Lilacs... And Labors of Love....

 

 Castle Windows Again...

It is Hard to ignore The Folly Lilac, Dear Readers, when the morning sun is shining on it, as it was this past weekend. I, like Will and Gabrielle, had to stop to admire the loveliness and grab a few pictures in those brief moments. And yes, it is a reminder that the months and Months of focused labor to create this blossoming shrub, were so worth it in the end! And sometimes I need that reminding as I slog through some of my other Endless-seeming projects, unable to see the goal posts in the distance! I was home on vacation last week and was thus able to tackle one of those daunting tasks I have set myself with the Castle construction. I refer to the hinged leaded glass windows which I deemed necessary to my happiness when I started this project! Believe me, I dare not even count the number of windows there are still to be made! But I can say I have completed one more of them! It took me most of the week to accomplish!

You might be amused to know that I thought

 I might be able to get all three of the remaining windows

 in this room done while on my vacation!

The one I began with was the one on the side wall

 with the lovely window seat that you see in the above picture.

I have developed a complicated method

 since all the windows are different

 and are quite irregular in their shape.

(They are all "arched" but the arches are all

 cut by hand and uneven to say the least!)

The first step is to make a paper pattern that fits

 the shape of the window, inside and outside,

 because you will need two thin frames made from plywood.

Here is the interior one.

And here is the plywood piece for the inner one,

 shown with the flash so you can see how

 it fits inside the window opening.

Here is that viewed from the outside, 

so you can see the space for the outer frame to fit too, 

once it is cut out.

(It was at this point that I optimistically thought

 I might just start the other two windows as well!)

The next step is to cut out the "opening" for

 each window from the solid plywood.

Since the window is two sections, an upper and a lower,

 I begin by cutting across the middle and then around the sides.

The center crossbars will be added separately to make the frame.

Remember there are two of each section

 and you have to keep track of which side is the inner and which the outer

 or it will not fit the opening when finished!

Here they are being given a coat of primer.

Then I cut the glass panes to fit inside the window opening.

They need to be large enough that

 the frames will overlap their edges enough

 to hold them securely in the frame.

Here you can see the pattern I have drawn

 so my lead lines will maybe look straight and even!

The lead lines need to fit inside the opening

 of the frame so I am testing the fit of my pattern.

Then I apply the "lead" paint to the

 glass panes and leave it to cure overnight.

At this point it looks terrible... 

much too blobby and uneven and thick lines.

But I have learned that I can trim them later

 when they are partly dry.

I use a sharp exacto knife to trim all the lines.

The arched pane has been done. 

I hope you think it looks a little better!

Here you can see how the frame gets "inner supports"

 added along the edges to keep the glass in place.

All the wood is 1/8 inch stock,

 so the three layers make the window the same thickness

 as the Castle walls which are 3/8 inch plywood.

Here is the lower window frame with the glass in place.

And the top section of the window

 (which does not open)

 is glued in place.

Here is the view from inside 

with the flash on so you can see it...

 it is getting late again!

Because the lower section needs to swing open on Hinges...!

(Yes, this is necessary!)

It takes much longer to complete. 

Here it is being fitted to the opening again...

 and also tested for "swing" allowance.

I will need to trim along the side away from the hinges

 once the hinges are in place.

Please forgive the glare of those Large, Shiny Brass Hinges!

I love them because they are sturdy

 and do fit into the thickness of a 3/8 inch thick wall!

Carving out the rebates to fit them is another challenge. 

Exacto knives, saws, chisels, sore knuckles, swear words...

And then trying to drill the holes for the screws

 into the side of the window opening...

But I managed it well enough! 

(Not perfect, but functional!) 

And attaching the window frame to the hinges...

The open window from the inside!

All it needs now, Dear Readers, is the shutters...

and the window surround trim stones...

Which always takes longer than I think it will!

Cutting, painting, fitting.... adding Hinges!

Here you can see it with the flash, only partly done.

Top section in place....

Both sections attached... 

and the window surround "stones" also done...

with the flash so you can see them!

And both of them open, with the flash on...

And the window open with no flash...

yes, it is dark and atmospheric...

As a Castle should be!

And can we begin to glimpse why all this labor

 is going to be worth it in the end, Dear Readers?

Or do we need another Reminder...

Visiting for a moment the Lovely Lilac,

Even though the sun has gone.

Yes, I have faith that these Labors of Love

 are Worth it in the end!

Hinges.... Again....

Take Two....

It was a Gloriously Beautiful Day on Saturday, Dear Readers, with the promise of a three day weekend stretching before me and seemingly endless time to accomplish things Great and Small. And high on my list was finishing the window for the opening wall of The Lord's Council Chamber in the Castle. I had pretty much finished the frames and needed only to fit the glass panes (with the lead lines trimmed to a decent shape) and attach them. The upper fixed panes worked like a charm and were done in short order. So I started fitting the lower hinged window, confident that I knew what I was doing because it had worked on the previous window. Alas, there were a few small things that didn't go as planned.

Above, you can see the interior side of the window,

 hinges notched into the frame, pane fitted correctly.... 

but the window is not seating properly at all,

 and won't close fully.

Hmmm.... what is the problem here?

Upon closer inspection, from the outside of the opening panel,

 the entire frame is not screwed into the opening in the right position.

 The pivot of the hinges should be flush with the wall,

 not pushed out by a sliver.

How did that happen?

I did everything the same way I had on the other window!

Here you can see it from above.... 

it is never going to close correctly.

It was late, I was tired and annoyed. 

I went to bed and Dreamed of hinges.

 

The next morning I took the window apart again. 

And examined things a bit closer....

I found a couple of problems.

Firstly, I was wrong... 

the hinges do not form a Ninety Degree angle when fully opened...

They probably forma a Ninety-three degree angle

 (I don't have good enough measuring tools!)

So in order to have the face of the frame close flush with the wall, 

the hinge plate will have to have a slant inward

 to accommodate the extra degrees.

The simplest way to accomplish this was

 to add a "frame post" to the side of the window.

And to make sure the notches for the hinge plates had a good tilt to them.

The other small problem I found was that

 when I was drilling the holes for the screws

 (remember that I am drilling into the side of a small opening

 and could not get a perpendicular angle to the drill no matter what I tried)

 the screws happened to align with the glue layer of the plywood

 (which is much harder than the wood itself)

 and so the drill slid to the side just enough

 that the whole hinge was out of place.

Alas, I did not take a photo of this detail,

 so you will have to imagine it for yourself.

The good news is that this problem was

 also corrected by the addition of a "hinge post"

 because I could do all the drilling

 prior to inserting it into the wall!

Here you can see I am fitting the "hinge post" to the side of the window,

 ensuring that the resulting angle will equal the desired Ninety degrees.

This is the front facing view... 

yes, the hinges are large and sturdy!

Here you can see the hinges are attached to the new post

 (which will be trimmed along its side)

It is now ready to be fitted to the window opening.... 

or rather, the window opening needs to be fitted to it!

Which was another whole adventure... 

but was not the fault of the hinges 

that it did not go smoothly!

Some shims had to be employed 

when My carving techniques went awry.

This is the outer view... sorry for the blurry shot

(by now I was getting cranky!)

And the view of the interior side... with the window "ajar"...

But does it close properly...?

Yes! 

It closes perfectly!

And the open view.... 

showing the hinges correctly placed!

And getting the paint added to disguise the addition...

And the outside view..... this is the outer wall of the Castle... 

which is a long way from being "finished"....

 so we will excuse the rough finish!

Whew! (That was Rough!)

And pretty much used up those three days!

But before I leave you, Dear Readers,

 let me show you a little more of that 

Lovely Lilac in bloom...

It was such a Beautiful Day!

And maybe we can forget all about the frustrating hinges....

I can almost smell the blossoms...!

And I can Hope, Dear Readers,

 that my next attempt with the Hinges.....

 will not require so many "Takes"!

Hinges.....

Happiness....!

I am Sure I have mentioned More than once, Dear Readers, how much I Love Hinges! But that does not necessarily mean they are easy to work with. My favorite hinges are not made for miniatures and are a tad oversized for most applications in 1/12 scale. They are 3/4 inches tall which would be 9 inches in dollhouse scale, and just under 3/8 inches wide including the hinge pin, the plate being 1/4 inch alone. But they are sturdy enough for enthusiastic and prolonged use, and really, I have seen hinges this large on many an old door. Certainly, for the Castle I feel justified in using large heavy hinges for the oversized frames needed for the heavy leaded glass windows! These hinges are designed for flat surface application, not as the more modern butt hinges which will close snugly in between the frame and the door. But in a pinch, they can be used in less conventional ways.
(True Medieval hinges were even more primitive.... being just the "strap" folded at the end around an "L" shaped pin attached to the framework.)

This is the flat profile.... with the plates both on a surface

 and the pin standing above the surface.

When fully closed there is a gap between the plates...

 a butt hinge would have the plates flush with each other....

so as to fit snugly between the surfaces being moved.

Folded the other way, these hinges only go so far.... 

but they form a 90 degree angle to each other

 which is useful if you apply one plate to the surface

 and one to the crack....

It is unconventional... but it allows the frame to close

 snugly against the plate inside the window frame.

Or it would if I could get the holes for the

 screws drilled inside this small frame.....

(I hadn't thought of this problem!)

 

Even using my mini hand held pin drill..... 

I couldn't get a straight on angle.

So the heads of the screws will not sit flush to the plate... 

(which they wouldn't anyway because they are

 applied to the wrong side of the plate)

But this could be remedied by gouging into the wooden frame

 far enough to accommodate the screw heads.

Which took many tries to get the fit right.

And the outside view again....!

Have I completely bored you with all these hinge details?

Not bored enough?

Good! 

Because we are just getting started with the shutters!

Oh, Look at all those hinges!

It helps to begin with the shutters as one piece

 to aid in the alignment and spacing of the hinges.

Once again, this is an unconventional use of the hinges, 

but it allows for the very thick shutters to be

 attached to the wall right at the edge of the window.

The face of the hinges is on the exterior face of the shutter...

here you see it open...

the only difficulty being the thickness of the shutter

 prevents it from opening fully

 (I have beveled the back edge of the shutter as much as possible)

Those bright brass hinges need to be painted black...

And the shutter cut into two halves.

And those sculpey "hinge straps" glued on....

And the shutters attached!

(It has gotten late so I needed the spotlight...!)

So you can see the window open!

And the shutters align perfectly!

Shall we turn on the lights....?

(or should I say light the torches?)

And close those shutters against the night!

(it is still chilly at night after all!)

In case you couldn't tell, Dear Readers,

Working hinges make me Happy!

I do Love Hinges!