Sandpaper – Most wood surfaces come fairly smooth, but all wood is prone to rough spots and small chips and splinters. Flat work will benefit from medium-fine sanding (220 grit and higher) before painting/decorating. Wood-turnings (round parts) rarely need sanding. Medium sandpaper (120-220) may also be used to round off corners, or reshape a piece to make it more unique.

Pens, Markers, Paints, etc.– Most anything you would use on paper will work on smooth wood. There are numerous colored pen and marker sets and calligraphy pens that are useful for detailed work. Also, paint pens, glitter/glue, puff-paints, highlighters, tempera and acrylic paints, etc. Acrylics are ideal for the Menorah Kit—most markers are not practical for this kit. See “Paint for Plastic” for use on Kiddush Cup, Seder Plate and Honey Dish Kit plastic parts.

Tools – None required, other than the above, except Tzedakah Box Kit—small hammer; and Chanukah Menorah Kit—small pliers, optional.

How strict are the age suggestions for each kit? What if we are having a parent-child activity?
Certainly, if parents or adults are working with each child, the lower age limit can be stretched—the big people will take up the slack—it’s just as matter of how much the child will get to do. Don’t choose a kit that won’t allow the child to participate at all.

Other than that, the age ranges are approximate, but certain kits, such as the tzedakah box and the gregger kits require some serious assembly and the age suggestions should be observed pretty closely. Others, such as dreidel and mezuzah case kits are quite flexible—younger kids can assemble and decorate them quite simply, while older kids can get more involved with detailed decoration and varying the shape of the body by sanding or filing.

“Can adults do these? College students? Seniors?”
Yes, even adults can manage these. There is no upper age limit. Anyone can enjoy creating their own Judaica using our kits.

“How long will it take to receive my order?”
Officially, allow 2 to 3 weeks. It usually takes much less time than that, often just a couple days, and if you need to be sure something arrives quickly, just let us know and we’ll see what we can do. UPS ground to California takes about 5 working days, from when we ship; to New Jersey, one day. In busy seasons, like before holidays, we actually tend to turn orders around faster, and in slower seasons (second semester, summer), we tend to take longer.

Remember, bad weather, especially in winter, can delay orders by several days. And when schools are closed, WE are closed—Jewish holidays and public holidays. In summer, we work on a very limited schedule. To be safe, allow plenty of lead time.

How long does it take to make a kit?
Assembly time varies from kit to kit, and with the age of the participants—an approximate range of the time required is given for each kit. It also depends greatly on just what decorative options you choose to make available to your group. In some cases (candlesticks, dreidel kits) assembly may take just a few minutes, but you might spend anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour on personalizing the assembled piece with decoration. Other kits (gregger, tzedakah box) may take considerably longer to put together. You may wish to schedule a longer session or a second session to add decoration. Or do the assembly only, and tell kids and parents that they can decorate their pieces further at home.

Do they have to be painted or decorated?
No, in most cases the natural wood looks just fine unadorned, or with a simple coat of oil finish or water-based varnish. But some kits (woodshapes, seder plate, mezuzah case et al,) are mostly decorating/painting projects and otherwise don’t leave you much to do.

Why is it called a Mezuzah Case Kit, instead of just Mezuzah Kit?
The Mezuzah itself is the parchment you put inside. We cannot provide that, and you can’t make a real one yourself—it must be hand-written by a qualified Sofer (scribe) in accordance with the same rules governing the making of Torah scrolls. We can only provide materials for making a case to keep the Mezuzuah in and mount it on a door post.

What is the difference between the regular and economy Gregger Kits?
The “regular” kit has a sturdier frame and may hold up better over the long term. The assembly procedure is mostly the same for both, but with the “economy” kit you can staple right through the frame into the end block, which will hold it in place while the glue dries, while with the “regular” kit, you must apply clamping pressure—usually by wrapping it tightly with rubber bands—while the glue dries. While it is wrapped up, you won’t be able to paint or decorate that area.

From this you make a living?
I could be doing a little better—please tell your friends about Dreidelmaker.