Sunday, July 19, 2020

How to Make Painting Pegs

Make these pegs to make painting projects a bit easier. Now you can paint both sides of the project at once. Paint the least visible side first—Side B—then prop the piece, painted side down, on a set of painting pegs. Continue to complete the painting. If there are any dimples left on Side B, d tiny dab of paint will conceal them.

Supplies and Equipment

Instructions

  1. Measure and mark the size of the blocks. One and a half to two inches square are a good size.
  2. Set the width measurement on the table saw.
  3. Align the longitudinal stop with the width measurement.
  4. Cut the blocks on the table saw.
  5. Mark the center of each block. With the 5/32" bit, drill a hole in the center of each block.
  6. With the countersink bit, drill a hole deep enough to accommodate the nail head. 
  7. Countersinking the nail head eliminates any wobble when the pegs are in use.
  8. For use, insert an 8 penny nail in the center hole with the nail head in the countersink. When not in use, they can easily be disassembled.
  9. Make your next painting project easier.
Carole

Friday, July 17, 2020

How To Do Some Basic Carving Using Proxxon Tools

   

                                How To Do Some Basic Carving
                        Using Proxxon Tools

                        

Hi Everyone! I thought I'd do a little wood carving today. I'm running out of wood for bigger projects and I'm not going shopping much lately so I'm making something small. Some of you may know I have a Springer Spaniel. He's 8 months old and gets in a lot of mischief as you'll soon see. I'm making a replica of him out of wood. Follow along and I'll show you how I did it.


  Materials List

  • Proxxon 2 speed scroll saw
  • Proxxon long neck angle grinder
  • Proxxon power carver
  • Proxxon Delta Sander
  • Scrap wood ( I used 1/2" birch plywood)
  • Wood Glue
  • Plaid Paint  white and dark brown
  • Plaid Mod Podge
  • Drill and bits
  • 2 black beads
  • Wood Putty
  • Thin cardboard   
   

       1. First I drew out my pattern on paper, cut it out and transferred it to the plywood.







          2. Next I cut out my pieces using the Proxxon scroll saw.




           3. Now I'm going to sandwich all the pieces together and glue together. Let dry.


           

           4.  Now the fun begins. Carving in some details using Proxxon Power Carver and the Proxxon Longneck Angle Grinder.




               5. Then disaster struck! I walked away to get some sand paper and when I returned the dog had chewed part of the front feet off!! That's where the wood putty came in. I resculpted the head and feet as best I could and let dry. Using the Proxxon Delta Sander I was able to fix it.

                6. Using Plaid paint I painted as best as I could trying to match the markings of a Springer Spaniel.
   



             7. After paint was dry I cut 2 ears out of cardboard. I painted them brown and let dry. I then used some wool and adhered it to the ears with Plaid  Mod Podge. After they dried I painted them again with brown. This made them look curly. I attached them with glue to the head. I drilled some eye sockets and glued in 2 black beads, then retouched the paint.

          





8. Here's my finished piece. A little rough because of the accident but thanks to my Proxxon tools I was able to save it. See you next next month. Stay safe :-)

                 





How to make a custom picture frame

Hi guys,  I got a new little tool I have been dying to try out and show you.   Its the Proxxon mini chop/miter saw.   I have tried every tool in the book, (minus a chop saw), to make decent mitered corners, but no matter how careful I am, it seems impossible.  In fact I consistently have to revert back to other joints just to save my sanity.   Well now... with this new little mini chop saw by Proxxon,  I must say, and without boasting, I can make the most perfect miter corners!   Ok, now that brings to mind picture frames for me.   I have taken art classes and have had to buy custom frames because, caught in the creative moment, I never paid attention to making my creations standard size.  Well, that took a bite out of my pocket change. But NOW, I can frame any size really.    In the following I am going to show you my learning process on this new tool.  There were a few snags, but I was able to conquer them.   And now I know what is easily doable and what is doable with a little more effort.  Follow along with me.
 My picture prior to framing was 14 1/2"  x 10 1/2"



Supplies

5-6' of baseboard material ( your size may vary according to picture size)
plexiglass large enough to cover your picture.
wood glue 
corner supports (4)
small wood screws  3/8"  to 1/2"
Stain, paint, or whatever 
picture hanger of your choice

Equipment

Proxxon mini drill press   (optional)
wood clamps
Square or corner clamps

The first thing to do is to measure your picture.
  I then made the same measurements on my baseboard, this is going to be the short side of the miter on each side  Measure the red side and set the miter gauge to 45 degrees.



    This is when I discovered that this saw really is made for small cuts.  The clamp opens only to 1 3/4".   Ok, I can deal with that so it is off to the Proxxon mini table saw to cut my baseboard a wee bit narrower.   I saved the strips I cut off.   I have plans for these later.



Now back to the the Proxxon mini chop saw.  

OOPs, although it cut a beautiful miter angle, it did not cut the entire length.   This is my fault, (getting anxious and not reading my instruction booklet),  but we can fix it easy.

I took the partially cut pieces to the proxxon mini bandsaw and using the miter gauge there I followed the saw kerf to finish the 45 degree angled cut.


 yay, check it out.   

Now I have the pieces for the outside of the frame and the miter corners fit perfect!  Yay Proxxon mini chop saw!!!

Sand everything with the proxxon OZI/E delta sander.

Next step I glued the corners using a square to keep them square.  We will reinforce the joints later.

Then I take the  little strips I cut from the baseboard earlier to the Proxxon mini chop saw and cut  them at 45 degree angles on the Proxxon mini chop/miter saw so they would fit perfectly inside my larger frame.  

I used an orange gourd stain to color my inside frame piece hoping this will bring out the colors of my sunset.  (This is your time to be creative and paint or stain however you like.)  
  
Now  I'm going to glue these in so they sit about 1/4" higher that the outside frame.  This creates some depth and interest in the frame and 😄 it is giving me a ledge on the backside of the frame where my picture and plexiglass will rest.  I glue it, clamp it, and leave it to dry.  


To reinforce the frame I add corner braces to each corner.

Then I measured the plexiglass to the exact size to fit the ledges I made on the backside of the frame, and used masking tape to make my marks.  I used the proxxon mini scroll saw to do the cutting.   I turned the speed down slow so as not to melt the plexiglass.  I love the adjustable speed control!

Time to flip the frame and fill it up.   I remove the protective film from the plexiglass and lay it on the ledges.  Next comes my picture which I lay on the plexiglass.   I add a piece of cardboard on top of that to hold the picture tight.
Now I need to make something to hold the "sandwich" together.  



I took some scraps of my plexiglass and cut them into rectangles measuring approx 3/4" by 3".  Then I drilled a small hole at each end using the proxxon mini drill press.   I lay these pieces diagonally across my corners and use small screws to secure it all.




Add a picture hanger of your choice, then hang your picture.  

Wow, start to finish, picture and frame,  it is all yours!  Now you can make any size picture then frame it yourself.   Feeling inspired, I went to "the store" and looked at all the trim and baseboard materials they have.  I am going to make some really fancy frames!    I learned a lot with this project.  Can't wait to go at it again.

I want to thank you all for visiting.  I love sharing with you.   I also want to thank Proxxon tools for making the tools that make making fun and easy.  These are small and unscary tools, made for the creative crafter in all of us.    Come back soon and we will make something new.   Carol

Sunday, July 12, 2020

Tiny Tools for a Tiny Home fix!



Recently I purchased a "Happy Camper," for quick getaways with my guy,  myself or a girlfriend.  It was a DIY project that a Father and Daughter worked on for over 4 years in the garage.  It had not seen the light of day until I got it and small projects were still left on it. 
While driving to a Fourth of July family outing a piece of the bottom door had come off, I searched on the way back and found it.  This is when PROXXON saved the day.  Tiny Tools to fix a Tiny Home.






I used the  Delta Sander OZI/E Z (https://www.proxxon.com/us/micromot/38520.php) to get into the corners that would be very difficult with a larger tool. This is where these amazing tools really shine!


Once I got it all sanded,  I slapped on some new adhesive and put her back together like new! Now I am ready for the next adventure!



Happy Camping,
A Vintage Girl
www.AVintageGirl.com 




Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Hello Summer Plaque

Hi everyone, Steph Ackerman here today showing you how to create a Summer plaque.





Draw a pattern on a piece of plywood.  I wanted a large summer shell.  Use the Scroll Saw to cut out  the design.  



Use the Disc Sander to sand the edges of the panel.   Then use the Delta Sander to sand any remaining edges.



Paint the panel with Plaid paint.   Allow to dry then randomly dry brush on some white paint.  Decorate with inked mesh.  While waiting for the glue to dry, add assorted shells created from Makin's Clay.   Ink the shells in assorted colors.  You could even add some real shells if  you had some available.


Stamp a script stamp with black ink randomly about the edges of the panel.  


Die cut palm trees and Hello Summer from Rinea Foiled Papers and adhere to the panel.


Finish by adding a stamped, colored and fussy cut Prima doll to the panel.



Thanks for stopping by.