Mid body is done and hoops for the frame are done. Now it’s time to fill in the sheet metal head and tackle the ribs on the rear potion of the body. After staring at pictures of millions of years of these things I finally found a set of rules to follow to make it look real. This thing is going to look like a fossil in the dust on the playa at BM.
Amy Jenkins came by to discuss the leather seat she’s going to make for us. The leather Kyrsten picked out matches the steel perfect. Amy is going to match the ribs we made in steel with leather. hopefully it won’t even look like a vehicle.
Lauren and Alan have finished the engine rebuild. Rebuild carb, valve adjustment, new 85amp alternator, ignition, gaskets, main seal, clutch, throw out bearing, heater hoses for heat in the snail, oil pan, oil change, and a fair amount of new chrome and paint! Should run like new. Tansy got quite a bit done on the new dash, and Christopher and I almost finished the Carney Wagon hitch and wiring. Still have a long list and 2 weeks to go.
Fellow builder Tom Sepe who built the steampunk motorcycle I first saw at Maker Faire a few years back is on a new project that looks to be a lot of fun. I can’t wait to see it finished and driving on the playa. I can’t think of a better moonscape photo shoot! I got to see the 1980’s cassette deck by Pioneer he picked up for it, but the reference to vintage made me feel ..well..old. Now I wish I had a way to get the SS Alpha Fox out to the playa too. Anyone have a spare trailer and tow?
The Raygun Gothic Moon Rover – S.C.O.U.T. (Science Crew Operations and Utility Testbed version 1.0)
will serve as the transportation and service vehicle for the crew of the Raygun Gothic Rocketship a 40ft tall rocket being built in time for launch at Burning Man 2009. The SCOUT began life as a 1981 Honda Odyssey 1-seater dune buggy, but after some major frame modifications (PHASE 01), installation of a 125cc motorcycle engine (PHASE 02) and future addition of scientific instrumentation (audio/visual communications, utility and marker lights, auxiliary power generation and energy storage devices, onboard analog computer system, robotic arm, remote toolshed and intergalactic portal stabilizers), she will be ready anything the harsh environment of a semi-inhabitable planet can dish up. Oh yeah there will be a satellite dish too.
Currently the project is has been green-lighted for a fast track prototyping phase, with design and development occurring simultaneously and or efforts have been fruitful: on August 4th 2009, we successfully navigated the Rover around an entire city block, avoiding numerous obstacles including a speed bump, train tracks, a motorcycle officer and a Shipyard forklift. There are still improvements and fine tuning to be made to the drive train, however we are ready to move into PHASE 03 of adding the necessary auxiliary and support equipment. Deadline for completion: August 19th 2009, which gives us exactly 14 days!
Built with assistance from Phil “Peef” Sadow, Wayne Miller, Rachel Riggin, Tory Fink, Anna Bradley, Anton Belkins, and soon Greg Jones. Hopefully. and more to come…
A big shout out to Sean Orlando, David Shulman, Nathaniel Taylor and the rest of the Rocketship Crew for all the support!
Posted Under: art cars
This post was written by Form & Reform on August 6, 2009 Comments (1)
Kyrsten and I are working everyday now tring to get her done before the end of the month. We made all of the ribs for the mid body shell yeasterday and I plan to weld them into place today.
Here I’m fullering the ends of the ribs. Kyrsten later added a rivet to the end of each one so we can hang with the cool steampunk kids later. She’s always so up on the latest metal fashion!
Grinding the parts.
New shell ready for welding. This is going to be fun to ride!
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.
Posted Under: Electrical,Electrobite
This post was written by Form & Reform on July 31, 2009 Comments Off on Electrobite work gets underway
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:
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.
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.
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!
New lighting. More LED’s to replace some of the juice sucking lights we have now and better night lighting for the playa.
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.
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.
Contains:
12″ steel fire ring, weldable 1/2 coupler, 3/8″ 45 deg to 1/2 NPT fitting (to connect to the gas hose), 1/2 x 2″ brass nipple, Teflon tape, and a low pressure 1/4 FPT regulator with needle valve.
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.
12″ steel fire ring, weldable 1/2 coupler, 3/8″ 45 deg to 1/2 NPT fitting (to connect to the gas hose), 2pc 1/2 x 2″ brass nipples, gas orifice (.0250), Teflon tape, and a high pressure 0-60 psi regulator.
$150.00 plus tax and shipping
Examples of Fire Gardens and Patio Heaters (Replaced the fire ring with unique burners) made with this setup
Upgrades to above kits:
18″steel fire ring $22 (good for 24-30″ sand gardens)
12″ stainless steel fire ring $60 (Stainless will last longer and the small gas hole won’t rust shut if you leave in the rain)
18″ stainless steel fire ring $90 FR18SSLP $185
In addition to these kits you will need a container that isable 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
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.
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.
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!
