Thursday, July 23, 2015

Moving Parts

It really is about the moving parts.


The lot of gauges I purchased on E-Bay arrived today. There are some pretty cool ones in the mix.

At least they have moving parts and it should be entertaining to design a circuit that will generate random voltages to put them in motion.


I like the idea of creating motion mechanically rather than electrically. Today it occurred to me that the spring in a music box might be the answer for that. I picked up a music box at the Salvation Army store and confirmed that with the plinky music thing removed it is a quiet motive force with a fair amount of torque. The next problem to solve is transferring that force to another gear.



It occurs to me that this should be part of the backstory:


Back before computers were affordable (about 1981) I built this one with visions of it growing into a complete computer or at least something that had entertaining blinking lights. It never quite worked but it was great entertainment to assemble.  






Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Chicken or the Egg?

Today's internal battle is the question: Should I accumulate supplies that are project worthy and rely on them to generate the inspiration to become a project OR should I decide what the project is going to be, then seek out the items required to make it?


I did accumulate some supplies today. I'm still not sure of the correct answer to my question.







P.S. I am kind of fascinated by the "page views" info I get regarding the blog. There was an unprecedented 22 page views on July 19th. A day I did not post anything or make any comments on FB. Where did they come from?

Friday, July 17, 2015

Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced

"Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced." - Lev Tolstoy



A lot industrial art uses old gauges for decoration. It is my hope to design some circuitry that will cause the gauges to be in motion. Needles flipping up and down at random.


I put a bid in on this lot:








Yesterday I made inquiries at Harrison Center For The Arts. I'm not sure its a perfect spot for me but it looks interesting and definitely worth looking in to.

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Kinetic Art

In a recent conversation about kinetic art I was reminded about this little project.




As I consider possible (sellable) projects while kinetic art  is on my mind I keep going back to clock pendulums. One possibility is a small grouping of anniversary clock pendulums. It would be cool to use old ones like these:





Logistically it makes more sense to use battery powered like these:



Sunday, July 12, 2015

It doesn't fall far from the tree

My father is fond of saying, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Actually, he is even more fond of saying, "The Nut doesn't fall far from the tree." In either case, I believe he is correct. I can look back at the history of his building projects, and his father's building projects and have a clear  understanding that somewhere in my genetic code is the thing that drives my desire to build stuff.



My dad's most recent project:


It is a four wheel drive four wheel steer vehicle.



He calls it the "worthless toy."  Based on past history, it will eventually be coated with paint in a bright color.

This is the one he drives in the local parades:




It was made from a truck chassis. Of course a second transmission was added to get the gearing down into the correct range for a tractor.

Following the tradition started by his father who built this one:



Fortunately one of Grandpa's home built tractors survived the ravages of time long enough to get some restoration work done.


This was built to sow wheat between the rows of corn. 
(Corn rows were a little wider back in the day.)

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Custom orders?

I suspect there is money to be made in building things to order.

This was made as a gift, so not exactly a custom order.


The recipient was pleased with the result even more than I anticipated, but I have worked in enough customer service situations to know that custom orders mean deadlines and a very high risk of hearing the words, "That is not what I wanted."

As I continue to debate with myself about this, I suspect the answer will only be determined when the specific situation presents itself.


Monday, July 6, 2015

I've jumped down the rabbit hole!

I stopped at a Salvation Army store just as a curiosity. I thought there would be a chance of finding some old clock parts or something similarly interesting that I could get on the cheap. Admittedly, various steam punk images and project ideas were swirling around in my imagination. So it was a little shocking to see this as soon as I stepped in the door.






Then, I realized it was attached to this:



All in remarkably good condition. It's value at an antique shop or at auction would have been out of my price range, but when they said $80 I couldn't leave without it.


I Imagine it could be the start of an interesting project, but it is too early to know. Lots of thoughts and possibilities are stirring around in my head.



Found on E-Bay:





Selling for $45 to $100



Saturday, July 4, 2015

Reminders for me


So, this happened back in August of 2011






Some good ideas to help keep me on track:








Thursday, July 2, 2015

When did it really start?

As I reflect on what has brought me to this point,  I think of a number of projects that got me here. Each one a step in my journey to become a constructionist.




















Perhaps it really started in my youth when I attempted to weld a brake shoe to a gas burner. It looked a little like an alien worm. I wish I had a picture of that one.

This is where it started

I am setting out on an adventure where my "occupation" is to build stuff. With this blog I'm sharing my journey with whomever is interested.


The idea that I might be capable of this started with this project:





After this project was complete it was being called art, but I really didn't feel qualified to call myself an artist. I did however decide that I could call myself a constructionist.