1 INCH SCALE MID-CENTURY PORTABLE T.V. TUTORIAL - How to make a mid-century portable T.V. for your dollhouse.

Continuing on my theme of mid-century furnishings I am making the portable T.V. I actually had when I was first married.




Cut a strip of mat board 3/4 inches wide.

From that strip cut 2 pieces  1 13/16 inches long (top and bottom) and 2 pieces  1 1/8 inches long (sides).

I will be using yellow carpenter's glue for all of the gluing.

Glue the top onto a side.

The top is glued over the edge of the side as in the picture.

Glue the other side to the top.

Glue the bottom to the edges of the sides.

Cut 4 pieces of mat board 1/2" x 1/2".

Cut these pieces diagonally in half.

These pieces are braces for the box. Glue them in the corners.  I left a little over a 1/16 inch of the box's edge.  That space will be for the front and back to be glued in the box.

Cut 2 pieces from mat board 1 1/8" x 1 3/16".  These are the front and back.

Apply glue to the inside of the box and on the corner braces.

Slip the front into the box.

Do this for the back, too.

Cut a strip of mat board 13/16" wide.

Cut 4 pieces from that strip 1 3/8" long.

Apply glue to 3 pieces.

Stack the pieces together and let dry.

This piece will be glued to the back of the box.

Start sanding the box.  I didn't sand the front.  I sanded the back and the sides.

Another view.

I also sanded half of the top so it will slope to the back.

Another view.

A view of the front.

Get the stack of mat board you set aside to dry.

Draw a line around the top and sides about 1/8 " from the edge.

Use your craft knife to cut a diagonal edge on the top and sides.

Showing another way to trim off the edge.

The edges are trimmed off.

Sand the edges smooth and round them a bit.

Another view.

Center this piece from side to side on the back of the box.

The piece is not centered from top to bottom.  There is more space at the top than bottom.

Another view.

There are little feet on the bottom of the T.V.

I used the tip of a toothpick for the feet.

Cut the toothpick a little shorter than the width of the T.V.
(I trimmed my length after the picture was taken.)

Cut the toothpick in half length-wise.

Glue the feet onto the bottom of the T.V.

Use Nancy's pattern to trace the frame onto a piece of mat board.

This is Nancy's pattern for the screen frame.  In the "Things to do, Things to see" list at the left of the blog there are directions, "RE-SIZING THE PATTERNS".  Thank you, Nancy.

After you have traced the pattern use a ruler to make marks inside the frame.  The marks should measure 3/32" away from the edge of the pattern.

I did not put this on the pattern.  I find that the pattern becomes difficult to handle when it is cut so thin.

Fill in the lines.

Cut out the center.  When you cut the center out slant your craft knife so the frame has an angle.  This will shorten the sanding time for you.

Sand the inner edge of the frame round.

Cut the frame out.

Sand the outside edge of the frame round.

To keep from bending the frame when you sand use a piece of mat board as a brace.

Finished.

Trace onto mat board the center of the frame.

This will be your screen.



Hint: Make a mark on a corner of the frame and on the corresponding corner of the screen.  This will help in matching the pieces together.

Cut out.  Make two and glue together.

My two pieces are glued together.

You will sand the screen round.

Sanding the screen round.

Trial fitting, no glue, yet.

See my mark on the corner of the frame.  I've marked the corner on the underside of the screen.

Glue the frame to the front of the T.V.

Start painting the T.V.  I used a mixture of paints, a little darker than ivory.

The old T.V.s had a odd color green screen with a silvery look to them.

I mixed up a color and started painting the screen.

Painting the screen.

I've been painting and sanding the T.V.








I made a holder for my T.V. using a small dowel or kabob stick from the grocery store.  I cut a small circle of 3/16" basswood, drilled a hole in it's center.  I glued the stick into the hole.  Let this dry.

I then glued a piece of paper onto the circle of basswood, this is important.  Glue the holder to the T.V.  When you want to remove the holder you gently pull it off leaving the paper behind.  If you don't glue the paper on you will be pulling off part of the T.V.

Satisfied with the finishes so I've glued the screen into the frame.

On the plastic cabinet of the original T.V. there were faux wood panels.
I found these samples at Lowe's in the stain and paint department.

You can use anything else you would like or leave it plain.  Wood grain contact paper would also work.

This is the back of the sample.

I cut a strip of the sample the width I wanted.  I left a little of the sides showing.

I've got a gold edge on the faux wood panel.

I did that by dipping the panel into  gold paint I have in my lid.

Spread the paint out to get the width of line you like.

I applied a couple of coats of acrylic finish onto the T.V. before I glued the panels on.

After the finish is dry glue the faux wood panels onto the top and sides.

I used cross-stitch paper for the sound panel.

This paper comes in colors or you can paint the paper the color you want.

Cut the size I have here, 10 by 4 holes.

I put a gold edge around the sound panel, also.

I am using the tear drop shapes from this punch for the handle holders on the top of the T.V.

When I made the first T.V. I used Fimo for a lot of things.  I used Fimo for the knobs, handle and handle holders.  You can do the same if you prefer.

I used a 1/4" punch for the round knob at the top.

There are the tear drop handle holders on the top of the T.V.

There is the round knob at the top.


There are two other knobs, you can use straight pins for those.

I've punched out my tear drops.

I used 4 tear drops for each holder.

I glued them together with yellow carpenter's glue.

Here are my 1/4" circles punched out.

I glued 4 together and 2 together.

That's Digger's tail swishing everything around on the table!

Cut the 2 layer circle less than in half.

Glue the less than half circle onto the center of the whole circle.

I am painting the handle holders, circle knob and the other two knobs gold.

These other two knobs are from an old dog brush.  I was loosing the metal pins from the rubber holder and noticed the unique shape and pulled out the rest and saved them. They make good push pins for a bulletin board, too.

Showing another picture of the knobs.

Glue the sound panel on.





Drilling the holes for the small knobs.

On the original I used Fimo and made indentions for the fingers.

I am using card stock for the handle today.  I used at strip 1/8" wide by 3/4" long.  I glued 3 layers together and bent it a bit.

To hold the handle I cut the tip off a toothpick and glued the flat end to the inside of the handle.

Paint the handle to match the body of the T.V.

Glue the round knob on and push the small knobs into the holes.

Here's the T.V. on the stand we are going to make next month.

You can leave the handle off, it makes it more comfortable for the cat to lay on top of the T.V.

All my cats laid on the top of the T.V., it was warm.

Here's the T.V. with the handle.

Cleo, my cat had to make do with handle.

Another view.

You can drill a hole in the back and glue your electric cord in if you want.  I used crochet thread painted brown.

I have been asked to make this T.V. for a long time.  The T.V. is from my First Apartment room box. I had to figure out how to substitute mat board for the scrap of wood I used for the original.  I am happy the way it all turned out.  I hope some of you have a scene that you can use this in.

Have fun, Expand on it, Make it better . . . .

Just Keep Making Minis!!

TTUL
Kris