Tank birthday, 47+ years

[Paul B]

Alan, I see somehow the sentence about adding fish is missing.
I guess you figured out that somewhere in there I meant to say to add a fish. Not the most expensive fish you can find, maybe a domino, bleeny, wrasse or whale shark, but a little one.

Canadianeh, Thank you, but I don't really want to be the Obi Wan of fish tanks. There is just to much arguing in it and this is only one of my hobbies. Bungee jumping and spelunking under water is my first love, besides my Grand Kids and Supermodels of course.

Alan, also remember I don't actually start a lot of tanks. The people who start a lot of tanks either own a store, or their tanks keep crashing. I started my tank once and maybe it crashed in a few weeks, I don't remember because I was in two helicopter crashes and I get the two types of crashes mixed up.

Alan, I also wrote a book but I say right in the beginning that Noobs shouldn't read it.
New tanks have problems and I don't want my methods blamed for that. It is right under this post so if you get it, just look at the pictures and don't read it or call any of the numbers for the Supermodels.

 

[Paul B]

 

[Paul B]

What controllers and gadget are you using for your tank?

I just saw this.
I have a DIY skimmer and a DIY algae scrubber.

Reverse undergravel skimmer. LED lighting, thats about it.

 

[atoll]

Hey Paul, not in the same class as your steampunk works of art obviously but they are a lot cheaper. I have just ordered the steampunk light in the middle of the 3 in the pic below. They are shown without the bulb fitted but you do get one with it. They also incorporate a working clock and the lights fitted into them also work.

 

[Paul B]

They are definately cool looking. As you said, not really Steam Punk but Steam Punk looking.
The one you ordered I also like the best.

My stuff is made out of really old, vintage things as are the gauges I use.
Everything in those pictures is brand new.
The hardest part of this is finding the old stuff because I don't want to use anything that was not used like 100 years ago except of course for the electrical stuff like light bulb, socket etc.

For example, the box at the bottom of this is a telephone calling box from about 1915. It had brass bells on it. The thing with the lever is from an old toilet bowl, probably from the 40s and the thing the light is on is an old brass fire hose nozzle. Even the electrical cord is vintage cloth wrapped from the period
(but that is new for safety reasons) The box is also lined in metal to make it legal and safe.
To turn it on, you push down the weight on the chain until it touches the magnet.
The water valve dims it



The "Heart" of this piece is a carburetor from a Model A Ford. The glass dome is from the 30s and the plumbing pipes are vintage. The radio tubes are also from the 40s. And the gauge is old.



The base of this one is a Vintage spotlight from Broadway Playhouse. The middle part is some kind of wind up, brass timer and the top part is from the New York City subway system, it reads 1961.



I like to use these as a base. This was a battery charger from the 20s. The carburetor is from a car in the fiftees. The only new part here is the stainless steel case for the firelight. I couldn't find anything else to use for that but in the piece I am building now, I made that part from a wine bottle and my 3 D printer. It is comming out really good and has the most movement by far.

Some of the smaller brass parts on this were from an old brass bed. Like the part under the rotating copper toilet bowl float and under the bulb.
You turn this on by moving the accelerator to the left and coming out of the carburetor.

 

[Rybren]

Paul,

I'm thinking of getting a 3D printer. Which one did you get and are you happy with it?

 

[Fudsey]

Paul, where do you get those fire lights?

 

[Paul B]

Amazon sells the firelights, they are less than ten bucks. Just go there and put in fire effect bulbs.

Rybren, I got an Elegoo Mars 3 D printer. I never had any other kind so I am not sure what to compare it to. It is a resin printer and a little complicated to design stuff and be printed. I have as many failures as I have successes but I am getting better.

 

[atoll]

I really like the second one in your pic's

 

[atoll]

My steampunk things me bob just arrived. The box is new as it the quartz clock and small thermometer with barometer next to it. However the water temp gauge on top and the voltmeter are genuine old school Paul. The valves also flicker lit up.

 

[Rybren]

Amazon sells the firelights, they are less than ten bucks. Just go there and put in fire effect bulbs.

Rybren, I got an Elegoo Mars 3 D printer. I never had any other kind so I am not sure what to compare it to. It is a resin printer and a little complicated to design stuff and be printed. I have as many failures as I have successes but I am getting better.

Thanks Paul

 

[Paul B]

I really like the second one in your pic's

I really hope that one doesn't sell as I like it to much. It will be listed for $3,100.00 but I think I am going to raise that to $4,000.00.

One of the problems with building Steam Punk stuff is it is supposed to be Victorian Science Fiction. My latest pieces are not really Steam Punk so I am not sure what to call them and I am thinking "Mechanical/electrical punk.

The small wooden lamp is pure steam punk.
Steam Punk should not have any plastic, chrome or aluminum. It can have wood, glass, iron, brass or copper as those things were available in the distant past. Sort of like Joe Biden, Betty White and your Queen

If you notice my 3rd picture, the center of the large bicycle chain gear is really white plastic. I have a thick paint that has iron particles in it and after I paint that on, there is also an accelerator that rusts the iron in the paint and gives you an authentic looking rusted piece of iron.

Now with my 3 D printer I can print black pieces but I still "rust" them to look authentic and you couldn't tell even if you were holding the piece.

This is pure Steam Punk


So is this.


This was always my favorite and I am sorry it sold. It made bubbles and was turned on by the water valve.
It's all white PVC and I painted it to look like brass. I am very happy how that came out.



This one here, the "grill" near the bottom is a white PVC piece of something that I used that iron/rusting paint to get that effect

 

[atoll]

I really hope that one doesn't sell as I like it to much. It will be listed for $3,100.00 but I think I am going to raise that to $4,000.00.

One of the problems with building Steam Punk stuff is it is supposed to be Victorian Science Fiction. My latest pieces are not really Steam Punk so I am not sure what to call them and I am thinking "Mechanical/electrical punk.

The small wooden lamp is pure steam punk.
Steam Punk should not have any plastic, chrome or aluminum. It can have wood, glass, iron, brass or copper as those things were available in the distant past. Sort of like Joe Biden, Betty White and your Queen

If you notice my 3rd picture, the center of the large bicycle chain gear is really white plastic. I have a thick paint that has iron particles in it and after I paint that on, there is also an accelerator that rusts the iron in the paint and gives you an authentic looking rusted piece of iron.

Now with my 3 D printer I can print black pieces but I still "rust" them to look authentic and you couldn't tell even if you were holding the piece.

This is pure Steam Punk


So is this.


This was always my favorite and I am sorry it sold. It made bubbles and was turned on by the water valve.
It's all white PVC and I painted it to look like brass. I am very happy how that came out.



This one here, the "grill" near the bottom is a white PVC piece of something that I used that iron/rusting paint to get that effect

Amazing pieces Paul, I can well see why you wish some of them at least not to sell.
My steampunk thingy me bob (is that a saying in the US?) Is a bit of a dogs dinner (another UK saying not sure about in the US) a few authentic items mixed with more modern stuff. My wife doesn't care for it, no surprise there.
BTW it's my wifes birthday today. I took her for a nights stay at the Ormes head lighthouse converted into a hotel as a surprise. Are room is the converted telegraph room. The lighthouse was built in 1862 with magnificent views across the Irish sea. We are having a storm here but it's great. Pic of our room, very old worldly. The Beatles called here back in the day.
Tonight we will dine in the best Chinese restaurant for many miles.

The Lighthouse Llandudno

 

[Paul B]

That is extremly cool and I wish her a Happy Birthday.

We are having people come over to go out to dinner tonight, not in a lighthouse, but in a restaurant right on the Sound. Right on it like on pilings on it. The waves practically break on the windows so when I look out across the Atlantic I will wave at you two.

Have a nice time.

 

[atoll]

Couple of pic's of the Great Orme Lighthouse culled off the net. Hopefully tomorrow the storm will have died down and I can take some pictures of the outside myself.

That is extremly cool and I wish her a Happy Birthday.

We are having people come over to go out to dinner tonight, not in a lighthouse, but in a restaurant right on the Sound. Right on it like on pilings on it. The waves practically break on the windows so when I look out across the Atlantic I will wave at you two.

Have a nice time.

Will wave back to you.
This place is amazing.

 

[Paul B]

Very cool

 

[Rybren]

Very cool

Yes, it is.

 

[atoll]

I just saw this.
I have a DIY skimmer and a DIY algae scrubber.

Reverse undergravel skimmer. LED lighting, thats about it.

You missed off an algae scrubber Paul.

 

[Paul B]

That would be me out in the boat.

 

[atoll]

That would be me out in the boat.

I would be in it with you fishing.
See what looks like conservatory in white jutting out, that was the light room for the origional light. We were in there this morning. The cuews from there are amazing. I couldn't book that room its fully booked up but we were lucky to get the telegraph room for last night as they had a cancellation. The light room is booked up for 2 years and I can see why. Great hosts as well with a full English mans breakfast none of this continental rubbish.