Project: Steampunk Computer

CHAPTER 3

Starting the monitor stand.

I've had three days of putting this with that, combining all my bits and pieces to try and come up with a stand that is going to both look good and be strong enough to hold a framed monitor.

I've been looking at a lot of the steampunked versions on the internet and found myself wanting to copy them but most of them have attached the stand to the sides of the monitor and I really liked the idea of having a single stem stand. It occurred to me at a slightly hysterical and tired 5am this morning, that THEY haven't copied anyone - they've been making it up as they've gone along so there's no reason why I can't as well.

That is, after all the whole idea.

So after sleeping on it and digging through what I already had in the shed, I took a 'quick' trip to Mitre 10 with my mate and handyman extraordinaire, Aaron, and this is what I ended up with to construct my monitor stand. Yes, this is the makings of a monitor stand.


We've got some irrigation pipes and fittings, a couple of pieces of steel rod, cut to size, 6 massive coach screws, a galvanised face plate thingy, some plastic hose, the hose off a shower head and the front of a drawer from an old cupboard I found ages ago in hard rubbish.

Today I'm putting together the stem and arms of the stand.


Assemble the 'T'. I've placed the metal rods inside the tubes of the T. No more worries about the thing bending under the weight - I reckon I could play George of the Jungle on that.

*When she was little, my daughter thought she'd play George of the Jungle in the bath. An emergency trip to the doctor and 4 stitches in the back of her head later...needless to say she's never tried to swing on a shower curtain again :-)*



Lots of manufacturers markings that I don't want so I grab my new best friend, Dremel, and grind them off, adding a few nicks and scratches for good measure - it's supposed to look old industrial so marks are good.



Ready for painting! The paint I'm using is a wax paint called Rub'n'Buff. Amazing stuff - you don't need to prime, just rub the paint on with a soft cloth, wait a couple minutes and buff the excess off. I love it. I haven't tried real hard to get into the nooks and crannies so there's a bit of the original black piping showing through as lowlights.



The finished product - looks like real metal - you'd never know it's garden hose.






This is the stuff - I got it at my local art supplier here in Adelaide. It's around $10 a small tube but it has amazing coverage and one tube seems to last forever.

That's it for now...stay tuned!

Project: Steampunk Computer

CHAPTER 2

First up, this is a photo of the typewriter I WON'T be dismantling for my project.



This is a photo of the monitor that I have no problem pulling to pieces. In theory. The casings are quite hard to take apart. Please note the mess on the table.



After a day working without clearing my space of all my other projects I gave up and spent a couple of hours getting organised. The mess is now spread in organised piles all over the shed instead of just on the table.



I decided that seeing as this computer is going into an art gallery it's only fitting that the monitor is framed. I had an old frame there that was too big so I decided to cut it down to fit. I'd have to mitre the corners and measure up correctly, but using my trusty dremel, a hand saw and basic arithmetic I was sure I'd be able to manage. I mean, seriously, how hard could it be?



Five hours later I had three sides that were too short, five mitres that were not 90 degrees and had run out of frame to cut.

So today I went to my local and most accomodating framer and got them to make me this. Fifteen minutes it took.



The moral of the story is...tidy up as you go along (Hi, Mum!) and sometimes it is far more sensible to delegate and get some sleep instead.

Project: Steampunk Computer

As part of the shop revamp, one of my projects is to build a steampunk computer to use as a register.

Steve is taking care of the accounting and retail system setup so the construction side of things is my job.

No worries say I, but those of you who know me and my history with tech studies would know that this is, indeed a bit of a worry, and possibly my most ambitious project to date.

First obstacle is the typewriter. I found one and bought it with the intention of taking it to pieces, but have since found out that it still works.



I don't have a problem with hacking into a computer screen and destroying the bits I don't want (necessary to get to the bits that I do, as it turns out - demolition, Kat style) because there's plenty of them out there.

This, however, is a Remington Portable Typewriter, built sometime in the 20's or 30's and I just can't bring myself to pull it to pieces for any reason other than to recondition it.

Back to the drawing board for typewriter keys. Or, Ebay, anyway.

More updates on my steampunk adventures, soon. And photos!