Ring
making:
Kind of a side shoot off of instrument repair, I took up ring making (also heavy influence from LOTR). This was a simple process, cut a brass pipe, mount it on the dremmel tool, get it spinning, cut it with a file (lath style), grind it smooth, sand paper it with fine sandpaper, and finally buff it with the dremmel and some rouges. Electroplate if desired. Although it doesn't look like it in this picture, this ring has silver plating, I will have better pictures eventually. The hand on the right belongs to my good friend Jamie.
Kind of a side shoot off of instrument repair, I took up ring making (also heavy influence from LOTR). This was a simple process, cut a brass pipe, mount it on the dremmel tool, get it spinning, cut it with a file (lath style), grind it smooth, sand paper it with fine sandpaper, and finally buff it with the dremmel and some rouges. Electroplate if desired. Although it doesn't look like it in this picture, this ring has silver plating, I will have better pictures eventually. The hand on the right belongs to my good friend Jamie.
Go-cart modification:
My cousin Jason and I have 2 go carts (only one of which ever works at a time, because they break down so often). We have spent countless hours trying to tweak out as much performance as possible, and have consequently caused it to go from about 18 mph to 43 mph. Not to shabby for a bunch of rednecks. I will have pictures soon.
Tarantula keeping:
Although some consider it to be quite creepy, I thoroughly enjoy keeping tarantulas as pets, I had two but now only have one (one tragically died recently due to unknown causes, probably cold or perhaps not enough food, although this is doubtful.) The deceased one was identified to be a Avicularia-Metallica a member of the Avicularia or pink-toe family. This particular species is called the white toe to distinguish it from its relatives, although it's toes are orange, not white, and it fairly unmistakable as it is black with iridescent blue hair all over it's body. It was a juvenile when I purchased it, having red patterns on it's abdomen, which faded each time it shed its skin. The second tarantula I purchased was a Phrixotrechis Rosea, or rose hair tarantula (A reader pointed out to me that they are no longer reffered to by that name, they are now called Grammastola Rosea, thanks!) it unlike its predecessor, was a burrowing species, and instead of making web retreats all over, it dug tunnels everywhere. As a general rule, these pets are immensely boring, because you hardly ever actually see them, and they rarely come out to eat, but when they do, it is quite thrilling. They require minimal care, warmth and a bug or two a week, and a full water bowl (my Avicularia could swim on top of and underneath the water, which I would sometimes make him do on the rare occasion I got him out of his silk retreat, they have specially designed pads on their toes that enable them to float! It is a defense mechanism, jump out of a tree and into the water to escape a bird or monkey or whatever eats them).
Venus Fly Trap growing:
You mean to tell me you didn't see this coming? If yours died, it is probably because you did not care for it properly, I have gone through 6 of them, but now I have it down. Give them lots of light, I have visited the native south Carolina bogs, they get full sun all day, that is what they like. Keep their soil most at all times, put the pot in a deep container, and fill it with distilled water about a third of the way up, and maintain that level (I fill it a little higher and let it dry down some, but not all the way, this is natural, they get flooded when ther is a hard rain, and dry out a little when there isn't). Bring it in and set it where it will get light but be cold all winter, like a sunny window, this will throw it into dormancy, which it must do to survive.
Van
De
Graff Generator:
I had to make one, anyone who dapples with high voltage does. It worked, but not very well. Anyway, here is a picture. The circuitry you see to the right is not part of the generator, it is a TV, the motor speed is controlled by my homemade variac.
I had to make one, anyone who dapples with high voltage does. It worked, but not very well. Anyway, here is a picture. The circuitry you see to the right is not part of the generator, it is a TV, the motor speed is controlled by my homemade variac.
Jacobs
Ladder:
I mentioned this in my TC pages, but I thought it deserved its own little spot here. A Jacobs ladder is simply two conductive rods, that are narrow at the base, and wider at the top. A high voltage arc is established between them, and it rises from the narrow spot (where it starts, the path of least resistance) to the top from heat. It breaks when the current from the supply gets to low too sustain it (if the rods are narrow enough, it will not break, but will sit at the top like an upside down "V"). As cool as the concept is, please do not cook your food in one of these, that is all I am going to say about that. you can change the color and appearance of the arc, by changing the material composing the rods, and altering the current level of the arc. I do not have a picture, but I have a movie, so here it is. I will get a picture soon. You will notice in the video that one size rises faster than the other, this is because one of my transformers had a half short which I discovered later, so it was not putting out any voltage, meaning it would stay slightly cooler. Also note, I no longer use this multiple switch system, as unless all of the transformers are energized, energy is bled into the inactive windings. A better system is a variac on the primary, anyway enjoy!
I mentioned this in my TC pages, but I thought it deserved its own little spot here. A Jacobs ladder is simply two conductive rods, that are narrow at the base, and wider at the top. A high voltage arc is established between them, and it rises from the narrow spot (where it starts, the path of least resistance) to the top from heat. It breaks when the current from the supply gets to low too sustain it (if the rods are narrow enough, it will not break, but will sit at the top like an upside down "V"). As cool as the concept is, please do not cook your food in one of these, that is all I am going to say about that. you can change the color and appearance of the arc, by changing the material composing the rods, and altering the current level of the arc. I do not have a picture, but I have a movie, so here it is. I will get a picture soon. You will notice in the video that one size rises faster than the other, this is because one of my transformers had a half short which I discovered later, so it was not putting out any voltage, meaning it would stay slightly cooler. Also note, I no longer use this multiple switch system, as unless all of the transformers are energized, energy is bled into the inactive windings. A better system is a variac on the primary, anyway enjoy!