Author Archive

Mark Melchior’s Cigar Box Guitars

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 [Mark Melchior wrote me some time ago with some pictures of his wonderful cigar box guitars – apologies to Mark for the delay in publication! – Jake] Mark writes: Mark “Doc-o-rock” Melchior has been building guitars for some 20 odd years and decided on a return trip to Wisconsin

Steampunk Car Update – Catalytic Converter on an Aircooled VW Motor

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Lots of progress!  She's on the road, registered, inspected, and passed, including emissions which is pretty cool considering that she's basically a 1972 VW Beetle that was re-titled in Ohio as a 1985 "assembled vehicle."  A close read of the Massachusetts auto emissions law would seem to indicate that

Type-O-Matic Keyboard

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During a recent book signing in Seattle William Gibson was asked about the Steampunk modding craze.  I think it was really cool that he was aware of us!  In addition he commented: "My one complaint is, they make these things look all shiny and new…I think they should look…distressed."

Books: Little Brother – Cory Doctorow

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Moments after I finished Little Brother I wrote Cory: Just finished Little Brother – sweet jebus man! I generally like your stuff but you’ve never made me cry before!  Bravo!  This goes on the shelf of ‘must reads’ for my kids too, to be sure.  If you show up

Married to the Sea

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The always interesting and oft times quirky Married to the Sea does Steampunk. I’m telling ya, getting made fun of is one of the important milestones on the path to world domination.  

Artifacts for Steampunk Seditionists and Soldiers

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Ben is making these wonderful wartime posters from a different now and selling them on Etsy.  There are five in the series and they vary from the menacing one you see here to the inspirational and slightly Orwellian; "When We Mesh, We Succeed." See the rest at Attempted Artistry's

Dump Finds

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This weeks visit to the town's transfer station netted some nice brass bits that I think will find their way onto the car project and another old typewriter.  

Jules Vernian Analog Synthesizer

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It makes me happy when people write me about things they’ve made, and when they’ve been inspired or have adopted techniques they’ve learned from the Steampunk Workshop it makes me very happy indeed! Peter wrote me a while back with some pictures of his latest project, a Jules Verne

The Telectroscope

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Everyone has been sending me Telectroscope links! It’s been well covered in the blogosphere so I wasn’t going to mention it here but Datamancer just sent me a link to a Wall Street Journal video by Andy Jordan, the fellow who profiled Doc a while back. Enjoy!  

The Brass Lion – Steampunk Recumbent

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You'll recall I posted a picture of my recumbent bike last week and that one of things I wondered aloud was how one would go about steampunkifying a bike?  Well Eric and Alan – a.k.a. Steuben's Wheelmen – sent me a whole passel of new photos that show exactly