Tag Archives: steampunk

Santa Barbara wedding in the highest of Steamy style

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The internet is littered with photo albums of theme weddings meant to showcase the happy couple’s nerdom of choice (yes, camoflauge bridesmaids gowns and a John Deere cake is a nerdom. Seriously, look it up).  In the last few years Steampunk weddings have become increasingly popular, replacing Gone With The Wind and Star Wars weddings as the popular theme.  I’ve spent many, many hours pouring over album after album with many “oohs” and “aahs” and “OMG! Seriously?” echoing from my sewing room.  It wasn’t until this wedding album crossed my inbox did I feel that someone had done it completely and utterly to perfection.  It’s not overdone, its not underdone.  It’s tulle wrapped cogs on gossamer goggles and  eclectic rugs with all the whimsy of Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairies.  Please, judge for yourself:

http://ruffledblog.com/victorian-steampunk-wedding/

It does my geeky little heart proud that the Groom’s Processional was the Throne Room Theme from Star Wars: A New Hope.

Contraption Thursday: A.T.T.

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Automated Torque Telegrapher
The miracle of near-instantaneous messaging notwithstanding, recording and decoding telegraph messages is, at least, massively time consuming and, at worst, is the type of barbaric labor that a gentleman should avoid. Dr. Torque happens to be such a gentleman and has devised an elegant solution to this conundrum. Torque Laboratories is proud to present the Automated Torque Telegrapher, or A.T.T. for brevity’s sake. This ingenious contraption converts the crude dots and dashes of a wired transmission into a finely penned manuscript fit for the civilized eye. Its operation is a closely-guarded secret, and any specious mention of “orphan’s souls” will be met with the fiercest of lawsuits.

See this contraptionand more at Dr. Torque’s Traveling Exposition of Curious Contraptions and Fantastical Oddities at GMX October 21-23. Your donations will make it happen!

The Apparition Abolishers present Dr.Torque’s Traveling Exposition of Curious Contraptions and Fantastical Oddities

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Abolishers Exposition Promo Poster LARGE

 

Our exposition at GMX 3.0 was a tremendous success. We thank everyone involved, and especially those who attended and made for a wonderful time to be had by all.

If you are interested in inviting us to bring Dr.Torque’s Traveling Exposition of Curious Contraptions and Fantastical Oddities with the Clocktease Burlesque show to your convention or venue, please contact us to discuss!

Something fantastic this way comes when the Apparition Abolishers present their steampunk exposition at a convention or venue near you! Never before has such a stupefying collection of steam powered devices, odd creatures and beguiling ladies been brought together under a single roof. Come experience our gigantic tent full of steampunk delights.

We transport you to a complete Victorian exposition where the lines of science and fantasy are wonderfully blurred. Visitors will walk through and gaze upon all manner of ingenious contraptions and never before seen creatures. Also, for one night only, the Apparition Abolishers will present the alluring and quizzical romp of “Clocktease Burlesque,” a taste of the more titillating side of steampunk.

Is your curiosity piqued? Perhaps you’d also be intrigued to know that on display will be many of the ingenious contraptions designed by renowned industrialist Mortimer J. Torque of Torque Laboratories. You will be able to get up close and inspect for yourself such legendary devices as the Emeraldic Energy Extrapolator Power Packs, the mysterious Device, and powerful weapons such as the Plasma Pistols, Sonic Blunderbuss and the awe-inspiring Rusty Koontz.

If this was not a compelling collection on its own, direct from the webcomic for the first time ever will be H.A.R.O.L.D.E. the steam powered exosuit and the eerily human A.T.T. communication device. But wait, there’s more including Chloe Secord’s Aerial Maneuvering Equipment and Winnie Chester, the long-range werewolf sniper rifle. Scrappington Hauley, the group’s mechanical mule will also be on hand and will be more than happy to pose for photos with everyone.

Take a moment to catch your breath before proceeding to read on about the fantastical oddities that will be debuting at the exposition. Fainting couches can be provided for those of a weak and sensitive constitution. Do not be ashamed if you find yourself unable to go on for not many have been able to face the horrors that the Abolsihers have collected here. From the dangerously dusty Southwest United States is the perfectly preserved specimen of a chupacabra, the fabled goat-sucker that has tormented many a vaquero. Do not expect some mangy coyote – the reality of the chupacabra is much more terrifying. Once you have recovered from the shock of that beast, prepare yourself for the terror of the great white north, the Wendigo! A drawn,gaunt creature that stalks the wilds of Quebec, its head has been secured for your edification here in this collection. Rounding out the creature exhibits is the enchanting visage of the Fee Gee Mermaid. No mere taxidermy trick peddled by unscrupulous showmen, this mermaid towers over the most strapping of men, its power and beauty drawing them into a dark and final embrace under the shadowy seas. Not for the faint of heart indeed!

In addition to the main exhibits, there will be many smaller items and mementos from other Abolisher adventures. There will also be video and audio explanations of the wonders and horrors of the exposition so that you, our valued guest will be safely and studiously guided through this wonderland. The Abolishers themselves will also be on hand during exhibition hours so rest assured, should anything beyond the pale were to occur, you would be in the most capable hands possible.

Beyond the exposition, the night will feature the thrills and enchantments of Clocktease Burlesque. On stage that night will be a show that beggars the imagination, a steampunk-inspired entertainment that will move you in ways beyond measure. The ladies of Clocktease Burlesque will thrill you and amaze you with their provocative and uproarious acts, each one more exciting than the last, culminating in a grand finale that will bring you to your feet!

Throughout the day, there will be various other distractions and excitements. See fire eaters, feats of strength and enjoy the jaunty stylings of a string band. This will truly be an event that will whisk you far, far away from the doldrums of everyday, humdrum life and deposit you directly into the steam powered world of wonder that you hoped was out there, somewhere.

 

Progress on Jasper’s Gear Upgrade

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Here are some images taken during the last stages of the recent upgrade to Jasper’s gear. I moved his samurai-inspired wooden armor to the front to better balance the weight overall. The hoses and tanks have been reattached with more rigidity. Most other attachment points have been reworked for better reliability and convention-proofing. The jacob’s ladder-esque brass antennae on the back were also added in this round, along with a few other smaller details.

Official title card from our new video: “The Audition”

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Here is the title card from our new video, “The Audition”. Also shown is a card containing our web site URL that will be included near then end of the video. We will be doing the final edit this weekend and hope to have the video up for all to see shortly thereafter.

 

As a special treat to those of you on our official mailing list, we will be releasing the link to the video to you first. So, if you want to be one of the first to watch “The Audition”, sign up for the mailing list today!

 

New wings for Chloe Seachord (part 1)

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We are working on a new set of glider wings for Chloe Seachord. Here is what I am starting with, which is basically the articualted arms from two italian-style desk lamps. I’ll also incorporate some copper details as well as brass parts. the whole wing surface will then be covered with a canvas cloth envelope. I’ll post the concept drawings soon so you can get an idea of where we’re going with these. They will be a complete departure from her original set of Aerial Maneuvering Equipment.

Casters make gear transport much easier

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We have several wood crates that we use for the safe transport of our weapons and other gear. When I first built them, I neglected to consider how much effort would be involved in getting them from the trailer into hotels or convention centers and other venues. That lesson was one that only took a short while to sink in. Not soon after, I began retro-fitting all of the cases with casters to make moving them less of a burden.

Builder’s note: Harbor Freight runs regular deals on a “mover’s dolly” that has four 3.5″ swivel casters, usually for around $8 (eight bucks). You can’t buy four individual casters for that much. It’s a great deal.

Here are a few pics from the installation of those casters on to the base of the power pack transport case:

Building an aluminum replica of a victrola phonograph horn (part 2)

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The aluminum flashing is razor sharp along the edges, so cutting by hand with shears can result in some nasty cuts. So I broke out the trusty air tools. This air shear glides through the flashing like an air-powered hot knife through metallic butter.

 

And here’s the finished product. Keep in mind this was done as a practice run to get familiar with the shapes and methods for this piece. The final production pieces will be made from real brass sheet.

  

 

Building an aluminum replica of a victrola phonograph horn (part 1)

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For an upcoming event we realized the need for several metal victrola phonograph horns. After searching the web and finding that brass replicas cost several hundred dollars each, I decided to try our hand at fabricating them myself. The ultimate goal is to make these from sheet brass with soldered joints. For practice I built one from .010″ thick aluminum roll flashing (the kind that roofers use, available at Lowes and Home Depot for much cheaper than brass). Rather than attempt to weld the aluminum, I chose rivets, which are fast and cheap, but don’t look great.

First step was to trace the pattern of an individual panel (leaf) from a real horn. I used the one that forms the business end of Sir Quincy’s Sonic Blunderbuss. Then I cut the pattern out of thick craft roll paper.

  

Next I traced the pattern onto aluminum flashing and hand cut a few leaves using tin snips. This was a laborious and sometimes bloody ordeal. I scored the edges with a brass pulley that I pressed into the aluminum by rolling it along the edges. Then I folded the edges up at an angle.

 

 

Next I drilled 1/8″ holes through the matching edges of the leaves and used short aluminum rivets to hold the pieces together.

After doing two of these, I realized that I needed to improve my methods if this was going to be something repeatable and safe. So in the next post I’ll show how I moved up to a better tool for the job.