slowly slowly a spiral

So, we’re getting the “growth rings” to take shape. Every piece hand fitted at some wonky angle then welded to a piece of round stock. The numbered tape makes it look like we actually have some sort of plan.

In the pictures are Kyrsten’s father Jerry who helped us Sunday. Of course we had help from the usual suspects Thursday and Friday night (thanks to Christopher, Tansy, Lauren, Alex, and the 4 blacksmiths who stopped by). And we also have a picture of Keith who is working on an electric pumpkin carriage and his daughter Ann who is helping him! Monster garage never had father daughter day…

Cupcake Reality

We filmed a reality show about muffins and cupcakes this weekend in Berkeley for Canadian Discovery Channel. Kyrsten and I filled in for Keith and Merrilee who were out of town. We had a great time racing around the park. The crew was fun to work with and we got to talk to some very knowledgeable electric tech heads (Keith needs help with his new pumpkin carriage). Keith, call us about what you need to fix on them. Now I have to build an electric steam ball trike!

Rick Washburn’s pictures

boing boing

More pictures

A spiral update

Over at Bioephemera Blog, there are a wonderful set of photographs of an abandoned gasworks park in Seattle. One really inspired the snail shell we are building! Spirals and rivets, together at last.

Speaking of which, Hino at Jon’s shop forged the beautiful teeny-weeny tip of our spiral and it is all clamped up ready to be welded into the side.

Boing Boing article

Snail work on Monday night

We worked until late on Monday night, and we got quite a bit done. The 2 main supports that will form the sides of the shell are on as well as a sample of the growth rings along the front. Isn’t it a sexy shape? Lauren got he engine purring. Tansy, Alex, and Kyrsten wrapped the spiral for the side. It turned out really nice! The last picture is the crew: Alex, Lauren, Christopher, Tansy, Kyrsten, and Jon. FYI, Kyrsten is not a midget. All those other people are over 6 feet tall…

Please Help Todd Blair by Donating Now

Todd Blair Fund Raiser

Our man is down and fighting hard to make his way back.

Todd was involved in an accident which included a large metal structure falling on him after the most recent SRL show at Robodock in Amsterdam. He suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and his recovery time is going to be long and unpredictable. SRL’s liability insurance provided by Robodock has seemingly been denied and Alex and Todd need help to survive financially through this next chapter of their recovery.

Please join a world wide community of artists, machinists, adventurists, educators, purveyors of life to build The Wall and to help support the immediate financial needs of Todd Blair and his incredible wife Alexandra Ismerio who is at his side. The Wall will be a kinetic sculpture of 25 gears, each representing an individual or group who raised $$ and modified their gear to be placed amongst the rest.

Please support the fundraising efforts of the gear modifiers. No donation is too small. It will all go directly to Todd and Alex.

Event Link

I’ve joined the rank and file SRL insurance plan and kicked into high gear with a new fire piece for Todd’s Wall project.

We have already raised half of our goal and we need your support to make it to the end.

All donations are tax deductible thanks to our friends at The Luggage Store Gallery Please make sure to indicate Todd Wall/Jon Sarriugarte (so I can track our progress) and make sure all your contact info is current so we can send you a receipt.

Checks can be made out to:

The Luggage Store Gallery
please indicate me as the gear modifier you would like to sponsor

Send to:
Amy Critchett
28 West St
Petaluma CA
94952

Please email amy {at} srl {dot} org ASAP if you have any questions or would like to participate in any way.

Event Link

Snail update

Sure to be an update in a loooong line of updates, We worked on the snail this weekend and Tuesday night. These pictures show what the outline of the shell will look like size-wise. Of course, the whole shell will be perforated metal, and 3 dimensional of course!

edit: can’t get the pictures to load!  We’ll have to put them up later…

See “the snail” page above!

Snail work

We had lots of help Sunday and Tuesday night. Thanks everyone!

There is an updated drawing here.

Just a few pictures of the work in progress…

The Snail

Check out our new page about The Snail we are building. Clink on the the link “The Snail” above.

Dorkbot

Zolie and I got a chance to see Dorkbot last Wednesday at:
Polly Harrold’s Sometime Gallery
4701 San Leandro, #15c
Oakland CA 94601

Thanks Karen

dorkbot

Jeremy Bornstein – Introduction to Soapmaking

He gave us a no nonsense demo of the basics of soap making which included scaring his volunteer with a caustic solution of lye that they had to hold out an open window. Now I know just enough we might have to make some at our next craft night. Zolie enjoyed trying out her new word “Soap!”

http://soap.ramified.org/
http://jeremy.org

Jeff Wishnie – Harsh Computing: Designing Computing and Communications System for Way Out There

Jeff had some great stories of setting up communications systems and computer labs in very remote places. I enjoyed his story of finding a bee hive in one of the communication towers after the system had stopped working. Zolie started to get sleepy, so we packed it up for the night and went home.

http://inveneo.org/

DV Rogers – Parkfield Interventional EQ Fieldwork (PIEQF)

I got to meet DV again, but missed his talk. Next time!

The Parkfield Interventional EQ Fieldwork (PIEQF) is a geologically interactive, kinetic earthwork that will take place in the township of Parkfield, Central California between the 28th June and 28th September 2008. This machine controlled installation converges a USGS reported Californian earthquake list with the near real time control of a hydraulically actuated earthquake shake table. Each time an earthquake occurs, an array of 1/2 inch and 5/8 inch steel rods attached to the shake table will oscillate and resonate, reflecting the dynamic nature of the Californian landscapeBorn in New Zealand and raised on earthquakes, D.V.Rogers has spent a a good part of the past ten years re-engineering an earthquake shake table. Collaborating with seismologist Andy Michael of the US Geological Survey in Menlo Park, this summer the shake table will be installed on the San Andreas Fault in the remote central Californian township of Parkfield.

http://blog.allshookup.org

Space for lease in my building

Leased

$1175 / 1200ft² – Space for lease with Skylight and roll up door to St. (Oakland west)

Light industrial/Office space located in the hub of West Oakland near Emeryville with great freeway access.

Space includes:
1200 sqft
High ceilings, Skylight
Office
Roll up door to street
wifi
Sink with cold water
Great building with lots of trades, makers, artists, and crafts.
No live/work

$1175/month

510 444 7007 for an appointment

Jon

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/off/699019742.html