Who needs steampunk?

Dark Elf · Jul 4, 2009

I'd make a steampunk PC if I had the money. Unfortunately, brass is quite expensive, and while mahogany literally grows on trees it's still beyond my price range.

Also, I lack a workshop and most of the tools I'd need.

Archmage Orintil · Jul 4, 2009

That's a beautiful steampowered computer keg. I wish I had the money, time, and equipment to make something like that. Oh, and I wish I wasn't lazy so that if I did have the stuff I'd actually do it.

Dark Elf · Jul 5, 2009

Handicrafts is fun, there must be a club or something in this town I could join to at least continue with the knifemaking spree I was on in school.

I love making knives. My best work so far was the hunting knife I made for my father, which was stolen before I had finished the sheath. That sure ruined 8th grade for me.

Archmage Orintil · Jul 5, 2009

Knife making? Bladesmithing is a fine craft. I had a forge I built back in hicksville but I was only ever able to finish one blade. I had hoped to work my way up to larger blades and other weapons. Alas, something about safety regulations, fire hazards within city limits, and a lack of a license had authorities force me to dismantle the forge.

Dark Elf · Jul 5, 2009

Regrettably, I have never made any blades, only the handle and the sheath.

A friend of a friend of mine called André Andersson does this shit though. I have seen some of those blades, and they are just as awesome as the ones on his website.

He also made this gauntlet, called "Odin's Arm":

Desire burns in me.

Archmage Orintil · Jul 7, 2009

That gauntlet represents everything I've ever wanted to achieve except dictatorship over all life and ascension to godhood.

Jungle Japes · Jul 7, 2009

It's probably not very comfortable. Kinda like a nice pair of dress shoes: very stylish, but a pain to wear.

Dark Elf · Jul 7, 2009

No pain, no gain.

Archmage Orintil · Jul 7, 2009

Armor that caused medieval jock itch while someone is trying to bash your skull in wouldn't be in high demand I'd imagine.

DarkFool · Jul 8, 2009

oh. ouch. medieval jock itch. As if plastic wasn't bad enough, but steel? oh dear god. >_<

Silvara · Jul 12, 2009

Some random stuff -
http://gizmodo.com/349300/steampunk-nerf-weaponry
http://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mv...O&Product_Code=WON-PORTHOLE&Category_Code=WON
http://vladislausdantes.deviantart.com/art/Flintlock-Saber-Pistols-94079265
Last guy's gallery has some other cool things too.

TheDavisChanger · Jul 12, 2009

This may not be news to many of you, but Silvara's steam-powered heart t-shirt link reminded me of this shirt that a co-worker of mine bought. He was especially impressed by the billows-as-lungs aspect.

Muro · Jul 12, 2009

Silvara said:

http://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mv...O&Product_Code=WON-PORTHOLE&Category_Code=WON
Click to expand...

Steam powered heart with radiation warning on it...?!

rosenshyne · Jul 13, 2009

Two for the price of one geeky!

rroyo · Apr 17, 2010

This has got to be the ultimate computer center:

Read more about it here:

http://steampunkworkshop.com/organ-cockpit-desk

*mops drool from desk*

Charonte · Apr 17, 2010

Screw the workstation, I want the entire house:
http://www.onlinepropertyshowcase.com/showcase/10328/

Worse, you can actually order the desktops from the makers of that one. You think one years annual income will cover it?

Dark Elf · Apr 17, 2010

If I'd ever risk it committing robbery, I would do it for the sake of that desktop.

magikot · Apr 17, 2010

Dark Elf said:

If I'd ever risk it committing robbery, I would do it for the sake of that desktop.
Click to expand...

Fly into boston. That home is about 40 minutes south. And I'm about an hr west of the home if you need somewhere to hide.

rroyo · May 6, 2010

How cool is this?

A fellow named markf, over at the Brass Goggles forum, made a levitating terrarium.
Here's his complete post.

INTRODUCTION:

My steampunk office cubicle ( http://brassgoggles.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,17471.0.html ) needed some plants, but I like kinetic art, a bit of a problem. Granted plants do move, but unless one has stop-motion photographic vision they just sort of sit there looking pretty. How to get them off their lazy rhizoids and dance for my amusement, that’s the question.

The solution, while staying within my turn of the century ‘Torchwood 1899’ cubicle design theme, is a levitating mossarium which is kept afloat by mysterious reverse engineered alien technology (or perhaps a used magnetic levitating toy for $10 USD on Ebay, http://www.opticsale.com/galileo-gravitator-gg1-1250-prd1.html ).

PITIABLE PROTOTYPE:

My prototype design had 4 holes punched in the sides of the globe as well as one in the bottom with a few straggley spider plants and air ferns (non-plants) sticking out of them.

I wasn't quite certain what was wrong but it looked odd. After testing it over a 2 month period to make certain the plants would survive the semi-enclosed domed environment my office colleagues commented that the ball looked primarily like one of three things;

(a) The Star Wars 'Death Star' gone all environmentally friendly;
(b) The 'Phantasm' killer flying sphere re-envisioned as some environmental action group's grass ‘weapon’;
(c) An old guy with unkempt hair plugs.

Bottom line - any way you looked at it, this design was not a pleasing image for many.

FINALLY FINISHED:

Design:

For the final device I lopped off the top half of the globe and repositioned/raised the center magnetic steel bar encased in plastic to change how high it 'floated' within the structure – between being only half a sphere and raising the center bar it was lighter and therefore hovered a bit higher than before. This gave me more wiggle room to put plants into the bottom half of the sphere without it sinking too low and breaking the magnetic field. There’s nothing quite as annoying as a half a ball of moss rolling around the office floor.

Flora:

Spider plants do not appear to weigh much but when you add a soil and water it makes quite a difference to the weak magnetic field of the device. The ball would frequently either fall down towards the ground or up to the top electromagnet but maintain a state of stasis in the magnetic field it would not (oh oh, starting to speak like Yoda, that can't be good).

The solution was to get less porky plants, or more specifically, ones that did not require a weighty support system of soil and water.

Out went the spideys and in came a few dollars worth of Tillandsia Usneoides (aka fine Spanish moss or air plants) from the local garden shop. After 3 months of twirling around inside the dome they seem perfectly fine as long as they get regular atomized water sprays with an occasional spritz of dissolved plant food. And of course if for some reason they go to that big greenhouse in the sky who can tell, they sort of look like dead packaging material when they’re healthy. A little green touch-up from the office magic marker and they’re kind of good as new (yes, horticulturalists everyone just gasped in disbelief, I know, but if it worked for ‘Weekend At Bernies’ then it ought to fly here).

Under the hovering ball went a 4.7 inch petri culture dish filled with some Sphagnum moss I found on my property. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources says there are 20 species Sphagnum mosses in the state and the bunch I found looks like 5 or 6 of nearly identical species so I can’t tell which is which but Sphagnum it is. There are 3 blue LEDs in the base of the device which illuminate the bottom of the petri dish, giving it a bit of a mad science feel. The glass dome is open at the bottom a bit so there is always some airflow, though I do remove the dome and keep it off hours when spraying it 2-3 times per week.

PLANT MOVEMENT:

The moss goes for a ride 8 hrs/day as the toy’s electromagnets randomly spin the globe left for a time then change to the right. The ride is frictionless, or better said, there’s essentially no mechanical friction on the half dome except for air resistance.

Here’s a couple of quick1e (11 and 12 second) movie clips of the mossarium in motion with different lighting.

steam - mossarium2 - IMG_0225.MOV
steam - mossarium1 - IMG_0225.MOV

Note: the next generation of these levitation devices is here and will provide much more flexibility with making fun steamy things. For example, this one from ThinkGeek has no side supports, and you can remove the magnetic disk from inside the globe and place anything you want on top of it as long as it does not exceed 3 oz and you don’t muck up the balance point. If you use Styrofoam or other lightweight materials you can have large hovering gears, airships, whatever. Many possibilities for original ideas there. markf

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/cubegoodies/c780/
Click to expand...

Archmage Orintil · May 12, 2010

Not as cool as many others, but at least it's mine, and didn't cost a dime. Built from garbage I habitually bring back to the lair.

Log in or Sign up

Who needs steampunk?

Dark Elf Administrator Staff Member

Archmage Orintil New Member

Dark Elf Administrator Staff Member

Archmage Orintil New Member

Dark Elf Administrator Staff Member

Archmage Orintil New Member

Jungle Japes Well-Known Member

Dark Elf Administrator Staff Member

Archmage Orintil New Member

DarkFool Nemesis of the Ancients

Silvara New Member

TheDavisChanger Well-Known Member

Muro Well-Known Member

rosenshyne New Member

rroyo Active Member

Charonte Member

Dark Elf Administrator Staff Member

magikot Well-Known Member

rroyo Active Member

Archmage Orintil New Member

Log in or Sign up

Who needs steampunk?

Dark Elf Administrator Staff Member

Archmage Orintil New Member

Dark Elf Administrator Staff Member

Archmage Orintil New Member

Dark Elf Administrator Staff Member

Archmage Orintil New Member

Jungle Japes Well-Known Member

Dark Elf Administrator Staff Member

Archmage Orintil New Member

DarkFool Nemesis of the Ancients

Silvara New Member

TheDavisChanger Well-Known Member

Muro Well-Known Member

rosenshyne New Member

rroyo Active Member

Charonte Member

Dark Elf Administrator Staff Member

magikot Well-Known Member

rroyo Active Member

Archmage Orintil New Member

Useful Searches