How to Make Miniature Lighthouses
- 1). Slide on a pair of work gloves and safety glasses to protect your eyes and skin.
- 2). Measure and saw a 3-inch-thick wooden dowel rod to a length of 12 inches. Sand the sawed end of the rod with 120-grit sandpaper. Remove the work gloves and safety glasses.
- 3). Set one end of the dowel rod onto a piece of cardboard. Trace the base of the dowel rod. Remove the dowel rod. You now have a 3-inch-wide circle drawn on the cardboard. Draw a 5-inch-wide ring around the 3-inch-wide circle. Cut out the 5-inch-wide ring. Cut out the 3-inch-wide circle from the center and place it aside for use in later steps.
- 4). Slide the 5-inch-wide cardboard ring down two inches over the top of the dowel rod. Glue the ring into place with permanent epoxy. The ring represents the elevated walking platform for the lighthouse operator.
- 5). Measure and cut a piece of polyethylene plastic to 2-by-6-inch dimensions. Bend the sheet into a 3-inch-wide circle and bond the edges with permanent epoxy. Place the plastic circle atop the dowel rod and bond it to the rod with permanent epoxy.
- 6). Use the paintbrush to paint a large, yellow dot of acrylic paint onto one side of a red jumbo magic marker lid. The lid represents the light in the lighthouse. Allow one hour for the dot to dry. Layer one end of the lid with permanent epoxy. Fit and bond the lid down on top of the dowel rod at center.
- 7). Bond the 3-inch-wide cardboard circle to the top of the plastic circle with permanent epoxy. The body of your lighthouse is now complete.
- 8). Combine the water and flour into a pot to make a papier-mache mix. Boil the mix for three minutes. Allow the mix to cool for five minutes. Pour the mix into a medium-sized bowl.
- 9). Soak one strip of newspaper in the mix. Press the strip onto the body of the lighthouse. Repeat until the entire body -- minus the plastic circle -- is covered with one layer of newspaper. Repeat with white paper towel strips. White paper towel provides an ideal surface for acrylic paint. Allow four hours for the papier-mache to dry.
- 10
Paint the lighthouse -- minus the plastic circle. Stick six 1/2-inch-tall toothpicks down vertically into the outer rim of the cardboard walking platform. Evenly space the toothpicks around the lighthouse. Wrap 1mm wire around the top of each toothpick to represent a guard rail. Paint the toothpicks. Allow one hour for the toothpicks to dry before handling or displaying the craft.