Supply Sources

When I was new to 1:48 scale, I encountered a number of company and brand names that I wasn't familiar with. In particular, I didn't know that there were some companies that carried a fairly complete assortment of mini supplies. So, now that I know a bit more, I'm writing a guide that I would have enjoyed having several years ago! I hope someone else will benefit from it. Note that model railroad shops may carry some of these items, particularly landscaping supplies and scale lumber, and perhaps plastic windows and doors.

Most of the companies below are American. They sell directly to individuals (both in the US and overseas), and they all take VISA and MC unless otherwise stated below. I have no connection to any of them. For those that have online catalogs, I've included links. Since I started building miniatures in 1997, I've ordered catalogs from some of them, and most of them charged about $5 or less.

Note that as I ordered the catalogs some years ago, prices may have changed since. If you find that any of the information here is inaccurate or outdated, please tell me.

If you live in or near Sweden, do visit my bi-lingual Supply sources page in the Swedish section of the Resources, for hints on where to find supplies locally.

The Quarter Source
This catalog requires a bigger investment than the others, but it's worth it - with this catalog you don't really need any others. The Quarter Source carries just about everything for the quarter incher! Here you'll find laser-cut furniture kits, Brodnax Prints' wallpapers, lots of Grandt Line plastic windows, doors, and other components, scale lumber from Northeastern Scale Lumber, a good selection of landscaping supplies, nice metal accessories. Some 1:144 scale house kits and a few different sets of unpainted 1:144 scale metal furniture. 50+ page catalog, $20 plus shipping, $10 of the sum is credited on your first $60 (I think) order. No website, but proprietor Karen Benson has email.

J. Hermes (Address: P.O. Box 4023, El Monte, CA 91734 Telephone: (626)287-3141)
Nice wallpapers for 1:24, 1:48 and 1:144 scale (most of the wallpapers are labeled 1/2" i.e. 1:24 but lots of them work equally well for 1:48 scale). Also several glossy gift-wrap papers, and some papers with printed wood flooring, brickwork, and shingles patterns etc. Flocked wallpapers. J. Hermes' wallpaper colors are soft but not too pale, filling the gap in the color range of Brodnax Prints' wallpapers. Also, their patterns are of a different style than Brodnax Prints' 1:48 scale collection, including some naturalistic flower patterns.

The 5+ year old catalog I have from them also contains printed paper needlework samplers, a selection of 1:48 scale Grandt Line components, 1:144 scale metal furniture from Kummerow, and 1:48 scale sets of plastic dishes and flatware. I don't know if they still carry these.

Joe passed away in February 2005. His wife Janet is still running their business - or at least she was in October 2006 when I last heard about them.

Kitz!
Online catalog with lots and lots of 1:12 scale kits. Useful supplies for smaller scales include ultra-fine glitter, no-hole beads, and floral foam - all in several colors. Also various landscaping supplies, including lycopodium. Carries Karen Benson's 1:48 scale laser-cut furniture kits, and some other 1:48 kits too.

Micro Stitchery by Bobbie Schoonmaker
Silk gauze at a good price, and larger scale needlepoint kits. Credit cards through PayPal only. Do visit the gallery to see her beautiful needlepoint items!

Pipers Silks
Silk embroidery thread. A double thickness of their 2/20 very fine twisted silk works fine on 90 HPI silk gauze. Located in Britain.

Sandy's Lace and Trims' retail division is now owned by Miniature Luxuries
I haven't ordered from Sandy's for years, so the information below is dated to say the least.
Silk gauze, bunka, metal findings, no-hole beads, silk ribbons, silk and cotton fabrics (no fabric pics; samples of silk prints and cotton prints can be ordered), some 1:12 scale kits, and of course lots of lace and trims (from very narrow, to a few inches wide). Note that their website only contains a limited selection of their goods. Order their 50 page catalog to see it all.

Etcetera, Etc. (Address: 13 Isla Ct, Roswell, NM 88201 Telephone: (505)624-2649)
20 page catalog full of silk ribbons, bunka, narrow lace and trims, silk fabrics, cotton fabrics (e.g. micro-checks, mini tartans, narrow woven stripes). "Feather-touch" ribbon that makes fine fringe. Size 20/0 seed beads in a few colors. Catalog includes color scans or even actual samples of the trims. Lots of 1:12 scale clothing patterns from different eras, some 1:12 scale trees and other landscaping items. Compared to Sandy's Lace and Trims, this catalog has a bit less trims and a lot less lace, as it concentrates on the narrow widths that are useful for miniatures! It also has significantly lower prices on fabrics. Thanks to the color pics and trim samples, you always know what you get. No website, but proprietor Pam Kille has email. Please note: in summer 2006 I heard that a supplier of mini trims, probably Etcetera, Etc., had been sold and was now ran by somebody else. I have tried contacting Pam Kille to check this, but haven't heard back from her.

Doll Artist's Workshop
Online store with lots of lace, trims, bunka, fabrics, no-hole beads, great metal findings, and more. Excellent prices and convenient online ordering.

Brodnax Prints
Wallpapers in 1:48, 1:24 and 1:12 scale. Printed silks, some are small enough for 1:48 scale. I used wallpapers from their 1:24 scale Arts and Crafts range for my English Cottage. On their 1:48 scale wallpapers, the colors are either strong and bold, or very pale. I've never ordered from Brodnax Prints directly, as I felt their fees for overseas customers were too high.

Grandt Line
Plastic components for building 1:48 scale structures (also other scales). A large assortment of windows, several doors, different railings, brackets, etc. I've used their windows in some of the structures I've built, and also railings and brackets for furniture details.

D&E Miniatures
New owner of JAF Miniatures, the legendary supplier of metal findings for miniaturists. They sell the JAF catalog and I understand they carry JAF's whole line of findings. There's no online catalog of the findings. I haven't bought anything from them yet, but I've long intended to.

MicroMark
Thin wood strips by Northeastern Scale Lumber, choppers by Nortwest Short Line, landscaping supplies by Woodland Scenics, and lots and lots of different tools. Among other things, I've bought a replacement saw blade with high teeth count for my miter box, and a set of drill bits for drilling miniature holes. Free catalog.

Northeastern Scale Lumber
Formerly a part of Northeastern Scale Models. Manufactures thin wood strips and wood sheet in different dimensions, sheetwood for siding etc., also 1:12 scale dollhouse moldings. I ordered from them once, but now I buy their wood strips from MicroMark instead, as they carry them in neat plastic bags of ten strips, that help keeping my wood supply tidy and organized.

Nortwest Short Line
Choppers and other handy implements for cutting and sanding small wood pieces.

Woodland Scenics
A complete range of landscaping supplies, often found in good model railroad stores. The greenery is very good and the colors seem to be fairly lifelike; they carry tree kits, liquid water, snow, and much more. Unfortunately, the packets usually contain much more than you need, as they're intended for large railway layouts, so you might want to share with a friend. Also, their pack of "flowers" (floral foam) isn't worth the money (buy them from Kitz! instead - better price and much wider color range).