The Steampunk Workshop

Bad-ass photo of the day

Meredith Scheff — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:56:51 +0000

Shannon O'hare of the Neverawas Haul and Zachary Rukstela of Kinetic Steamworks share a scotch.

Just Look at this Blimp Lamp!

Jake von Slatt — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:43:03 +0000

I love this blimp lamp from Flaminio Bovino ! At first I thought this was a render--and we don't publish those here--but on closer examination it appears that the trusses are actually water-jet cut from steel and the brass bit are hand turned. It's real!

Not only real, they are for sale. I want one!

More info on the website. (larger image behind the cut.)

Fixing a musty smell in my 2007 Toyota Yaris

Jake von Slatt — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:54:27 +0000

Towards the end of last summer my 2007 Toyota Yaris developed a musty smell in the cabin whenever I ran the A/C. This is a common problem in many cars but the Yaris seems particularly susceptible, probably because it lacks a mesh screen behind the air intake vents below the windshield so debris can fall in and block the HVAC condensate drain.

Give this girl some cake: Steampunk Portal Gun

Meredith Scheff — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:51:10 +0000

DeviantArt user ~Batman_and_Bananas created this beautifuly detailed full scale Portal gun . She didn't just stop there, however- she also made a pair of Portal Boots, Bunson Battery, and some wallets to complete her Chell cosplay. Excellent job!

Bridgeport Series II CNC Gecko/Mach3 Conversion

Jake von Slatt — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 21:47:09 +0000

Last year I bought a broken Bridgeport Series II CNC milling machine with the intent to convert it to run on ArtSoft's Mach3 PC controller with Gecko G203V stepper drivers.

Well, the original intent was to replace only the BOSS 5 controller, but things got complicated.

. . .

Victorian RV - Bedroom Redecorated

Jake von Slatt — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:19:51 +0000

I've never been completely satisfied with the Captain's cabin of my bus. The original ceiling in this section was finished with perforated steel sound absorbing panels that did a good job making it quiet but collected soot and dirt and were virtually uncleanable. My solution to this problem was to cover them with cloth. At the same time I decided to cover the rearmost windows with insulation and to do some decorative wood working using the carcas of an old pump organ that was found in the trash by the roadside.

Click through for more pictures of the finished bedroom.

Steampunk Home Decor - Light Switch Plates

Jake von Slatt — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:17:36 +0000

A couple of months ago The Lady and I came to the realization that we had painted the walls and woodwork in every room in our home except for the master bedroom. Our house was built in the 1970's and this means beige and brown decor. Thus, our bedroom was just about the most depressing of any of the rooms in our home.

We set about to remedy this post haste! We began by painting the walls a pleasant sage green and changing the woodwork from a dark brown stained pine to a contrasting French Cream.

When it came time to change out the light switch plates, I thought I'd make a few in the Steampunk style.

More after the cut . . .

A Visit to a Steampunked Home

Jake von Slatt — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:16:37 +0000

If you dropped by my house you'd probably be disappointed. Because (with the exception of my office, which is more post-apocalytic than anything else) it's simply not very steampunk. I do have plans, but none have come to fruition.

However, a couple of weeks ago I was invited by Bruce Rosenbaum to visit his home in Sharon, Massachusetts and what I found there was just stunning!

Foundry Furnace - Final

Jake von Slatt — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:16:27 +0000

Here's the final iteration of my foundry furnace. I've re-built the burner to be fired with propane and waste oil rather than gasoline and waste oil. I built my oil injector based on plans from the wonderful folks over at Lionel Labs, it's essentially identical to "The Brute."

I also added a light pole. Since I have a day job, night-time is often my only opportunity for recreation of the metal melting sort.

Girl Genius Radio Theater Microphone

Jake von Slatt — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:16:17 +0000

I generally don't do commisions. But occasionally a conversation will spark an idea for a project and I'll create something like this microphone. In this case it was a conversation with Cheyenne Wright, one of the artists behind the Girl Genius webcomic and it took place at SteamCon 2009. Cheyenne, along with Kaja and Phil Foglio often perform Girl Genius Radio Theater skits at conventions and Cheyenne was looking for a microphone with the appropriate visual impact.

The project sounded interesting so I agreed to produce something, sometime. Steampunk Workshop is all about the slack, so I commit to no schedule, ever.

It's done when it's done.

In this case the microphone was done in time for SteamCon II where I was able to present it to Cheyenne.

Click through for the build log!