New Plan[s]

Very well, as my sister has broken up with her chap and I can no longer get access to the space to build my paddle boat I will have to put it on the back burner for the forseeable future. Instead I built a couple of small items for the Steampunk part of Whitby in October, just adapted a toy ray gun my wife had previously sprayed, by putting a stock on it, and some features. It would theoretically work too except I snagged some of the wires and failed at soldering them back on. I also got an old wooden volt meter from the second hand market and stuck some bits on it, along with a carry strap. It wasn't great work but it was a start. More to come in future. In the meantime I will try to post the pics of the gun and meter.
So my new plan is for the filming of steampunk-ish puppet films, which I hope to get on with soon, and making some more bits for upcoming Asylum and Whitby October 2011. Plus working on my outfits.
That is about it for now, at least there is some kind of post here.

Steam Launch

I have a plan. Most of the mods and builds I see through Brass Goggles in the UK are small, jewellery and ray guns and clothing. I have plan, one that may or may not see the light of day. I intend to build a Steam Launch! or rather a fake-looks-like-steam-launch. A small boat driven by steam [actually what ever motor I can get hold of], not a model boat either. Take one rowing boat, add motor, plus paddle wheels [more interesting than those new fangled 'propellors'] and bolt together with funky Steampunk add ons and styling.
It does rather depend on...
a) being able to find a suitable rowing boat
b) being able to afford said suitable rowing boat
c) obtaining an engine, steam plant or otherwise
d) manufacturing some detachable paddle wheels
e) having somewhere to store the boat and work on it
f) being able to obtain and tow a boat trailer with my small, old, car
g) not sinking

While I believe it would test me to the limit of my current skills, and teach me much, I do intend to try and give it a go. British SteamPunk needs to attempt bigger projects! If I do manage to get anywhere with this build then I intend to launch a challenge to others on Brass Goggles to do similar, either other big builds or more specifically 'build a steam launch' and then we can have a great steamboat race. Using paddle wheels I expect to lose to anyone who chooses to use a propellor!

Memory, memory, now where did I put it?

Good lord I had quite forgotten about this Journal and only stumbled upon it whilest looking for something else. Well it is a long time since I have written anything here so I shall endeavor to try again.
For some time now I have quite lost my steam, it has been at a low ebb and little has been able to stir it up again. I am currently trying to work out how I might accomplish a re-stoking of the boiler and the building up of a good head of steam, but not getting very far. If anyone has any suggestions please let mw know, thank you.
I briefly ran a roleplaying adventure based upon my conversion of 'Space 1889' but it did not get very far. I am afraid the conversion was rather incomplete and various other things got in the way and it ended before the adventure was finished. Still, it was a test and I realised the whilest it is quite do-able it does need more work and a good group.
I am writing a post apocalyptic steampunk story which was doing well at a thousand words a day until I fell ill for two weeks and now I am having problems re-starting. I shall do so though.
I feel I need more in the way of outfitting, and perhaps somewhere to go with other SteamPunks, but getting anything made (as I am not the best sewer and my dear wife is frequently not up to the task) is unlikely and all the days out I only seem to find out about too late. Oh well, must keep trying.
I made a leather and brass 'cyber' enhancement for the hand, supposedly to animate an otherwise necrotic hand, for Halloween. I shall try to place a picture up. I also intend to obtain one of the Maverick Nerf guns for conversion.
Well, that will do for now.

Happy Birthday Nikola Tesla

Happy Birthday Nikola Tesla, genius inventor of electrical stuff and a man who should have had so much more recognition.

Mortal Engines Additional

Contrary to my earlier post about not reading much, I have been churning through the second third and am now into the fourth of the Mortal Engines series and I must say it is a cracking good read, each book is as good as, if not better than, the previous and the world is a fantastic post apocalypse steampunk-esque setting, the characters are well crafted and there surprises a-plenty. Yet again I heartily recommend it.
In other Steampunk related news I recieved my latest purchase from ebay yesterday, a set of brown leather cartridge pouches to be worn on the belt. A bit too small for many of the things I carry but I have found they are handy for the car keys and possibly my pocket knife. Must now purchse other things to go into said pouches. The pouches go well with the less formal SP attire I am trying to put together. Picture if I can get a decent one any time soon.

Space 1889

I have a plan for converting Space 1889 to the Unisystem rules and running it later in the year, I have tried this before but not got too far. Now however I am progressing with it and hope to post on this subject as time goes on. Once it is up and running there may be an associated journal solely for the exploits of what ever daring heroes and heroines of the Victorian Space Age volunteer.
I will be adapting the setting slightly to remove the Martians as supplied in the original setting and replace them with a take on the Edgar Rice Burroughs Red and Green Martians of Barsoom.

Mortal Engines

Mortal Engines is a series of childrens books by Philip Reeve, a steampunk far future where great traction cities prowl the world consuming each other according to the laws of Municipal Darwinism. While it is written for children I would definately recommend this series. All the imagination and flare seems to be in the area of 'childrens' books these days and I would argue that the term should not mean limited only to children but that they are able to read it as well as adults, after all, why should they have all the fun? They are excellent books, brilliant ideas and get my round of applause.