpse through a door in Chocolat and loved the idea of something further back beyond our front slice of a building and I wanted to work with that notion a little further on this build.

To this end I decided the only solution was to hinge the doors.  Right now I have quit on that.  Two reasons.... it was a logistical nightmare of tiny holes and tiny drill bits and tiny screws and tiny screwdrivers and getting the hinges lined up perfectly so the door would open smoothly.  Multiply all that by six doors (48 screws) and I ran screaming to the woods.

The second reason is an even better excuse and isn't down to my lack of skill - I really don't want brass hinges and brass door knobs - yup, I just bought a stack of them!!


just not Georgian and the knob seems overlarge?


I thought I could paint them.


hinges won't take the paint

piece of packing styrene, a golf tee, some white tack (like blue tack) in case you were wondering
The hinges pretty much refused the paint (acrylic) and I realised if I succeeded (oil base paint) the hinges would gum up with it and (a) not work or (b) just rub the paint loose bit by bit.

The door knobs were more successful but came off very easily with just minimal handling, so might not last long in situ.

It is now all about compromise - the major one being that if I want to open these doors then the plinth across the bottom (and the pin hinges) must stay.  This also means not being able to get a great finish on the paint around the door jambs.  Aaaaarrrgggh!

I have seen black door knobs on an American site - if only I can find it again.  This means not doing any doors until November when we get back from the States as I am not inclined to pay stonking postage and import duties buying them from here.

So the doors go on hold.

After listening to the moan, come back tomorrow and look at some nice wallpaper.

2 comments:

  1. I totally understand your dislike of the "step" ~ it just isn't quite right, is it! Apart from anything else, the dolls' house folk will keep tripping up over it ;-)

    I'm hoping that if I don't take it across the doorway, then the thickness of the flooring will help to make the "step" less noticeable, and perhaps it will look like real-life door threshold strips!

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    Replies
    1. I think you are decidedly on the right lines there and your comment about threshold strips made me see the problem in a different way. I think I have hit on another solution. Come back in a few days......
      Nice to 'see' you.

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