Possibly setting a record for documentation delay, I am finally posting about this thing after about five years. In fact, it’s been so long since I built it that I don’t actually recall when it was built. Sometime after the Christmas of 2007, I think, as that seems to be when the digital photo viewer keychains I based this on came out. Anyhow, steampunk digital picture frame. Keep going below for details. (more…)
It has indeed been a while…
Real posts and even possibly a site redesign or replacement are coming soon (for real!), but for now I’m just posting a quick and LONG overdue link to my biggest, proudest creation: The Telecalculograph Mk. II. Again, a full write-up on that project is coming soon, as well as details on my other recent projects. Take a peek at my Flickr account in the mean time, if you’re interested!
The Man Who Loved
::Sigh:: you’re all going to know what I look like now*…
In June of 2007, coworker and good friend of mine, one Mr. Tom Russell, approached me with an opportunity to act in he and his wife’s newest film. (more…)
The Torch of Saint Dismas
Warning: this one could be a bit upsetting
Imaginary:
“So,” she asked in her charming cockney accent, “this is what you’ve been working on so mysteriously all this time, is it?” The young gentleman to which she was speaking smiled in the affirmative and handed over the parcel, hastily wrapped in what was clearly the kitchen towels. He watched with pride and anticipation as his athletic, yet elegantly feminine wife drew the oddly-shaped gift from the linens in which it was lightly bound. As the wrappings fell gracefully to the hardwood floor, a look of gleeful disbelief spread across her alabaster countenance. With the eyes of a young girl just given a pony, she wildly looked up at her grinning husband and stammered “It…It’s some sort of…It’s…It’s a Hand of Glory, isn’t it?!?!” (more…)
The Bug: Steampunk Computer Mouse
The Telecalculograph finally has a suitable mouse!
Imaginary:
Though the eccentric Professor William C. Ravenscroft remains stingy on details of his “Telecalculograph“, he has recently allowed photography of the device with which its user controls it. These images, as well as speculation upon their contents follows:
SteamTV Part 1 — first looks at my newest project
My university’s chapter of the IEEE held a “Hacks/Mods/ Gadgets” contest a while ago, in which I entered the Telecalulograph and Vitorio-Nixie Tube. By sort of winning (there were only two other entries), I was awarded the chance to build the project of my choice–with them picking up the tab! I rather quickly realized that this would be the perfect opportunity to construct something that had been nibbling at the back of my mind for some time: a steam-powered Baird Televisor. While many people have built reproduction mechanical TVs, I am (to the best of my knowledge) the first to power it directly with a steam engine. I am beginning to see that there is good reason for this, but I am determined!
The project is in it’s infancy now (hence the “Part 1”), so there isn’t a whole lot to see yet. The physical framework and most of the basic components are built and functioning on their own, but the is an incredible amount of work to be done before the thing actually does anything interesting. I will be posting updates as I go along, so stay tuned! Photos and descriptions of what I have so far are after the jump:
Brass Tracks
Feel free to groan at the name 😀
Imaginary:
Slowly, powerfully, and with a certain indefinable confidence, the gleaming behemoth rolled towards the iron-clad fortress. 30 paces from the pitted wall, a great billow of steam burst forth and the elegant beast slowed to a halt. The unmistakable sound of massive, meshing cogs emanated from the monster’s head as the cannon lowered into place. A thunderous explosion rocked the ground and a barely visible blur shot out from the barrel. In an instant, a second blast was heard as the volatile capsule met its mark.
My DIY Photography Gear
Poor Equipment with Good Results
This is the setup I used to photograph my Victorio-Nixie Tube project. This was the first time I used my cardboard-and-paper light box, and I was pretty happy with the results. (more…)
The VictorioNixie Tube
“Electro-chemical and electro-mechanical apparatus for the display of illuminated messages”
Imaginary:
This device was invented, designed, and built by the eccentric and reclusive Dr. Charles D. Ronalli in the late eight-teen hundreds. Click on the following links to see Dr. Ronalli’s original patent drawings and descriptions!
Victorio-Nixie Patent Diagrams
Victorio-Nixie Patent Description
Victorio-Nixie Patent Description (alternate download location)
(more…)
Jake of All Trades 
