Model Making and Automata

[Pete Askew]

I'd forgotten all about this section until @Peter Roberts mentioned it with regard to model railways. So, as a nudge, I thought I'd share some stuff of what I have been wasting my time with recently.

A friend of ours discovered her old dolls house in the basement after her mother died last year. It was pretty battered, but it was formally her mothers and we persuaded her not to throw it out. She then decided that it might be nice to restore it and asked foe help know that I often built miniatures of things (I'll come to them in another post). So, I got the job of restoring the furniture and making some bits to replace those that were missing.

Here are a few examples:

The ceramic washbasin with refreshed paint and new taps and a trap from brass.



The Toilet, now repainted and with appropriate reading material (where is your copy of A Brief History of Time?) - and radio now lights up!



The Metal Oven - repainted and now with a new flue.



I also built a kitchen sink, a wardrobe with hangers plus an old case for on top and restored all the rest of the furniture plus a bedside cabinet. Here it is under construction!




Next job is to finish cutting all the pieces for some parquet flooring in the lounge and fit it.

 

[Gianluca Drago]

Beautiful story! Poetic. Life is complicated, but contains wonderful details in its folds. Thank you for sharing these photos and thoughts. I wouldn't have the patience to do that, but you have my unreserved approval because it is these things that keep the planet on axis.

 

[Pete Askew]

Thank you, Gianluca. I find it quite relaxing as you need to focus only on the item and it blocks out the 'noise' of the everyday.

 

[Stevenson Gawen]

Wow. That's wonderful Pete. My mum would have loved your work - she loved that kind of thing. I made some miniature furniture for her years ago. She passed away almost a decade ago now, but your photos brought her to mind immediately.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Looks bog standard to me Sorry. I'm sure you are flushed with success...

Well done. I absolutely hate modelling. Just thought I'd tell the world that. Which explains why I have only track, train and carriages for my model railway. But I can imagine it is anywhere in the universe!

 

[Ralph Turner]

Excellent stuff! That flue on the stove looks pretty heavy duty..

 

[Pete Askew]

Thanks, Steve.

It is the scenery, etc that appeals about model railways for me, Rob. I much less interested in the tracks and trains.

Thanks, Ralph. Industrial chic. All the rage in the dolls house world these days!

 

[Gary R. Smith]

Nice shots of a fun hobby!

 

[Pete Askew]

Thans, Gary. I must photograph the other bits before they disappear back to my friend.

 

[Beth Carter]

looks great! i'll have to hit you up for some dioramas for my action figs.

 

[Pete Askew]

Thanks, Beth.

Are you familiar with the this person?

https://www.youtube.com/@lasercreation-world1981

 

[Stefan Wilde]

Wow, looks like you can give the Wallce and Gromit creators a run for their money!

 

[Pete Askew]

Thanks, Stefan. Some bits were just restored and others were built from scratch. I do like the hand made sets that Ardman use. An aspiration maybe!

 

[Gary R. Smith]

Did you make your model-maker brass clamps?

 

[Beth Carter]

Thanks, Beth.

Are you familiar with the this person?

https://www.youtube.com/@lasercreation-world1981

i wasn't. and now, thanks to you, i'm not getting any work done tomorrow. thanks a lot, pete. j/k, i probably wasn't getting any real work done tomorrow anyway.