Steam, Brass and Fzz

Now with a little more steampunk style, and considerably less risk of electrocution, here is my rebuilt desktop Jacob’s Ladder. Ah, the smell of ozone in the morning!

More pictures and video here. Construction details are here.

Every mad scientist should have their own machines for making big sparks. This one only generates inch-long arcs, but it’s still noisy, dangerous and rather fun. More photos and some video are over here.

Today was a beautiful day in New York City, and at the suggestion of Mr Fats and Dr von Zarkov, I decided to explore Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and Green-Wood Cemetery nearby. What a lovely peaceful afternoon.

This is the old boathouse. The boat is the PV Independence, an electric boat.

And poor Mr Wood (indeed, that is his name) seems to be doing battle with the trees which are invading his mausoleum.

In the London Science Museum there is a wonderful aviation gallery; it’s not huge, but they have planes through the ages, including the Vickers Vimy that Alcock and Brown first flew non-stop across the Atlantic in 1919, eight years before Lindberg’s solo flight. They also have a fabulous collection of aeroplane engines, including the Maybach engine from a Zeppelin. But what really captured my imagination was the gondola from the airship Beta. Doesn’t this just make you want to build your own personal airship?

More pictures.

Dear friends,

Hidden away on the 7th floor of the ugliest building at University College London are a couple of glass display cabinets. Almost no-one knows they are there, and most people pass by without noticing them. Which is a shame, because the contents are really rather remarkable. Here is a collection from the very dawn of electronics, commemorating John Ambrose Fleming’s invention of the thermionic valve (or tube if you’re American).

I hope you find my pictures interesting.

Yours,

Fzz

Dear friends,

Here are a few pictures from my archives, of assorted steam locomotives, traction engines, and oddball machinery. Most of these date from the late 19th century, or very early 20th century.

- Fzz

PS. I just added some more pictures of strange unusual steam power: Fairlie Engines and Mountain Railways.

Dear friends,

Here is my latest creation. It’s a little more minimalist than the previous lamp; the aim was to capture the general impression of water level gauges on steam locomotives.

More pictures, and pictures of its construction.

- Fzz

Dear friends,

Here is my copper pipe lamp, complete with wonderful (if rather pricey) squirrel-cage bulbs.

More pictures, and pictures of its construction.

- Fzz