Last (but one!) lap on the lighting

I am very proud of me:  I actually did what I said and finished putting in the last of my lights today.  I seem to have saved up one ceiling light, four table lamps and one standard lamp.

Here's a quick review of putting in a ceiling light - they are the easiest ones to do.  Just make sure you know exactly where you want it in the room and measure carefully or even better make a template.  If I want one in an 'odd' place I make a template of the floor - sounds 'posh' - all I mean is cut a piece of paper to fit the floor.  I, then, position furniture on it and mark where I would the ceiling light to go.  This is useful for a light over a dining table for example.  I then take the template upstairs to the floor above and make sure it is lined up with the front edges and  the side edges of the room below and make a mark through the paper where I want to drill the hole for the light.

If you have room in your tool storage area this is a convenient way to keep your drill bits

Always cut off any straggly exposed wires, they are a pain to thread through holes

It is much easier with a fairly rigid piece of wire.

I normally apply a little superglue (it must be the gel version) with a cocktail stick to the back of the light fitting; this is short cutting it.  I also usually remove the sticky tabs lights that come with most lights and put the glue on the rim  I don't like how they stick out from the ceiling and they don't have very strong glue on them.  This one was very thin, didn't show,  so I just left it in place

Pull wires through gently and get it in position preferably in one go.  Make sure if there is a wire exit hole on your light it is at the back so it can't be seen.  A helper here is handy - press and hold in place until the glue 'takes'.

Every time I mess about with a light I test it just to check it is OK

This is easily done by stripping the wires again and holding on each terminal of a 9 volt battery

If you want even more detailed explanations of putting in lights - showing grooves in the floors etc just click on the 'Lighting' label on the left and there is probably a ton of stuff there.  I think I did a video too so just go over to You-tube if you want.  There is a link for that too.

So the ceiling light is done, now over to the lamps.

A while ago I asked the Brilliant Kath at Delph Miniatures if she could let me have some of her plug sockets that she uses for her electrical appliances as I wanted to drill a hole through them so I could take wires from lamps through the wall behind so making it look as though the lamp is plugged in.  She not only did that but also drilled the holes for me.  They are even drilled at an angle - sloping - so the cord lies realistically down the wall.  She went on to make them for general sale - so you can get them if you want them.  Here's the link to that page on her site.  Delph Miniatures

Here's how they go in.

the socket with a hole

wire threaded though

hole drilled in wall and socket in place

other side of wall

eh voila - one plugged in lamp

Here are my finished lamps.

Stand back and admire, because when I re-dress the rooms not one of them will actually be seen!!!  This is when we know mini people are completely nuts.

So what was all the fuss about.  In less than a couple of hours including a tea break, they were done and dusted.  I think I have broken my duck now on 'not working on Dalton' and I can't wait to tackle the actual putting in the leccy tomorrow:

Now hustling to keep you reading

I am unashamedly typing a 'teaser' for what I intend to be next Monday's post.

Today I had a good long stare at Dalton House with the doors open and tried to see what it is that is blocking me from getting back to work on it.  Other than the usual many layers of procrastination that I am good at, I decided it was the last of the electrics that are getting in my (mental if not physical) way and that these must be tackled.  Having decided this at 4.50pm on a Saturday, following the chores of the day, it was really too late to get started other than to sort out what is going where and what I will need to actually do the task tomorrow.  Procrastinating again???

There is another reason the last of the lighting has been slow to be wired up and that is I am not thrilled with some of the lights and I keep living in my fantasy world of 'something will turn up' - it doesn't and it hasn't.

This light for the apartment for example is not one I am thrilled with, but it will have to do.

I do like this pair of buffet lamps/stick lamps but the problem with these has been that they can go in three places and I like them equally in each of those rooms so I am having trouble deciding where to fix them.  Right now they are in the formal sitting room but they look good in the dining room and look equally nice on the two hall tables  I think the decision is being made for me as they will be simpler to put here than in wither of the other rooms which are decorated and trimmed. Prevarication this time instead of procrastination....

This table lamp/work-light seems oversized and is not 'happy' anywhere.  It might be a useful strong light in an area where the mini work is done.

This is the previous lamp's big brother and will probably work OK in the corner of the apartment sitting room.  Like Junior, it refuses to stand up and they will need tacky wax to keep them in place.  I also have a centre light to add to this room, again it is one I have been hoping to improve on.

I love the following electrical 'finishing' items from Delph and they will be part of tomorrow's electrifying-the-house project.  They are all non-working, of course, but they do a lovely job in a modern setting for adding to the reality of the place.  I am not sure the alarm box can go on the outside of the Grade two-listed Georgian home but the P.I.R.s will be allowed in all the more modern rooms of the residence.

These light switches look fabulous in situ, as do the rest of Delph's creations.  Just the right size.  In our house they are installed at the new regulation level (lower than they used to be).  In dolls house terms - around 4 inches up from the floor.

Here are the equally terrific wall sockets.  Incidentally if you do put these in any of your project they usually go in corners of rooms 1.5 inches up from the floor and 1.5 inches away from a corner.  Our real-life, new build house has them in this position. (18 inches of course not 1.5 inches)  Obviously you can stray from this just as in real life if a socket needs to be somewhere else.

.... and a cooker panel

 ...... and the smoke alarm, for the apartment.  I already have one installed in the basement.

Possibly my favourite things are the plugs with little holes in.  I asked if Delph could make me these; they obliged and have gone on to sell them - I hope successfully.  You will see their magic on Monday.

If it is useful to you modernists out there, here are the current UK electrical outlets regulations:

The other thing that has been holding me back is that all but one of these lights are going through the back or the sides of the house.  The back exit is fine, other than drilling through a flimsy plywood back wall which won't be happy being 'shoved'.  These wires will go straight out and to the terminal block,  but the two side exits create something of a problem.

I have one side exit already in place where I installed a wall light .  I made a hole through the wall and then made a groove from there to another hole at floor level.  The wire then went outside into the groove and back through to the inside and did the usual exit to the back along the edge of the wall before the skirting boards went in. The wire was laid in the groove, taped over with masking tape and painted over.  It is pretty much invisible - I had a hard time trying to make it show up on the photograph.  It will also improve when the sides get their second coat of paint at the end of the build.  I can't do this 'neat' solution as all the trims are now in place, so the wire has to exit the side wall and get to the back of the house on the outside.

I really don't want to have to make the wretched grooves for these two lamps along almost the whole length of the sides, front to back.  I don't have a suitable tool for making grooves and have always had to codge them best I can in various ways.  Truly, this has been a major stumbling block in the way of my getting on with this job.  I have come to the conclusion that I will just surface run them and tape and paint.  If that proves too ugly I will just find something to cover the whole of each side, leaving the wires in the sandwich between the dolls house wood and the 'cover'.

I am so sorry that I can't credit the person in who's blog I just saw this but, thank you a lot for the idea.  She uses skateboard grip-tape for her mansard roofs - you will need to google it for best price and right size.  I had already bought gravel and narrow strips of wood to do my usual mansard finish but I think I will probably use this now.  I have also spotted it in my brick colour so I could easily use that to cover the side walls and the lamp wires.

If anyone has any thoughts, better ideas, handy tips, anything, to increase my motivation please send me a comment here or email. xx (mormson@gmail.com)

Wish me a happy and fruitful Dalton Sunday tomorrow.

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PS:  The idea for the Grip Tape came from Jodi Hippler who does a fabulous blog.  I commend it to you.  Lots of very different projects, she kit-bashes and makes most of her own stuff and is generous at sharing with excellent tutorials  click here:  My Miniature Madness

Dollshouse and Miniatures Fair, York

If you would like to read about my trip to the York Fair and get a glimpse of the Hammond (dolls) House in Wallington, just click here:  Dollshouse Trips and Shows

Meanwhile here are my purchases: