christmas on infinite earths

So I’ve had the notion to fabricate a bunch of the props for this next project from styrofoam after watching MAKE’s 5 minute foam factory tutorial. However, I did not have a model train controller to use for the power source, and don’t have the space in my apartment to build the mounted, platform-like cutter in the tutorial. So I went and bought a curling iron from saver’s and some metal rod and went to work building a hot-wire jigsaw.

After connecting some guitar string for the blade and plugging the iron directly into the AC outlet, I discovered I was working with too much power: the wire exploded into hot sparks. Twice. So I did some more research, went and bought some proper nichrome foam cutter wire and a spare 9V dc adapter, also from Savers. After hacking the cords together and putting the new wire on, success!

Now the light on the iron doesn’t light up, but it still gets hot enough to cut foam pretty easily, even on low. On high it can cut slowly through denser stuff, like regular styrene based plastics and clear plastics. Now to make some stuff.

Project 3 is a wrap, as is Extreme Freestyle Hacking.  My presentation went very well considering I banged on the instrument pretty randomly.  I think I got points for sheer scale, as D.W. horrible Hugborg was about the only thing the towered over it.  After the presentations were over I played it some more and got some really nice little melodies out of it by doing some kinda complex patterns, until I fell out of the zone and messed up.

Here’s me trying once again to play the one song I really wanted to play for class.  I still can’t seem to get that last part.  Happy Holidays everyone!

I just got the basic framework for the instrument built.  for the first time it is taking shape.

Unfortunately it is the wrong shape.  Up until now I have been operating under the assumption that the springs need to act like the tines on a kalimba, that is, be pinned down at one end while the rest is struck and vibrates.  This makes them easy to tune because you can just adjust where the spring is pinned down in order to adjust the length of the vibrating segment.  This has been entirely theoretical though.  I had been trying to find out what the springs sounded like when held and struck in this manner, but assumed that I needed the full frame set up with sound chamber in order to know.  Boy was I wrong.

I found out tonight that by holding the spring even loosely in one hand and striking it near the center with a mallet, you can make the entire spring vibrate and even fucking ring.  It’s a totally audible note with no sound chamber whatsoever.  If you touch that vibrating spring against something, anything, it amplifies the noise.  I was floored.  Finally I know what I have to do, unfortunately it means a lot of my work so far has been in the wrong direction.  We’ll see what I can salvage and what needs to be scrapped.

Got my leaf springs from Ace Salvage on Friday, got them all taken apart and stuff and spread out on a big canvas dropcloth all over my poor living room.  I’ve got a decent little supply of lumber and nails and shit, so I’m finally leaving the conceptual phase and actually putting stuff together.  The deathphone is finally getting off the ground, so to speak.

I need a name for the contraption though.  Here’s a short list that springs to mind:

• Deathtrap Calliope
• Wreck of the Edward R. Murrow
• Electric Heap (it’s probably not actually going to be electric at all)
• Skeletor
• Optimus Prime Ribcage