Cautionary Tales for the 21st Century
Things can go wrong in a lot of ways, and it’s sometimes hard to know how to respond. In order to simplify the process of cursing like mad at a failed project (leaving you more time for repairing/running/weeping like a girl), I’ve drawn up this basic list of things to say when your shit hits the metaphorical fan.
Posted in Advice.
The reverse of an invasion; when a power withdraws from an annexed territory. Often far more difficult than its better-known counterpart.
Posted in Neologism.
Before Christmas this year I spent a lot of time out at the forge whipping up some presents. Here are some pictures of the products, plus a few things I learned while making them. Also, hand-forged or -cast gifts really impress people. Those bronze letters up there were my brother’s Christmas present this year: monogram cufflinks. He recently bought a bunch of cufflink backs (like cufflinks missing a front plate) so I decided to make the other half of a nice set for him.
Welcome back to the wonderful world of armory. In this installment you’ll see how to lay up a composite on the form we made in the first part.
There’s a lot of creative and artistic freedom in this stage, so this is a set of tips, observations, suggestions, and insights rather than step-by-step instructions. The overall process is incredibly simple anyway: wet material with resin, mold to fit cast, let harden. Continued…
You’re a broke college student living in a frigid part of the world. It happens to the best of us. As a college student you probably share a bathroom with one or more other people, have a sketchy bathtub, or one that’s too small, or just have a shower stall. How are you going to get that much-needed soak to pull the ice out of your bones? Build a hot tub!
So, you think you can’t afford it. I understand. Can you scrape together $80 to build it and $10 a month to keep it hot? Then you’re set! This is the cheapest hot tub I have ever heard of… short of freebies on Craigslist… AND IT’S HUGE.
Posted in Fab.
Yesterday, in Day One, we created a wax blank and used it to create a plaster of paris mold to shape hot metal. All that work will pay off now in Day Two, when we get to use it.
In Day Two, we take the mold you made yesterday and use it to make a finished product in bronze (or the metal of your choice). This is the fun day. We will discuss heating the metal, getting a good pour, and finishing the metal piece. In the center of the picture is the finished bronze ring I made for my brother, Dick, last Christmas.
When a brilliant plan goes horribly awry; conjunction of strategy and tragedy. A common occurrence for fictional mad scientists.
Posted in Neologism.
You have already seen information on the construction of a coal-burning furnace, and you have been tantalized by brief mention of crucibles and metal casting, and maybe you have even been so clever as to peek at the galleries online and see that there is, in fact, a whole album devoted to casting. Now I shall reveal the secrets of creating small items cast in the lesser metals.
On this first day of the casting process, the end goal is to create a mold for the molten metal to be poured into which will withstand the high temperature of the metal and form it into the desired shape. Tomorrow, in Day Two, we will melt metal and pour it into the mold to create a metal item, then do a little sanding and polishing to finish the piece.
When you’re anxious AND excited: ”Bob was anxited about his trip to chronicle the rituals of the cannibal tribe.”
It can also be used as a verb: ”You are not going to believe what I’m going to do to you tonight!” “Sweet zombie Jesus, I’m so anxited!”
Posted in Neologism.
Tired of those pesky baseball bat bruises? Want to stand up to those pink mohawked punks in this crazy post-apocalyptic wasteland? Whimper no longer! We’re going to show you how to make your very own armor, out of commonly available and (relatively) cheap materials.
A word of caution, and a disclaimer to shield us from legal persecution: We make no claims about the actual bat-, brick-, tire iron-, lead pipe-, tractor chain-, or bulletproofness of the resulting armor. For the purposes of this site, the armor is purely cosmetic.
UPDATED: Added pictures of finished back mold, after removal, and a gallery of failed mold ideas.