The Quest for Miniature Steampunk Windows

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.

I've spent the last week dithering, trying to make the decision about what I wanted to do with the windows for the front of the Ground Floor of the Manor.  And figuring out how a window should look.  And trying to figure out how to build a window.  And questioning everything I did.  And taking a thousand [mostly unsuccessful!] pictures.  Sound familiar to anyone?

Needless to say, I am somewhat relieved to have arrived at the point that I have some progress to share.  I was able to finally make the decision as to what I wanted, but of course, it's me, so that may very well change!

I thought I would post about the process of getting there, more from the spirit of confession than anything else!  But perhaps there are a few things that can be picked up in the process.

As usual, I had a pretty good idea of the effect I wanted to create, but was not sure how I would get there.  I am drawing heavily on the Art Nouveau aesthetic throughout the design of this manor, and I knew I wanted the windows to align with that look but to still, more importantly, support the Steam Punk theme. 

So I drew out a rectangle that represented the size of the window, and drew in a pattern that I thought approximated what I wanted.  

I drew the pattern only on one half of the drawing, since I wanted the two sides to match exactly.  One trick I have learned over the years is to draw one half of the final design, and to fold the paper evenly in half.

Once drawn and folded, the paper can be cut to the new design.  This provides two exact, and reverse replicas of the design.  

I used the cut pattern to trace the new design onto mountboard.  Please forgive the quality of these pictures! I think they are the worst set of pictures so far, and I am not sure if it is me, or if my camera is just dying. They will have to do though, since several tries have not produced better. 

After cutting the new pattern out of the mount board, I cut rigid acetate at the same size, and added the "frame" out of Foam Core Board as a mock up.  I reviewed my results inside and outside, and for me, they just fell short of what I was going for.  

So back to the drawing board!

Meanwhile, I did decide to take a bit of a side trip, and build the frames I needed for each of the 4 windows I needed that were this size.  I used 3/8 inch strip wood for the outside frame, and 1/8 inch battens for the inside. 

A little trick I picked up off of the Internet I think is worth sharing here.  You will notice above that there is a Foam Core "frame" around the frame in the above picture.  These are 3/8 inch wide lengths of Foam Core measured to fall just outside of the required frame size and glued to a Foam Core background.  I used this "jig" to ensure that all of my windows were exactly the same size.  It worked like a charm!  I always like to pass along those little secrets.  They make life so much easier! 

Here you see the original design I came up with placed in the wood frame.  I thought perhaps I might like it better with a "real" frame, but no cigar.  It still didn't meet my "exacting" standards.  :0) 

So we began the process of altering the plan.  First I tried taking out the center post, opening up the entire window to increase the ability to see through it, and to try another approach to getting "the look".  

Nope.  Still didn't speak to me.  

Third time is a charm, right?  I tried again, using another approach that was a blend of the two above.  I opened the center of the window up, but added two muntins to either side of the window. 

Better, but still no cigar.  

I was playing with the pieces, trying to figure out what to do next, and happened to place one of the cutouts over another, and lo and behold . . .  "THE LOOK".  It spoke to me.  Steam Punk.  Victorian.  Art Nouveau.  THE LOOK.

Yep.  It worked in the windows too.  Other than the fact that when I cut the window openings out months ago, I didn't get them level or straight, either one.  So I corrected that, which of course, leaves a gap to fix later.   But they are now straight and level!  So I can jimmy up something to "fix" the problem later. Enough covering up, and anything can look great, right?

I'm a long ways from completed on these windows, in fact, they are extremely rough at the moment.  I had to re-cut the window openings (and will have to for all four!) because I was just 1/32 of an inch too large for the existing window openings.  Sigh.  

More opportunities, right?  

Overall, however, at this stage, I am quite pleased with the overall effect. Above is a shot of the Scullery, with the new window cutouts in place.  It totally gives me that Steam Punk vibe.   Cleaned up and finished, it will serve well, I think.  Still dithering around on what color I want the window frames to be, but that can wait a while.  My purpose so far has been to determine window sizes and shapes, so that I can move forward on the rest of the kitchen.  

As a blog follower, this has to be a bit frustrating, I am sure!  Always moving on before I finish!  I promise I'll come back and finish it all some day soon! 

I need to determine the basics of any portion of the kitchen that is toward the back, because I plan to enclose a portion of the kitchen soon.  So it was important to work with the windows to determine overall shape and size, so that I could settle other questions I need to work through. 

Here is the Butler's Pantry, with it's new window as well.  I really am pleased by the effect, though it is a bit harder to see, due to the black mount board contrasted with the ivory.  But that is just paint.  The shape works well with the interior, and will fully support the eventual look I am going for on the Exterior of the Manor.  More on that later!

It is exciting to start seeing the windows begin to go in because things start to feel more real!  Someday, after about 5 more years, this is gonna be cool!  :0)

By the way!  I am TOTALLY open to ideas on color for these windows.  I bounce between black, white, ivory, and brown mostly.  Above you see the "stone" that I plan to use on the exterior of the house.  In a mad moment of minor revelation, I will also share that the window boxes will be treated differently, [think metal] and that the windows must set into that backdrop perfectly.  Any suggestions?  :0)

Until next time!

Doug S

SITUATION WANTED: Working Butler; Quiet Family

Hi there folks!

As promised, I am here to drag you through the creation of my latest addition to the Steam-punk kitchens!  I had a lot of fun with this little project.   It was a fairly simple project, one that I think just about anyone could build with a little patience.    

A Little Aside

First, the obligatory photo of the Butler's Pantry as it stands now.  The Iron Sink now has six new legs (Newel Posts turned upside down!), and a new matte finish. Almost done now.  Just needs a faucet set and it will be complete.  The faucet set will likely sneak in unnoticed sometime in the near future!

A Little Bit O' History

Before I get into the making of the miniature plate rack, I would like to share just a bit of history I find interesting about the Butler's Pantry.  We have a modern day view of the Butler's role, and of the Bulter's Pantry as a sort of staging area for the dining room.  But the history of the Butler's Pantry is a continual merging and separating of the roles of various rooms and domestic service jobs that was shaped by social and economic history.

The Butler, by the Victorian Age, was both a butler and chief server.  The Butler's Pantry functioned in many capacities, combining the functions of many of it's predecessors, primary among them the Butt'ry, the early storeroom for casks and bottles of wine, and the Sewery, or Servery, which was historically used as the primary staging area for serving the dining rooms, and was the repository for fine plate, silverware and valuable service-ware.

Courtesy of The Queen's Scullery (SJ Alexander et al.) / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

In the grander homes, the butler may have actually slept in the Butler's Pantry, as a deterrent to servants "of base character" stealing the valuable dinnerware of the grand home.   The Butler's Pantry of the Victorian age functioned then as an office of sorts, from which the Butler ran his household, managing the log books for wines, servicing the fine plate and the fine personages of the house. From this room, he staged fine dinner parties and managed, in wealthier homes, a large staff of servants.  

Photo Courtesy of "Cooking with Glitter" Under Creative Commons License

Serving as a butler in a fine home was a profession, by the 19th century, that became a science.  Butler's were coached and trained by their more mature predecessors, books were written about how to best serve, clean, and manage the furnishings and important tasks of the butler's service.  In one book written to transfer the important skills of the butler and footmen of the Grand Manors during the early 1800's, this writer admonishes his readers . . .

"Some however, have much injured the plate intrusted to them, 

by making experiments of different kinds upon it." 

'The Footman's Directory and 
Butler's Remembrancer', J. Hatcher and Son, London 1823

The writer goes on to provide detailed instructions as to how to best to wash, clean, and refurbish the plate. That quote made me wonder what kind of experiments would "much injure" the plate?!  Were they using acid?  :0)

If you find the tidbits above interesting, take the time some time to read up on these domestic servants, and the history of these erstwhile important rooms of the Victorian era.  It is fascinating, and in the case of the butt'ry, it's history boasts roots from ancient Egypt!


How Did He Do It?

I know you have been waiting with bated breath to find out how this plate rack, which will help our Steam-punk Butler discharge his duty admirably, was built.   Some of you may be ready to expire by now.  Well, wait no longer.  We've finally arrived!

Step 1:   

Cut and drill holes through the shelves.  Mine were about 5 inches long, 1 inch deep, and 1/8 inch width.  I used a 1/16 inch drill bit to drive the holes, and drilled all four shelves at once, so that the holes would align top to bottom.

Step 2:   

Cut the back to fill the desired space.  I used 3/32" mahogany lumber at 5 inches by 5 inches.

Step 3:

Stain or finish the shelves and the back to taste.  I used a Minwax Stain Pen called Golden Oak.

Step 4:

Attach the bottom shelf with Glue.  I used Arlene's Tacky Glue.  Use a toothpick to remove any excess glue.

Step 5:

Cut dowels that will intersect the holes through all four shelves.  My shelves were approximately 1 inch apart, so I cut my "dowels" at about 4 3/8ths inches, to account for the width of the shelves.  I used fake "blood grass" from Hobby Lobby for the dowels.  The natural appearing "wood" of the stem was 1/16 inch in circumfrence, and was reinforced with a strong metal rod inside.  It was perfect for the job.  I used tin snips to cut the metal rod after measuring.

Step 6:

Test for a good square fit.  If the fit of the shelves is not perpendicular to the rods to create a neat square, recut and redrill the shelves.  This is an important step, as if you miscalculate, your dowels will not look straight once assembled.

Step 7:

Once satisfied with the fit, glue the shelves into their intended location. Cut and stain supports if desired.  I cut my back supporting pieces out of 3/32" lumber, 3/4 inches deep, and mitered the corners.  Alternatives to this treatment would be to place 1/16" square pieces of lumber under the shelves.  They will need some sort of support, unless you know something about glues that I don't!

Step 8:

Glue in the dowels.  I used Arlene's Tacky Glue and a toothpick to fill each hole and then put the dowel through all four shelves.  As you can see, my method was a bit messy.  I am sure someone knows of a better method!  I used the toothpick to clean up the puddles of glue at each hole.  It cleans up nicely with a toothpick, and as long as you have already stained the wood, is not apparent once the glue dries.

Step 9:

Stop and allow the glue to dry thoroughly.  Failure to do so will cause the piece to go out of square.

Step 10:

Cut 3 additional pieces to finish off the top, bottom and backsplash of the shelf. Mine were 3/32 inch mahogany, approximately 5 inches by 1 inch. Sand and clean these well, as they are your finish layer.

Step 11:

Glue on the finish layer.  Here I am applying the finish layer for the shelf backsplash which I painted to match the wall behind the shelves.  Be sure to clamp or hold each finish piece until reasonably dry.  These thin pieces of wood will easily warp unless clamped.

Step 12:

Add molding in the front of each shelf, butting against the front of the dowels(not pictured).  Set the top piece back to be placed above the molding on the lower shelves.   I used 1/16 inch by 1/16 inch lumber I purchased at Hobby Lobby for this.  I also stained these molding pieces with the Minwax Golden Oak pen.

Step 13:

Prepare brackets, if you choose to use them.  I cast mine out of resin, using molds I made from Amazing Mold Putty.  Some of you will remember the clock my daughter had that I have used previously.  I used that same clock to cast these pieces.

Step 14:

Glue the brackets onto the shelves and hang them.  You are done!

Once I completed the above steps, I glued everything in, Wall, Sink and Plate Rack.  Time now to move on to the next project!

Until Next Time!

Doug S

P.S. Disclaimer:  I have not attempted to faithfully record exact dimensions.  I would expect that each situation would be different, and would require remeasuring. 

The Birth of A Miniature Steampunk Kitchen Sink

Greetings folks!

A couple of you guessed exactly what I was making as my next project! Thanks so much for playing my little game.  I hope you didn't mind too terribly much?

As you know, I had decided to make two kitchen sinks for my Steampunk Kitchens.  This is the second of those two sinks, the "clean" sink.  My little occupants, (the Lightstone family, I have decided finally, after the intended exterior of the house!) live in a very old and grand home that has been upgraded to keep up with the times.  They made a very good decision to keep their old stone sink and add the new fangled, iron sink. This just made sense, since they had the room, and everyone knows that sinks are useful commodities, right?

What the Lightstones DIDN'T realize when they had the sink ordered was that they didn't really have room in the Scullery for the new fangled sink. (Here is the coverup for my change of heart!)   They ended up putting the new sink into the butler's pantry, since after all, it was a MUCH nicer sink, therefore, it deserved a nicer location.  They did have to give up some storage space, and the Butler now has to join the other servants in the main kitchen, but he has accepted the slight as he enjoys his new sink.

Original Sink Shape and Size

The truth of the matter is that I just could not make the original (smaller) sink work in the space I had allocated for it in the Scullery, so as any good miniaturist will do, I changed my story!  I have to admit, I am still not sure I will use this in the Butler's pantry, but I am sure I will find a very good use for it somewhere, yes?

The sink is not quite complete yet, I am waiting on a couple of pieces on order from Hobby Supply, but I thought there was enough in this post to go ahead, and I'll share the final product in place in one of the next few posts.

The Camera Picks Out the Ugliest Little Details!
RL?  Not a one of them to be seen!

You WILL have to forgive my sad sack photography skills.  I took over 300 pictures of this sink in it's nearly completed state, and I just could not get a decent photo.  I guess it is the semi-gloss finish combined with the black color that made it so hard to capture.  So you'll have to imagine the inordinate beauty of the final product.  I have no way to show it to you!  :0)

In this post I'll share how this went from contact packaging,

and plastic packaging, 

to Steampunk Iron Sink.

Obviously, the process started with cutting everything to size.  I am sure your powers of deduction were sufficient to allow you to figure that out on your own, yes?  :0)

I then slid the cut down plastic into the "slots" that were already in the contact packaging and glued the pieces together.  This provided me a "form" to work with that would help me shape the sink.

I cut the sink counter surface pieces to shape out of 1/4 inch wood, and added the sides of the sink which I had cut out of 1/32" wide mahogany lumber. 

The entire assembly was glued together to create the basic shape.

The sides were reinforced with wood pieces, as the 1/32" wood would easily break over time otherwise.

The form for the backing was just cut from a piece of Mountboard and taped to the back and the plastic piece at the bottom to support the form while it was in work. 

Now for the fun part!  My FIRST experience with Polymer Clay.  This was Sculpey III.  It was easier (and harder!) than I would ever have imagined.   If you have never worked with Polymer Clays, they make it sound much harder than it is!  I went into this with my heart in my throat, SURE I was going to do something wrong (and of course I did!).  

The "conditioning" that they talk about is nothing more than kneading the clay like bread.  When it comes out of the package, it is literally almost like stone, fairly hard and not pliable.  "Conditioning" is just kneading the clay until it becomes soft and pliable.  So why did I have my heart in my throat?  I guess I just wanted something to chew on.   Once the clay was conditioned, I rolled it out into flat pieces about 1/8" thick.

I covered the entire form with Polymer Clay a piece at a time.   Here, in hind sight, I left things too unfinished.  Note the somewhat bumpy surfaces I was left with?  Doing this again, I would spend more time on smoothing out those places, as they fire up in just about exactly the same shape, no real movement of the clay while being baked.  Little details that make a difference in the long run!

The clay formed piece was baked in the oven at 275 degrees for 25 minutes.  I kept peeking at the thing the whole way through because I was afraid I was going to burn it!

Prior to baking the polymer, I had tried to make impressions along the front of the sink, to create a pattern across the sink sides.   That was NOT successful.  I have more to learn, yea!  :0)  Because of that, and because of my lack of attention to detail on preparing the surfaces before baking, I needed to sand the surfaces smoother.  I was able to do that for the most part successfully, but the piece still has some "inelegant" lines due to my learning curve.

My next step was to add some additional details to create additional interest for the sink.  Above pictured is the beginning of that process.  The additional polymer shapes were added on top of the already baked sink form.  Here I have added an architectural detail at the back and am in the process of adding a lip along the sink front. 

This process was accomplished by rolling the clay into small ropes, and applying them along the area I was adding detail, and then sculpting them into shape with various polymer clay tools.

Here I am shaping the lip along the front of the sink.  This is a totally staged picture!  I am right handed, I would never be able to manage shaping anything using my left hand.  But we must  have pictures to communicate, yes? 

Once the addition of new details was completed, I again baked the piece to harden the clay. 

The entire piece was painted black using a semi-gloss spray. 

The little details that were added were all resin castings I made.  The linear details are half casts of dollhouse furniture legs, and the other two details are castings of findings I had in my stash.  This picture is an example of the ugliness I was getting with most of my pictures.  Every little jot and tittle, every errant brush stroke, and every imperfection stands out in all its gory detail.  I swear, it looks SO  much nicer in Real Life.  :0) 

There is more to do before this sink will be done.  I will add legs to the piece, and will be adding the faucets and other details that finalize it into a full fledged sink, but the legs are on order, and the faucets, I haven't yet decided whether I want to make or purchase.  I figured this post was long enough without making you wait longer and adding even more text to wade through!

Well, I am late getting started for work, because I am finishing this up.  So I better hang a close on the post and get on the stick!

Hope you all have a great day!

Doug