(Sandy O’Grady - Frankie’s Garage)

It’s All in the Details

by Pam North

Colorado miniaturist Sandy O’Grady loves making miniature garages and repair shops, and her meticulously crafted creation, Frankie’s Garage, resonates the character of that typical, neighborhood auto fix-it shop often seen in small towns. The Craftsman Cabin kit, featured in the 2017 Hobby Builders Supply’s 24th annual Creatin’ Contest, was the basis for her project, and her efforts won her a Second Place award.
Her youngest son inspired her project, as she explained, “He owns an old truck that he loves and works on whenever he can. I already had ordered the kit, unsure of what I was going to do with it until I found some properly-scaled vehicles in a flea market; those trucks and cars became the nucleus for making the kit into a garage.”
The contest kit was the basis, with other materials added: basswood, mat board, acrylic paints, corrugated craft paper for the roof, some 1/4 inch plywood, and two kitchen under-the-counter strips of LED lights. She made all the purchased pieces her own by painting them, or taking them apart and using them in different areas of the scene. “Nothing looks new, and that was my purpose. I made one of the workbenches, the toilet tank in the bathroom, the flooring, and many of the smaller items. The interior walls I painted by dipping my fingers into five different colors of paint - cream, gray, ochre, black, and tan - and smearing them on. I lined the outside of the building with driftwood gray-stained panels, and battens of basswood, and I changed the pitch of the original small front roof, raising it at an angle so the interior was more visible. I also made a ramp for the vehicles to enter the garage, and rolled some tires in black paint to leave tread marks. The landscaping is diorama sand and plants. I printed a decal of the shop’s logo for the yellow delivery truck parked at the side of the building. I dirtied up every object in the interior, including the concrete floor and walls. I also put in two light strips, one under the small windows above the front raised roof and the other above them, where they would not be seen but would light up the interior. I put three windows and a skylight in the bathroom, because there was no light fixture installed. The roof is corrugated craft paper, painted gray, with red, brown, and terracotta paints to make it look rusty. Several coats of watered-down acrylic black and gray paint were applied, watered down, then wiped off for the weathered look on the garage exterior. I used black puff paint (for T-shirts) to simulate grease around the shop; it dries flat and shiny. All the posters on the walls were printed from the Internet, sized to scale. I replaced the front wall panel with two swing-out doors that could be closed to keep dust out of the interior.”
The hardest part of her project was getting the lighting right while keeping it invisible. “I wasn’t using individual lights and a transformer, but under-the-cabinet LED light strips, so I had to run an electrical cord down an inside wall next to the bathroom door. I found a wood U-shaped channel which covered it completely. I like to use conventional wiring and not copper strips in my smaller structures. I had used a hidden socket with a night light bulb in my room boxes to light up the entire interior, but I always worried about heat buildup if the light was left on for long periods. Now, with cool-burning LED bulbs, that problem has been resolved, and I will continue to use this way of lighting whenever I can. It eliminates the need for miniature wired lamps, light fixtures, and a bulky transformer, and the cord can be plugged in just like any lamp.”
She cites the dirty bathroom with its concrete floor as the most fun to create. “I have to apologize to the guys about the bathroom, but it’s what most women think an auto shop’s bathroom looks like. The concrete floor was made from white craft glue and cornstarch, painted gray, then sealed with a water-based satin finish, and it took two tries to get it right. I had put the paste/corn starch combination too thickly on the floor. As it dried, it cracked, so I sealed it with satin water-based sealer, then put another thin layer over it. When it was thoroughly dry, I painted it gray and sealed it again before I grunged it up. This floor, with its realistic greasy effect, was the most challenging part. The walls for the bathroom are plywood added to what had been an open porch, with mat board strips used for its floor. I had to be careful when dirtying up the floor with paints not to let it get too wet or the top paper layer would come off. The bathroom fixtures were from a kit, but the toilet had no tank on it, so I cut the front off the footed bathtub and used that for  the tank top. I also used the plumbing pipes from the bathroom kit. I never know what my work is going to look like when I begin it; it gradually becomes what it is. It’s all the little details and items that make it look real and interesting.”
Her next project already is underway. “I’m adding to my Sherlock Holmes building. It has evolved from a large room box into a three-story building. I’ve added a tobacco/news shop on the corner of the bottom floor. There are so many challenges to this project, like trying to make everything that is not available in miniature, and it is from a period with which I am not very familiar. Those Victorians had a lot of gadgets that are unknown today, especially the ones used by a detective like Sherlock Holmes!” 
Contact information:
Name:  Sandy O’Grady
Email:  pennywort@aol.com
Phone:  (941) 224-5585
Address:  1754 Sunlight Drive, Longmont, CO 80504