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Tuesday 29 May 2012

Brass Bed


This has been a long time in the making and gathering of materials. I had to measure and cut all the tubing by hand with a file, and then mark and drill all the holes by hand. I could not have done this without my vice. I haven't yet worked out exactly how much I spent, probably about £30- £40. It isn't exactly 1:12 scale. It measures 14.5 (l) x 11 (w) x 11 (h) cm. So if in the real world, its just over 5 1/2 feet long. I decided to make it shorter and slightly smaller than a double, but bigger than a single, so it wouldn't cramp the room too much. The materials for the bed frame are brass and copper tubing, angled brass, crimp beads, various metal beads, gold ear bullets, 1:12 scale brass door knobs, 1:12 scale castors and two small turned pieces of brass I bought from a model ship website. It's all held together with tiny copper tubing dowels in hand drilled holes (I used a small drill bit held in an Excel blade handle), using superglue and araldite.  The mattress is also handmade, it had to be, since the bed isn't "standard". I bought the material on Ebay (Piglets Pincushion). It is hand sewn together, stuffed and buttoned ( no buttons though, I used crochet thread). I kept the edges rigid by using lengths of acetate sewn inside, before it was turned inside out for stuffing and "buttoning". 



Bed with wooden posts in the bedroom,(testing the height, before cutting the tubing) which I then later replaced with brass tubing. Waste not, want not, those wooden posts are now being used in the construction of "plaster" brackets for my window ledges.



I've just noticed a bead I forgot to glue in place. 50p for scale.


The bed looks quite short from this angle, but I'm hoping with the right bedding, I should be able to hide that.  



And two chairs for the kitchen...

Two Mini Mundus kit chairs, rejigged, using model ship balusters and stencil stickers, needs a few more coats of paint. The chair back on the right,  unintentionally, looks like a cat. Both the chair pads are made from sample material I bought for 5p each in a market and stuffed with no hole beads.

9 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  2. Your bed & mattress are exquisite Amber, absolutely perfect - well done! x

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  3. This is kind of what I had in mind when I started my own iron bed. But it did not work out as well as yours ;-) Well done!
    I just dicovered your blog and I am pleasantly surprised. You have a real talent for creating miniatures.

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  4. Hi Sarah! I have been cruising through so much of your past posts and I have to say that your skills are Incredible! You have a really good eye for scale and the finer details that make your pieces miniature works of art; like this bed for example. You have made this from scratch and have hit all the finer points of a vintage brass bed! I Marvel at your skills and the way that you have manufactured this little gem! I LOVE IT!

    elizabeth

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  5. Wow - I am so impressed with your work! I found you because I was searching for something like your doll's hanger jig (which thank you very much, I will link to it when I post what I did), and now I have spent my lunchtime browsing further...I was wondering about the casters on your bed - did ou make those? They add quite a bit to the charm of it...
    HC

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    1. Hi Hepzibeth and thank you so much. Sorry for the late reply, Im a bit behind in everything at the moment :D. The castors are by Phoenix miniatures. http://www.phoenixmodeldevelopments.com/acatalog/The_Phoenix_Miniature_Hinge_Range.html

      Look forward to seeing what your are up to with miniature hangers :)

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