15 Apr 2013

Making a Miniature Bed for 28-32mm Scale



It is very easy to make a miniature bed for use inside your buildings. All you need is some coffee-stirrers and ice-cream sticks, wood glue, some styrofoam and some scrap cloth.






First, cut out the styrofoam and the coffee-stirrers to the correct sizes. The styrofoam is used to make a mattress, and should be a little thicker than the width of the coffee-stirrers. The length and width of the styrofoam will depend on the size of the bed you want to make. Hobbit and dwarf beds should be a little shorter than human-sized ones. The breadth will differ depending on whether you want to make a single or double-bed.



Cut out a scrap of cloth for the bed-clothes, This should be large enough to cover the styrofoam mattress and have some extra to tuck in into the sides. Then, double over one edge and stick it back as shown in the photograph.






Then stick the cloth onto the styrofoam mattress. Do not worry about sticking down the sides neatly, as these will be tucked into the side of the bed when you finish.






Next, build up the headboard and sides of the bed. You can use an ice-cream stick, or any piece of wood for the head-board. Any piece of cardboard can be used for the base. In this picture, I have used an old business card.







Now, slide the styrofoam mattress with the scrap of cloth stuck on into the bed structure, as shown in the picture. Gently tuck in the sides of the cloth as you do so. You can use a drop of wood glue to help hold the mattress in place.







Finally, stick on the end of the bed to the sides, taking care to tuck the bed-clothes down at the bottom. All you need to do now is cut off the edges of the card and you have your miniature bed.



5 comments:

  1. Nice bed ! but you don't paint it before adding the styrofoam mattress ?
    It could be nice too !

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    1. I'm thinking of tinting it with some dilute brown, so that the natural wood of the coffee-stirrers is not obscured. You are right though, it would have been a lot easier to do that before sticking on the mattress.

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    2. I've made some trials for the wood : one of the better way is a simple wash with brown wash (or even black which works fine too )

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    3. Aha! Do you mean something like Games Workshop's Devlan Mud, or Badab Black?

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    4. I think that's their names, yes! I use Valejo washes too...

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