RivetBeard

This week's mostly been lots of small jobs on different projects, so here's another from the archives. This is a replica of one of the hand cannons used by the Dola Gang in "Laputa: Castle in the Sky" that I made in 2019. Creating something from a hand drawn animation as a physical object in the real world was a bit of a challenge, but very rewarding to see it come to life!

#

And another one for fun 😛 (Matt for scale)

The aeroplane (Storm Petrel's 'chariot') is really starting to come together! Been up at my friend Matt's this weekend doing a first assembly and sorting out some of the finer details. He's done a cracking job on the design for this one - it really looks the part!
(And I'm quite pleased with how my instrument panel looks in the cockpit 😅)

Something else I'm working on at the moment; a facsimile of a "Home Medicine Chest" like the ones that were popular in the 18th - 19th centuries.

Mad Scientist (3/3)
And what mad scientist would be complete without a self-built raygun? This one has the flash circuit from a disposable camera in it, meaning it gives out a pulse of light when the trigger's pulled, followed by a satisfying "EEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeee" noise as it recharges!

Mad Scientist (2/3)
As you may be able to tell, this project was heavily inspired by Metropolis! I've come to call this thing an "omnibobulator," as I have no idea what it is or what it does. Ideas anyone?

Mad Scientist (1/2)
And to wrap up, a couple of things I made for a mad scientist outfit in 2022.

Mining Props (4/4)
And finally the outfits themselves, modelled by my dad and I! The idea for these came from my friend 's idea for the rise of the occult in a steampunk 19th century, where industrialisation led miners to dig too deep and disturb ancient things that should have stayed buried....

I have to say, they are far more comfortable than most steampunk outfits in the middle of the summer! 😅

Mining Props (3/4)
A couple of other bits; these helmet lamps are based off carbide lamps used historically for mining, while the sigil pendant is sculpted from polymer clay to imitate a slate-like stone. The helmets themselves are original but unissued pit-helmets, made in Thetford and still complete with coal dust!

Mining Props (2/4)
Probably my favourite piece from this set, the idea of a Lovecraftian Davey lamp turned reliquary came to me in a strange fever dream one day, and I knew then I had to build it!

Mining Props (1/4)
Next on the list of loose ends - props for the possessed miner outfits I made for my dad and I in 2022. The foam and balsa wood pick and hammer are great fun to carry around!

Helicopter Details (4/4)
What is camphozene I hear you ask? Well, it's an archaic sounding made up fuel, based on the fact that early internal combustion engines used a mixture of gasoline, alcohol or benzene, sometimes with turpentine or camphor added to the mix. The "High-Test" comes from the fact that early gasoline was graded into "high-test" and "low-test" by testing a sample and seeing how well it burnt.

Helicopter Details (3/4)
As seven of each were needed, the spark plugs and valve heads for the engine were moulded in silicone then cast in urethane resin. Strange how a helicopter uses the same spark plugs as my garden strimmer isn't it? 😉

Helicopter Details (2/4)
This engine was heavily inspired by the LeRhone rotary engines of WWI, although technically this is supposed to be a radial engine! The cylinders are made from corrugated drainage pipe and the centre contains the batteries and motor to spin the rotors.

I was particularly pleased with how the "heat rainbow" effect on the exhausts came out on this!

Helicopter Details (1/4)
These rotor blades are made from underfloor insulation foam and coated with papier-mache. The paint scheme was inspired by one of the propeller designs for the Mitsubishi Zero!

Next up...the second thing I ever shared on IG! This helicopter was the second big Storm Petrel project, built by my friend Matt and I in 2022 (he dealt with the main structure, while I did the mechanics and detailing). It was designed to be our runabout for getting to/from the airship, and is based on a WWI Austro-Hungarian observation craft called the PKZ-2!

It's since been upgraded with a foghorn and a more powerful motor for spinning the rotors, and still comes out to events with us, though that may be changing soon...

Tomorrow I'll share some detail of the parts I worked on.

What's this, a post not on a Sunday? Breaking my own rules already? I thought to mark the launch of this page I'd share some finished pics of projects I only posted WIP's of previously over on instagram 😅

First up, the first build I ever shared over on IG! Finished in 2021, this "bulkhead" set was supposed to represent a small section of the interior and exterior of the M/V Storm Petrel, our steam/dieselpunk pirate airship, and was the first really big thing I worked on. It includes a window (with Gatling gun) and the radio operator's station, and can be packed into the back of a small hatchback....though there's not much room for anything else, which is why it doesn't come out very often!

Ahoy Internet! I've finally decided to get organised and share some of the things I make with you all on a more regular basis. So starting from today I'll be posting every week on (usually not this late), on both instagram and facebook. And I have LOTS of content from old projects that I never got around to sharing, so I'll be slowly letting that on weeks when I don't have much to show.

Also check out my analogue photography page Photography

Anyway, for this first week's post, here's the instrument panel I've been working on for this year's Airship Pirate flying a machine! More on this project to follow....