Home For the Homicide (A Do-It-Yourself Mystery)
Page 29
4. Apply the copper foil all around the edge so that it falls evenly on both sides. Smooth it firmly into place with the plastic or wood burnisher.
5. Apply flux with the brush and solder both sides of each panel separately with the soldering iron. Form the solder into a smooth, rounded line. Make sure no solder is along the sides of the panels so they fit snugly together when forming the lamp.
6. Clean each panel as soon as it is soldered on both sides so that the flux does not etch the glass.
7. Place the panels flat on the work surface in a semi-circle with the tops lined up as closely as possible.
8. Connect the panels together at the top and bottom with electrical tape.
9. Apply a thin layer of solder to the vase cap.
10. Pull the pieces carefully upright and fit them together as evenly as possible, making sure they are symmetrical.
11. Apply flux and tack the pieces together, dripping a bead of solder on each seam.
12. Draw a thin line of solder along all the seams to hold everything together. Support the lamp as needed with the wood blocks as you rotate it to get the best angle for soldering.
13. Place the vase cap on the top of the newly formed lampshade, apply flux along the seam, and solder it in place.
14. Solder the outside and inside seams of the lamp with a finishing bead of solder, using the wood blocks to support the lamp at the best angle for soldering.
15. Clean the lampshade thoroughly with glass cleaner to remove all traces of flux.
Color Washing
Color washing is a painting technique that gives a subtle, undulating, almost translucent effect on walls. Something almost like rippling sunlight—yellow—or water—blue. It’s perfect for anyone who doesn’t want flat walls, but at the same time are unsure about faux finishes. It’s a simple process that involves mixing latex paint with glaze and putting two layers together.
MATERIALS
Satin interior latex paint (base coat, lightest shade)
Satin interior latex paint (darker shade)
Satin interior latex paint (darkest shade)
Tintable glaze
Paint roller
Pan
4" brush
Painters’ tape
Brush or sponge for blending
DIRECTIONS
1. Choose your color palette: 3 shades of the same color in a gradient from light (#1) to medium (#2) to dark (#3).
2. Roll on base coat—lightest coat; coat #1—and let it dry.
3. Mix a bucket of the medium coat—#2—and the tintable glaze. Use a 3:1 or 4:1 glaze-to-paint ratio. (The more glaze, the more translucent the mixture. The more glaze, the longer your “open” time, too—the time you have before the mixture dries.)
4. Mix a bucket of the darkest coat—#3—with glaze in the same ratio—or not the same ratio, if you prefer a more or less opaque finish.
5. Start with mixture #2 in the pan, and roll it over a manageable section of the wall, on top of the base (#1) coat.
6. While the glaze is still wet, use the brush to apply mixture #3 in large X’s across the section of paint.
7. Use a cloth/sponge to blend the two shades of glaze together.
8. Repeat the process until the entire wall or room is complete. Let dry.
A Few Words on Solar Power
Solar powered lights are great for indoors, whether the aim is to cut down on electric bills or just to provide a softer mood lighting than lightbulbs can. The illumination from solar lights gives off a soft, warm glow, and there are many styles to choose from. The bulbs are available in a range of colors, too.
Consider placing a couple flat-bottomed lanterns on a night-table or shelf in a bedroom, maybe with amber bulbs inside, or hang them from hooks along a dark interior staircase to light the way. Garden bed lights—the ones shaped like flowers or bugs—look just as good inside, in a potted plant, as they do outside, too.
All you have to do is make sure your solar powered lights have plenty of opportunity to soak up sun during the day, either by being outside or sitting in a sunny window, and they’ll give you hours and hours of soft, ambient light in return. They’ll pay for themselves over time, and you can decorate with them without being tied to available electrical outlets, a definite plus in an older home, where there’s often a limited number of outlets.
Or do what Avery did, and use them in places where electrical wires can’t safely be used.
Mason Jar Pendant Lights
MATERIALS
Mason jars
Glass cutter
Candle
Diamond file
Cutting oil
Frosted spray paint
Light fixture (solar powered or otherwise)
Tools for hanging fixture, if needed
DIRECTIONS
1. Cut the bottom off the jar with the glass cutter. (You may find a designated bottle cutter easier than a pencil grip or fist grip cutter for this, but feel free to experiment.) Score the circumference of the jar several times to make sure the break will be clean.
2. Hold the jar with the score line directly above the lit candle and rotate it several times to heat and stress the glass.
3. Run cold water over the jar to crack the glass, or plunge it into a bucket of ice and water. The point here is to stress the glass by heating it and then quickly cooling it. If it doesn’t crack completely the first time, repeat the process from the top, starting with the cutter. Canning jars are made of thick glass, and sometimes it takes more than once to cut one.
4. When the bottom of the jar is gone, use the file and cutting oil to smooth the edge, to make sure it’s safe to touch.
5. Spray the inside of the jar with the frosted finish, from both top and bottom, and let dry.
6. Attach to the desired light fixture. The lid is useful for this. If it has a glass seal inside, you’ll have to get rid of that first. Either pry it loose, or break it with a hammer and remove the pieces.
7. Drill a hole in the lid sufficient for mounting over a standard light socket, or wherever you need it to fit. Add the wiring—easy to do with a prewired fixture—and then screw the jar onto the lid.
8. For a bit of added punch, you can paint on the jar with glass paint, to give it a stained glass look. If you don’t want to attempt freehand painting, this is somewhere else where small stencils come in handy and look great.
Scandinavian Christmas Heart Baskets
MATERIALS
Scissors
Glossy, scrapbooking, or construction paper; two different colors
Glue
DIRECTIONS
1. Cut two rectangles 21/2 inches by 9 inches from the papers.
2. Fold the rectangles in half, to make folded sheets 21/2 inches by 41/2 inches.
3. From the folds, cut three slits each three inches long.
4. Round the edge on the opposite side of the fold.
5. Lay the halves in front of you with the round edges closest to you, and mark the flaps from the left: 6, 5, 4 on the first half, and 1, 2, 3 on the second.
6. Weave the two halves together like this:
Flap 1 goes through Flap 4, over Flap 5, and through Flap 6.
Flap 2 does the opposite: over Flap 4, through Flap 5, and over Flap 6.
Flap 3 does what Flap 1 did: through Flap 4, over Flap 5, and through Flap 6.
Flap 4 will be over Flap 1, through Flap 2, and over Flap 3.
Flap 5 will be through Flap 1, over Flap 2, and through Flap 3.
Flap 6 will be over Flap 1, through Flap 2, and over Flap 3.
The result should look like a 3x3 checkerboard heart.
7. Cut a strip of either color paper and use the glue to fashion a handle. Hang it on a tree or on a string with others and fill with raisins, popcorn, or other small Christmas goodie.
Make Your Own Bookcase
MATERIALS
3/4 inch birch plywood—enough for the project
11/4 inch poplar
Wood glu
e
Small decorative molding
Finish nails
Tape measure
Table saw
Miter saw
Finish nailer/hammer
Level
T-square
Router
DIRECTIONS
1. Measure the space where you want the bookcase to fit, and determine how much material you need.
2. Cut the plywood pieces to the right size.
3. The interior shelves should ideally be rabbited into the side panels of the frame to make them stronger. To make sure you router these rabbit grooves at the same position in both side panels, lay the two panels side by side on a table and screw a piece of scrap wood across both ends, effectively making them into one wide board. This will ensure that your lines are straight and even.
4. Determine the location of your first shelf and use a T-square to draw a 3/4-inch stripe across both side panels at once. Draw another 3/4-inch stripe at the location of the other shelves you intend to put in the unit.
5. Router out the grooves. Clamp a level or straightedge along your newly marked shelf lines to use as a guide.
6. Assemble the unit. Start by affixing the top to the two side panels using wood glue and finish nails. Then, install the shelves by putting glue in the rabbit joints and sliding the shelves into the joints, one shelf at a time.
7. With the shelves in place, add finish nails through the outside of the unit to hold the shelves in place.
8. Whether you want to add a base to your bookcase is up to you, but Avery and Derek did, to give their shelves a built-in look before mounting them in the inglenooks beside the fireplace. If you want a sturdy base, add that in the next step.
9. With the unit built, it’s time to finish it off by covering the plywood edges with nice finished pieces of 11/4-inch poplar. Cut the poplar to the same dimensions as the exterior panels using the miter saw. The angles should be joined with 45-degree angle cuts for a smooth, tailored look. Use wood glue and nails to attach the framing to the bookcase. If you want to be fancy, you can add some decorative molding, too, and that heavy base we talked about.
10. Allow 24 hours for the wood glue to fully dry, and then sand it smooth and fill the nail holes with paintable or stainable wood putty. Use a tack cloth to wipe off any debris or sawdust created by sanding, and then paint or stain the unit to give it your desired look. Derek and Avery stained theirs to match the old woodwork in the Craftsman Bungalow, but you can paint or stain yours any color you want.
Have fun!