Stirring Adventures and Mad Mods! Saving the world one questionable decision at a time.
Steampunk Projects in The Lab
In the Lab with P. Phinneas, the Fearless Fabricator – steampunk projects, mad science, and more…
Making and modification of weapons for Steampunk gear.
So far the lab has produced two hand held weapons that are unique and original in their formation. A couple of others still on the work bench, are incomplete and will be written up later. The first is Madame von Hedwig needle gun, a pistol out of brass lamp bits and hobby supplies. The second is a modification of a toy cap rifle with Adolphus.
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Madame, being a women at ease with plants and their uses desired a weapon that could deploy her practical knowledge at range. Thus a weapon that could rapidly fire needles containing a selection of sedatives, poison or toxins seem the best choice. Being that Hera dislike bulky gear that distracts from her normal peaceful social interaction with the world a pistol was ideal.
Continue Reading…
By Madame vonHedwig on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
I have a pouch on my adventure belt for a field observation notebook, but alas! none of my existing notebooks fit in my pouch. To remedy this I spent a snowy afternoon making myself a notebook to fit. I copied a wonderful technique from Meredith Scheff who blogged about it at Steampunk Workshop but did not include process photos. I took way too many process photos and have created a tutorial in the von_Hedwig Flickr photostream.
This is a great project to do with kids, even young kids, especially if you start with an existing notebook and cover it with this technique. I only had to buy one supply item, everything else came out of the recycling!
To cover a notebook you need:
clear gesso (art suppy shop, craft store – look in the painting aisle)
crumpled brown paper (paper grocery bags or shipping material)
watercolor paint
notebook
To make a notebook:
corrugated cardboard
paper
sturdy fabric scrap
stout needle
button thread
The tutorial shows the making of a notebook. If you want to cover an existing notebook, start here with h-glue paper to outside of notebook.
the Camera case project
P.P. von Hedwig with Camera on Marscon '10 adventure
Some projects happen out of practicality, for example the need for a power supply with which to etch brass and copper. Others, come from the desire to make a cool piece of art, like the steampunk burlesque fans. Still others come from the desire for original and swank jank , as in decoder dials and Madam von Hedwig’s pouches. This project was motivated out of a mix of being too jaded by my digital SRL camera to use an Instamatic and being too vain to ruin fine steampunk outfits with gear so clearly of the wrong technology.
The first step was to find a lamp base that was large enough to work with my wide lens. The idea was to be able to house the lens in a faux brass lens and have it be wide enough to not clip the edges of the lens view mounted behind it. I used a jig saw for the rough cutting and then tin snips followed by emery cloth for more finished edges. Note how I cut bendable flanges for the mounting of this faux lens.
My aesthetic choice was to have the faux lens mounted in the center of the front. To decide where this would be and the dimension of the front was to measure from the screw mount for tri pod to longest side of the camera and add a half inch for room plus the thickness of the wood I was using to build the case. To keep the case as light as possible, but strong, luann was my preferred material. Luann is really to thin to fasten without finger joints, so I used scrap of ¾ stock to glue the top and side to one another. The height of the case was set by how much space my big hands require to access the controls of my camera.
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The camera itself is mounted on an aluminum scrap out of a neighbor’s trash. I drilled holes were every ½ inch on the center line front to back in order to give mounting options for different lenses. This in turn was screwed down to a “U” of ½ inch plywood. Conveniently the tri-pod mount on cameras is a standard screw size, so a 1 inch bolt with a nut and washer on it will hold the camera in place. The screw will only go in so far, the nut and washer let me tighten the camera down with out using a short bolt.
The tripod was fairly simple, but could be tricky without a bandsaw, because of the angles in my design. Keep in mind that the platform the camera case sits on should be large enough to be strong and keep the camera stable. I chose a hexagon because the math was easy to work out for a three-leg mounting area. While in the picture of the test fitting the legs are held on by nails, for the finished project I used brass brazing rod sections. The camera case is mounted to the tri pod with a bolt through the bottom of the case, a few washers between the case and tripod platform, with a nut and washer under that. The tri-pod itself has a carrying strap attacted to one leg, the tail of which can be used to tie the legs together.
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I cut thin copper into strips folded long wise into right angle channel and glued them onto the case with Goop to masked the edges. A simple canvas strap into homemade “D” rings fixed with scrap cooper and screws make it portable. A black cloth hood is held in place with strips of black painted cardboard and staples, which the hood covers. Then I mounted a brass handle to the left side so I could handhold the unit. Found and salvaged objects further decorate the case.
The only two drawbacks I have found so far is that my access to the controls are limited, and that I often find myself desiring a flash for indoor photography. Using a hardwired shutter remote helps by letting me shoot without having to reach in to the case. Maybe at some point a mark II camera case will address the controls issue, but before that I’ll be making a wired remote flash assembly. Have a plan, but need to wait until I can afford a fifty-dollar part.
Perhaps my next tri-pod will look like this one we saw at an American Colonial living history outing.
This entry is part of a series, 12 Volt Power supply» aka
Swanking your jank
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Working hard in the lab, the corset post and exploring the world with the family have distracted me from posting the project I have completed. While I don’t apologize for my priorities, I do make an apology to those who have been checking in.
Not only did I finish the case for the ATX Power supply for myself, but I built a second for a good friend who is a fabulous tinker himself.
The wooden part of the cases themselves are simple wood working – plywood with the edges covered in oak veneers. I used luan was used for the grills, hand cut with a coping saw. While unfettered ventilation is important, but not wanting to sacrifice aesthetic, I brass painted some window screen and glued it behind the grill to help obscure internal components. The mark II has a black painted baffle halfway between the grill and the internal components to further aid this concealment. Wood stain and tongue oil help to give the wood parts a quality look.
Brass corners a dress up the edges of the vertical unit. Some sheet tin is sufficient to mount the power supply in the rear on the unit. I used some tin ceiling scraps for one and flashing scrap for the other. Screw holes for mounting are best made with a nail punch, instead of a drill, because the flanges re-enforce the holes a bit.
The name plate, terminal plates and switch plate were electro-etched using the power supplies themselves. If one looks closely at the horizontal unit, it can be observed that the terminal plates and switch plate and switch plate are in negative image. Mistakes do happen when one is in a hurry! This is my lab power supple, and being dyslexic, I thought I would leave them this way to help me remember to check the orientation of my etching resistor transfer in the future.
All tubes and coils were made for the project. Painted window screen, plastic from water bottles, construction paper, old phone wire, thin sheet copper, painted steel wool and metallic tape were key components in this process. Each is internally lit with an LED, in series with a resistor power by the un-used 5 volt capacity of the ATX unit. Simple and effective LED tools can be found at http://led.linear1.org/1led.wiz to help with resistor value selection. My favorite tubes were not the ones I tried to made like vacuum tubes, but the ones where I got creative and just did my thing.
More pictures of this project can be found here.
This is a contenuation of the:
This entry is part of a series, Construction of Custom Corsets» Part -1
Constrution Corset, square neck brown canvas corsets
Part 2
This is part three of a living document on making custom corsets. It will be edited, revised, and have new information and links added as readers post comments. So please post your comments, questions and tips so that other can learn from your experience as well as mine.
This is one of those projects in which precision is your friend. The more precise your work is, the easier the project will be. Deviation in this kind of project seems to multiply, causing more and more problems as you work. I over build corsets a bit, so I am going to show a heave duty method, that with one modification can be used to make a corset in which the boning sleeves don’t show on the outer layer. This one’s edge will be finished with homemade bias tape, but later I’ll try to show other edge finishing methods.
It’s time to choose boning to stiffen your corset. Traditionally, wood and whale bone where common, with upwards of a hundred staves in a single garment. Today’s cheap corset, bustier and merry widow have light wieght narrow plastic boning in them, often leading to structural failure, even with the first wearing. Perhaps if used in the hundred plus numbers still they might hold up, but in truth they’re a waste of petrochemicals. You can buy corset bones in a variety of lengths and thicknesses from companies like Farthingales. While they have nice round rubber end, their lenth selection is limited, usually comes in only half inch and they are kind of pricey.
What I normal use is steel lumber-packing band, free on the floor of the lumber yard near you. It is strong, flexible, and commonly comes in 5/8 and 1 ¼ inch width. Trim to length with metal shears, round the end and cover with a bit of electrical tape (perhaps some spray paint if you’re that kind of person) and there’s your custom boning. These days, more lumber is coming in plastic packing band, so this corset is a mix of the two weights of plastic packing band I from laying around, with a double stack of the heavy weight inside of the grommet area. The heavier weight was also used as the boning between the breast. So far so good. Thus an occasional hand washable corset.
Set aside the cover layer for a while, once your have sewn it to match the tailored backing layer.
figure 02
figure 01
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Measure the width of your boning, and add and 1/8th inch for sewing variance. (5/8’ for the boning + 1/8’ variance = ¾’ inch) Now starting on a straight edge of a single layer your backing fabric, working with your grain start marking out your boning sleeves. For example, 5/8’ inch seam allowance, the ¾” for the boning, 5/8’ inch seam allowance, repeat for each piece of boning that will be in the corset. I mark every six inches up the fabric for consistency until they are about four inches long than I think I will need them to be. I also draw the cutting lines as I connect the mark in a different color, then the sewing lines around the boning. On this particular corset there is double boning in the front center, so I made a double sleeve by skipping the center seam allowance. (figure 2)
figure 03
The boning inside the grommet, under the lacing, the back edge in this corset doesn’t really need a sleeve, but the extra sleeve you cut gets sewn in to the backing layer to re-enforce the grommets. In figure 03 you should be able to see the seam allowance markings, a space for the boning and then the grommet re-enforcement strip. The rest of the sleeves are laid out on the backing layer where the boning is desired, then pinned into place. If in doubt, look at other corsets, the picture of the corset yours is modeled after, or a pattern for inspiration. Most of the time the sleeves stop at an edge, but sometime one must make an educated guess as to where to end a bit of boning. For example, when does the desire for support end and a shoulder strap begin? On this corset the boning is in a slight fan on the front. On a simple corset, most follow the seams. I often zig-zag down the edges, for strength.
Basting helps on this step. Quick and broad hand stitches not only let the seamstress precisely align the sleeves, but also do a better job of keeping the layers’ seams aligned and maintaining the position of various pieces while machine sewing. Sadly one of my sewing weaknesses is a failure to baste when it’s optional, so I have no examples to show.
figure 04
figure 05
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Instead I just preceded to sew down the sides and top of each sleeve, leaving the bottom open. Better to make the sleeve a bit too wide than too narrow. With the right sides of the backing layer and outer layer the together, sew the grommet edges, then turn right side out. Be careful to push out this seam (with a pin or a ruler from the inside), and press, to prevent making a pocket. (figure 04) Sew down the edge about an 1/8” in from the edge. Then sew a parallel seam in from the width of your boning plus 1/8”, and a third parallel seam in from that based on the width of your grommets plus 1/8”.
figure 06
figure 07
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At this point the easiest thing to do is to line up and pin the seams of the outer and backing layer across the top and arm holes . Don’t finish the bottom yet. Sew the two layers together 5/8” from edge. (figure 05) Trim to a scant ¼ inch.
A design choice for this corset was to have boning stiching show on the front of the corset. When sewing though all layers it is important that they line up. At three points along each seam a pin was pushed straight though to check the alignment before they were pinned together. It is best that the layers’ seams are with in a 16th of an inch of each other. (figure 07) Once again basting would help.
figure 08
figure 09
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Because this is a waist-altering corset, the addition of an internal canvas belt was put in for support. (Ideally this would be between the top layer and outside of the boning for maximum effectiveness.) (figures 08 and 09) It is important the belt run from grommets to grommets, and preferably has at least two grommets in each end. This was pinned at each boning sleeve. On this corset, because one of the boning stays ends where a shoulder strap starts, the stopping point of the sleeve was double checked and marked on the backside. Sewing carefully and accurately, the boning sleeves were re-sewn, through all the layers, still leaving the bottom of each sleeve open. (figure 10)
figure 10
figure 11
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Now I made matching bias strips into matching tape, and sewed them onto the top and arm holes, in order to finish those edges. Now I marked 5/8” on the inside, from the bottom of the corset for each stay sleeve. Each boning stay should be a ¼ or an inch shorter then from the top of the sleeve to this mark. Once all your boning is in place, then it is time to sew shut the bottom, being careful to not sew over the boning. Safety glasses are not out of place during this last few steps. (That’s right, time to USE those goggles!) Trim down to a scant ¼ inch and finish with bias tape. (figures 11 , 12 and 13)
Grommet Time – but first a soapbox rant. The common fabric store grommets I have found to be an abomination. Most are light duty, made out of thin metal. Typically the two parts of these cheap grommets both have a notched barrow that fit one in another. (Good grommets – one side has a solid barrow and the other side is a washer.) They don’t fit tight, once set, so the force of the lacing is not defused and fraying is not checked. Sometimes their edges are even sharp and will cut the fabric as you put them in. After all the hard work you have put in so far, don’t start cutting corners now. If you are in a hurry, maybe your local hardware store has heavy-duty grommets. Better yet plan ahead and order some and the setting tools from a corset notions supplier.
figure 12
figure 13
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The grommets for this corset were set 1” on center and just about a 1/8” in from the first stay. Mark them in chalk, double check their alignment, then punch the holes for them. A hammered punch into a piece of hard wood works better for fabric than a hand punch. Set your grommet. Lace it up with ribbon, shoe laces or parachute cord (it comes in almost as many colors as thread from online sources) and its finally done. (
figure 14
figure 14)
Some other notes, for the curious:
A modesty panel is a 2-4” wide double sided strip of fabric running down the length of the corset behind the grommets and lacing. It is sewn only down one side. You can add a ¾” modesty panel behind the button side of a busk as well.
An alternative to re-enforced boning sleeves is to sew the back and front together to form a sleeve between the out and the backer later. This is a method I would only use for a limited wear corset, and it has to have a heavy outer layer.
Another way to finish the top and bottom edges is to sew the outer and backing layer faces together at all but the grommet lacing edge and turn the piece right-side out for hand sewing and grommeting. Topstitching will crisp the top and bottom edges, but be care about breaking needles when you sew over instead of around boning.
If people are interested, I’ll posted some examples of the other finishing variations, making you own boning, or making your own bias tape. Homemade bias tape is the bees knees, and isn’t hard to make.
Farthingales is a reliable but pricey source of corset making supplies.
Folkwear Patterns has the best pattern paper I have found.
This entry is part of a series, Construction of Custom Corsets» Part 1 was the custom pre-pattern
Part 3 adding-structure-to-the-back-layer-finishing-and-boning-in-a-corset/
Figure 1
This is part two of a living document on making custom corsets, as it will be edited, revised, have new information and links added as readers post comments. So please post your comments, questions, and tips so that we can learn from your experience as well as mine.
For this step you can you have some options for the pattern material. For years, I used newspaper because it was free. It has many drawbacks, beside the whole smearing ink issue. Notes written on the pattern can be hard to read, it does not hold up well and just ages poorly in general. Pattern tracing paper is another option. The stuff I have found in the fabric stores is wretched stuff, because it is flimsy, weak and hard to write on. Now, I use the pattern tracing paper stocked by the people at Folkwear.com. It’s not expensive and doesn’t have the drawbacks of the other pattern materials. For simplicity’s sake, no matter your choice, I’ll call it “pattern paper”.
If you are making an heirloom, a garment for a paying client, or a single layer (such as an undergarment) corset, coutil is prime choice for corset backing fabric. It is pricey, and Farthingales seems to be the only reliable source of it I have found so far. However, canvas or heavy canvas duck will work just fine for multi-layer or limited wear corsets. You will need about a yard to a yard and half for the under-layer, stay sleeves and grommet re-enforcing.
Corset can be built one layer fabric, two layers or three layers. Common retail is the two layer corset, with a cover layer and a backing layer. For this description we are using a backing layer, a cover layer and sleeves for the boning.
Figure 2
Start by marking some alignment notches, double notches, etc at different levels on both sides of the various seams. Mark the top, grain line and also label the panels (front, front side, side, rear side, rear, etc.) Now cut the duct tape pre-pattern apart on the seam lines you drew on it while it was on the client. Think about how the seam will work as you sew the (eventual) fabric back together. (figure 3 & 4) Make sure to remove the reduction curves from the pre pattern. The individual pieces should at this point lay out fairly flat.
Figure 3
Figure 4
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Figure 5
Now you are ready to make the pattern from the pre-pattern. You can work on the floor, but a table is better. Banish the cat. Lay out your pre-pattern pieces on the pattern paper, leaving about an inch minimal from any edge, and an inch and a half between any pieces. (figure 5) One at a time, press each pre-pattern piece flat while you trace around it. A clever seamstress can shift the pieces a bit to deal with curve in the pre-pattern, however the less experienced should probably trace them as they lie. Transfer notches, tops, label, etc to pattern. Set aside the pre-pattern. You shouldn’t need it again if all goes well, but it can be helpful for thinking your way out of a problem.
Figure 6
Once all parts are traced out use a ruler or a hemming ruler to make a consistent seam allowance around each pattern.(figure 6) For a 5/8” seam allowance I mark a ½ inch, to compensate for tracing expansion from the pre-pattern to the pattern. I use a different color marker for my seam allowance than my pattern tracing to avoid confusion. If the seam allowance overlaps from one pattern piece to another, make sure to mark the area that is going to be a bit shy and try to make it obvious. Transfer your notch marking out to the seam allowances lines. Finally, cut out the pattern on the seam allowance line.
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Figure 7
Figure 8
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Take a moment to look at what you have. Experiment mentally or physically with the pieces just to double check how they will work. For example, in figure ??? I have marked for a seam to end in a dart. For ease of fitting, I have decided to make this into two separate pattern pieces instead. After cutting them apart, because I used quality pattern tracing paper, I was able to sew on some scraps, add seam allowances, and then trim them.(figures 7 & 8 )
You are ready to start on the backing layer. Lay out and pin down the pattern piece on your coutil or canvas, being conscious of how the grain will minimize stretch and straighten the garment. DON’T CUT OUT THE COVER LAYER YET. Remember to include your notches. Once it’s all cut out, you’re ready to sew the pieces together. With contrasting curves you need to pin frequently and to pin a small gather of fabric where the seam will be, if you want a tidy seam.( figure 9 ) If you want to use a busk in the front, heavily but temporary baste that seam to gether. Do not sew the lacing / grommet edges together, however you can zig-zag stitch the edge to minimize fraying. Just keep in mind none of these seams are set in stone yet.
Figure 9
It’s fitting time. These next two fitting step are important to the process, so pay attention.
Step one is the fitting itself, and you are going to wish you had six extra steam-powered hands, and could sew the backing layer on the Client. Try the corset backing on the client. (Client here – as in the pre-pattern, wear whatever you intend to wear under the corset, if anything, and hold still! Or get stuck with pins.) Pin the top and bottom closed at the lace/grommet area. The waist will not stay pinned closed if you are making a corset with any shape to it whatsoever. Use your hands to pull this area closed as you look at the shape of the backing layer.
It should just fit at the top and be a tad loose on the hip so as not to bunch up the Client’s skin or cut in. I use pins when I can to fit, if not I use chalk marks and sewing by matching seams, removing old seams, and refitting, until I am happy. Once the top and bottom are correct move to tailoring the belly. The stomach of a corset should be flat or slightly concave if the client’s body allows. The chest is next, perhaps with some adjustment to get the cleavage where and how you want it, to allow tailoring to keep the desired position.
Then, on to the waist. It is amazing how much one can safely, and with minimal discomfort, compress the side of the waist between the floater ribs and the top of the hips. The floater ribs can only take a little compression and the rib cage itself is best to avoid, unless the client really knows what s/he is getting into. A good rule for corset beginners is, if you can just pull the back closed with your hand, the corset should be comfortable for the client. Ask to make sure.
Step two is to transfer any new seams to both pattern pieces that each new seam affects. ( figure 10 ). Measure new seam allowances off of these new pattern lines, remembering to transfer notches. Trim the pattern on the new seam allowances.
Now, you’re ready to cut and sew the cover fabric to match the backing layer. Lay pattern pieces out on the fabric so the cut out pieces will look their best when sewn, paying attention to grain and design of cover fabric. Also you can clip the seam allowance to help curves lay flat, and zig-zag stitch all the seams on the backing layer down flat, which also helps re-enforce the seams.
Figure 10
In part three I’ll show you how to finish up the custom corset.
By Madame vonHedwig on Sunday, September 13th, 2009
I apologize for failing to post last week. It is the end of summer, where the great airship is moored, and there was music, and music, and water, and water, all of which had to be enjoyed. After all, we must have time off from posting, so that we may have more adventures to post about! I shall try to make it up to you with an extra post, the first in a series of character introductions. Allow me to make known to you my estimable and most cherished husband…
The Fearless Fabricator
P. Phinneas vonHedwig
Scion of an ancient Prussian family, the Fearless Fabricator followed ancestral tradition and attended the prestigious Academy, where for centuries, scientists have gone to hone their mad skills. His academic career proved memorable; he was asked to leave mid-way through his senior year, escorted from the smoking ruins of the Moreau Genetics Wing by grim-faced faculty and cheering students.
Mystery clouds his post-Academy adventures, but he soared back to international prominence with his invention of the Veritiscope, a revolutionary moving picture device, which he used to document the hurly-burly, risque world of Parisian burlesque and circus performers.
He shocked his family by marrying a “showy nobody” (in his mother’s words) and taking to the skies in his airship, the Schoneluft, rather than taking over the family estates on his father’s death.
He travels the world with his remarkable family, inventing and agitating, saving the world, one questionable decision at a time.
This entry is part of a series, How to Etch» 
Electro-Etching or the electrolytic technique of etching is basically the same process as when one over charges a galvanic cell (as in a lead acid car battery or a cell phone battery) except here one wants corrosion, but warping and shorting out is still bad. This step requires a 12 volt power source, for example a car battery, a car battery charger or a converted ATX computer power supply. I use the latter, but if you a going to use a battery I suggest two things. One, remember car batteries have more than enough amps to kill you and, two, you should put a switch in the positive line to avoid sparks when controlling the current. I use 14 or 12 gauge solid copper wire for a anodes in the bath. I place about two or three for a small bath. The work piece itself is the cathode. You’ll need a clear vessel; I use a bottom ¾ of a water bottle for etching in, a mason jar for mixing the solution in, an old tooth brush, some jumper wires and copper sulfate. Copper sulfate, you say! Where the heck do I get !*?#@ Copper Sulfate. Well one needs look no further than the hardware store in the plumbing section. I bought root kill, but any similar product should work if you read the label.
To start, fill the mason jar about 2/3 full of warm. Add copper sulfate crystals and stir until no more will dissolve into the solution. After letting it sit, I found that further stirring allowed the some of the undissolved crystals to dissolve. So I added more and repeated the process, for the more copper sulfate in the solution, the better it will work. Once I was happy with the solution, I racked it off into the etching vessel, leaving the slurry of crystals behind.
Now that the solution is ready, I use an alligator clip to attach the positive power feed to the work piece, then submerge it into solution. I leave a tab on the work piece so that the clip itself is not in the solution. Next I place the anodes into the solution and clip the wire to the negative feed. Keep the anode and cathode about 1 inch or so apart. Energize the bath and the process should be visible. Hydrogen bubbles will appear and brown oxidation form on the anode.
Oxidation gathers on the anode, so to keep the process optimum, the power can be turned off and anode can be clean with a toothbrush. The cathode can be cleaned similarly but one must be ginger. Because of the amps involved, resistors are an expensive option to limit the power flow, but I have been told that one can use 12v light blubs in series, for this purpose. I am of the more power, not less, school of thought, so I have not tried this.
Once the desired level of etching has occurred, power off, disassemble and it’s time to clean the piece. Carburetor cleaner seems to remover the toner, but I would like to find a less broad, less harsh solvent. The solution itself can be reused. If let to set the oxidation will settle and you can rack the clean solution off of it. The oxidation, after evaporation, can be used with varnish to make a metallic paint. I wonder if Madam could use it to retard the growth of roots in non-food production plants?
Avoid hot electrical connections (by using power switches), open flame, and work in a ventilated area. Don’t blow this off. Why? BECAUSE THIS PROCESS GENERATES HYDROGEN GAS.
Remember, this process is using amps of power. Amps, not volts, kill and one amp is enough to stop your heart. Minor shocks can cause muscle contraction. While a entertaining effect, these a can lead to other accidents due to failing limbs. If you feel cavalier enough to work with live voltage do as a mentor taught me, one hand on your work, one hand on your belt.
Other ideas I have yet to experiment with. Notice the untested bit, please. I was wondering about having different sized anode plate, instead of just wires, and their ratio to the work piece. Trying hot water for making the solution. Also I have been do some reading about using a small aquarium air pump and air stone or similar ideas to keep the solution agitated, to speed up the process. More on this when inspiration hits.
Hmmm … electrically generating hydrogen gas….. Something I probably will not ether journal on.
Two good places to start your own research are:
http://www.greenart.info/galvetch/contfram.htm
Jake von Slatt ‘s, 01/10/2007 post http://steampunkworkshop.com/electroetch.shtml
Part one of Etching may be found here.
By Madame vonHedwig on Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
For fear of little men!*
Before Yule, there was quite a bit of top secret crafting here on the airship. We promised to tell you about it, so here’s mine. Being a German family, the Nutcracker figures prominently on the mantle. (the objet d’art, not the ballet) We have acquired a small collection over the years, and in the last two holiday seasons I have added to it myself.
This year I made this one. I am nearly as delighted with the little fellow as I am with he who inspired him. It is, of course, a portrait of my beloved husband, the Fearless Fabricator. I got the hair just right, didn’t I? (Compare with the In the Lab photo)
And look at his wee belt. He’s sporting a telescope, and a disruption device (it’s like a grenade, but instead of shrapnel it produces a gentler distraction, such as loud music, or a plague of locusts), and lovely gears and deadly sharp clock hands.
Although I will need to get myself a lathe or develop a better source for some of my future nutcracker ideas, I was able to make this fellow from a paint-your-own kit, slightly kit-bashed about the head. For Herr vonHedwig it was relatively simple to even out the brim of the soldier nutcracker’s hat to make it a topper.
Last year’s kit-bash was considerably more difficult, as my dedicated lab assistant had to saw, file, and sand the crown off of the prince kit and round off his head into a semblance of normal head shape. I am delighted with the result though, especially Etaine’s woad and eye painting. If you don’t know who this is, you should acquaint yourself with him immediately!
* From “The Fairies” by William Allingham, Pre-Raphaelite poet, friend of D.G. Rosetti, and precursor to W.B. Yeats.**
** Yeats considered him so, as he was an Irish poet working in English.
