Electrobite work gets underway

We are now in full work mode on the Electrobite car. Frame is done for the seat and today I forged the points for the head loop. We upgraded the wheels after our playa tests last month. I don’t think we will have any problems now, and the slightly bigger size makes it even faster.

Zolie and I hauling away the “extra” parts from the wheelchair we started with.

Tansy’s glass test for the eyes! Wow this is going to be great looking! Kyrsten ordered RGB LED’s to put behind.

Snailworks

Well we are back in the shop repairing the snail and adding all the things we wanted to do last year. On our short list of items to do:

1. Change the clutch. She started slipping in the spring and has gotten worse. Parades, lots of people and a heavy shell have taken a toll on the tiny little motor and clutch.
2. New dash board. We will now have a speedo, gas gauge, oil pressure and engine temp. Now I can finally answer the question of how fast do I go.
3. Heater. Yes we will have heat at our feet and wind in our face. Going to install a 12v plug for my MC vest too!
4. New lighting. More LED’s to replace some of the juice sucking lights we have now and better night lighting for the playa.
5. 85 amp Alternator. The old generator was just not keeping up at low speeds with all of our sound gear running.

Lauren checking her notes to make sure we order the right parts.

Christopher taking a beer break after a long night in the guts of a snail.

The new dash! Thanks to John Bock for the vintage dash plate.

Build your own Fire Garden Kits Now available

So many people that have hung out with the warmth and played in the sand of my wonderful Fire Gardens have asked me how they could make one of their own. Well I’ve taken the guess work out of all the fittings and sizes and put together a few kits that I use all the time in my work.

Available Kits:

FR12SLP 12″ steel fire ring with low pressure regulator

This is a great set up for 14-22″ sand gardens.

$95.00 plus tax and shipping

Examples of my Fire Gardens Made with this setup

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FR12SHP  12″ steel fire ring with a 0-60 psi regulator and a venturi mixer

This is a great setup for 14-22″ sand gardens, rocks, high temp glass, or other porous materials etc that need a venturi (gas air mixer) to achieve a clean soot free burn.

$150.00 plus tax and shipping

Examples of Fire Gardens and Patio Heaters (Replaced the fire ring with unique burners) made with this setup

In addition to these kits you will need a container that is able to handle high temperatures and be fully sealed underneath (leaks or drain holes will also allow gas out). A 55 gal drum works good. The weldable coupler provided will need to be welded though the bottom, legs added, then simply attach the fittings, ring, hose, propane BBQ tank and add sand. Sand should be 3-4″ above the ring. This is a match light system and I like those plumbing torches to light mine. Light the torch, then turn on the gas with the flame above the sand. It will take several seconds for the sand to fill with gas and rise to the top. Once lit it’s time to play in the sand with simple tools. This works best after dark when you can turn the flame down very low tell you only see a blue flame.

Fire is hot! DO NOT TOUCH the sand. It’s sticks and will burn before you can get it off. I would add a safety rail to keep young ones from falling on the hot edge and in the sand. It’s also a great place to keep your tools and rest your feet. 30″ is a great height to stand next to, and 14-18″ is great to sit around. Provide a minimum of 6″ below the coupler on the bottom for the fittings and hose. Keep your sand dry by covering in the rain.

Contact me at 510 444 7007, or email me at books@formandreform.com

Lagunitas Brewery

I went by Lagunitas brewery to talk to them about adding some metal art to their walls today and took some great pictures of the equipment around the facility.

Motorama at Pixar

Once a year Pixar has a car show called Motorama and invites the friends and family of Pixar to show off their cars. My wife Kyrsten Mate has done the sound design for several of the Pixar Movies including The Incredibles, and Ratatui and we got invited to show our Snail Art Car the Golden Mean last week. Great campus and plenty of wonderful cars.

Pictures of our day at Pixar’s Motorama

Beautifully restored engine

Tatra v8

What a parking spot! we had to do a bit of 4 wheeling to get there! the kids loved shooting the fire.

Fire!

Zolie screaming with delight “Nemo!”

Thanks to Jay and Gary and all of Pixar for a wonderful day!

More Pictures

Fire in West Oakland!

Great night in the Crucible’s new space for the Fire Arts Festival! Much more room to see things and fire art I’ve never seen before. Looking forward to the rest of the week. Wonderful to see so many kids lined up to shoot fire from the eyes of the snail car. Looks like I’m going to have to set up bigger tanks for the rest of the nights just to keep up!

More pictures

Charlie Gadeken

The Golden Mean

Christopher keeping things SAFE!

Fire Arts Festival in Oakland July 15-18th

We will be at the Crucible’s  Fire Arts Festival this week showing the snail art car the Golden Mean & my outdoor fire gardens.

Sand by the Ton

Sand by the Ton. It was like a playa reduction sauce.

More Pictures by Jon Sarriugarte

Larid and Cyclecide, thanks guys for being you!

More Photo’s by Scott Beale

Cadilac Motorhome

While out looking at a new truck for the Boiler Bar crew we spotted this DIY gem today. Note the spare tire behind the driver seat.

Here are pictures of the truck we want to get.

20 Tons of Sand and lots of Work!

20 Tons Of sand starts this Sat @ 4pm with swimming, art and the best line up of music and acts I’ve seen in a long time! Here are some shots of setup tonight.

More pictures