W.I.P. - The "Enhanced Galvanick Lucifer" (fuel tank built & glowing!)

[Alexander Edmund Clough]

Oh my...I guess it's off to the crafts store this weekend to see if I can find those pearls (and preferably in a 2 mm size).  I've been wondering how to do teeny fake rivets....   

Your Enhanced Galvanick Lucifer is looking quite intriguing so far, sir!

Good luck at the craft store!

and thank you - most kind of you. 

What about pvc plumbing pipe and fittings as a way round the adhesion problems? It will certainly solvent weld.

Dr. Q.

Many thanks for the advice, but I'm afraid you're n hours too late Dr. Q!

I ordered some ABS tube and related bits and a large ABS sheet at lunchtime today. Fortunately it didn't come to £65 thanks to the redesign (and the new design and placement for engine & fuel tanks is far more pleasing aesthetically, and also solves how to integrate the battery in the design!), but I could still probably have saved a bit more by realising you could get plumbing pipe in PVC... d'oh!  (I assumed all the white stuff in Wickes or B&Q was just made of the same plastic  as the stuff I already had )

Oh well. Never mind!

[Alexander Edmund Clough]

Rebuilt the lightbox that forms the core of the "engine" last night.

It's now double it's original width and when turned on it's end it's both taller and wider than the 12V sealed lead acid battery.



The hole in the front will be covered by the round cornered rectangle of styrene shown next to it - I still have 3 more slots to cut in that to let the blue and white flicker shine out. (The cover is going to be glued in place with 6 fake bolt heads on it to make it look like it's an inspection cover).

The battery will then be hidden by a set of panels which rest up against this box and make it look like the whole thing is one unit, while still being removable to replace the battery. Hey presto, the engine is now large enough to be "in scale" with the rest of the lantern and the battery is hidden at the same time (something the original engine design didn't do)

[Alexander Edmund Clough]

Well, the front box of the engine is almost complete now.



Just waiting for the hexagonal styrene rod to arrive so I can make a couple of fake bolt heads to go at the top of the hatch. The very fine mesh screen hides a secret  which is revealed when power is applied (will post a video)

And here is is with the 12V battery to show them together how they will sit in the case.



What do people think of the fake hinge at the bottom of the hatch?

[Alexander Edmund Clough]

Video update can be found at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGtKwEWDBSs

[Reverend Redmond Farrier]

I do love the way this thing is coming together.  I have been following the project since the initial post.  I so enjoy watching an idea develop and the design evolve as the creation process progresses.  I also love the fact that you have utilized videos to explain and demonstrate the different parts of the design.  There is just something about actually getting to see and hear the others on this forum rather than just seeing a name and thumbnailed picture.  It makes it so much more personal I guess you could say.

Rev. R. Farrier

[akumabito]

It's getting more impressive by the day!

[Lady Penelope]

I like the hinge.  And also the video "tour."   

[Alexander Edmund Clough]

Thank you all for your kind words!

Build update:

Tried cutting out the first of the MDF circles for the lantern bezel, and it's heavy going using the "heavy duty" compass cutter. I think I'm going to have to mark them out by hand and then cut out with a jigsaw.

Have cut the power connector off of the power lead to the H.I.D. ballast so I can connect it instead to a pair of screw terminals mounted on top of the "engine". Jut building the mount box for said screw terminals at the moment.

[terobi]

Love it! It's looking great!

Also, the arc-welding simulator is absolute genius. I had no idea those even existed.

[Alexander Edmund Clough]

Love it! It's looking great!

Also, the arc-welding simulator is absolute genius. I had no idea those even existed.

Thank you!

Neither did I! I found it while googling for a circuit to take 12V and drive a pair of LEDs to get a flashing glow and figured that for the £6 or so it would cost to buy ready made, I might as well save myself the hassle of building one from scratch.

[Dr C P Hornfels]

I must say this project is progressing rather splendidly, I do like the gear silhouettes in the engine, tis a cracking idea. Keep up the good work and I'm very much looking forward to the next progress report.

[Alexander Edmund Clough]

I must say this project is progressing rather splendidly, I do like the gear silhouettes in the engine, tis a cracking idea. Keep up the good work and I'm very much looking forward to the next progress report.

Many thanks old chap!

Need to get a couple more of the screw terminals as I have found that they really look rather spiffing!

[Alexander Edmund Clough]

The 25mm square section pine frames are now glued together with good old "No More Nails", and held together in band clamps while I  wait for the glue to dry (24 hours). Once they're dry I'll add the blocks of offcut pine in the internal corners to act as supports for the inner MDF skin to rest on, and probably join the two frames together with the other bits of pine I've already cut to make the rectangular wooden frame.



I've not made any more progress on cutting out the MDF circles. Think I'll wait until I've got the interior detailing finished before I crack on with those.

UPDATE:

I've also cut some aluminium sheet and made an extended collar to retain the bulb in it's new location in the reflector. (If you recall from an earlier post I had to move it back out a bit to get the reflector to focus the beam).



Once the JB Weld holding that in place has set, I can drill holes for the bolts to go through that will hold the lamp in place. (The electrical tape is just to hold it tightly in place while the JBWeld sets)

UPDATE:

I've also made a grille for the fan that will act to extract hot air from out of the lantern body.



It's going to be hidden behind a plate with a circular cutout so the edges of the fan and the screws won't be visible.

UPDATE:

Made the surround to hide the screws...



UPDATE:

And have glued it in place onto the fan and sealed around the edges with a hot glue gun.

UPDATE:

And here's the finished fan grille:



It only appears to not be square in that photo as a result of me holding it at a bit of an angle to the webcam.

[Alexander Edmund Clough]

Experimented with the glow water this evening for the fuel tank

First off was Yellow highlighter.

WOW - what a glow!

But I don't really want glowing greeny-yellow fuel tank

Dispose of that, switch to blue.

BAH. Very dull bluey-purple hue.

Time to get myself another yellow highlighter, and settle for yellow fuel.

[Dr cornelius quack]

Some sort of "Highlighter cocktail" to give just the right effect?

Do they mix at all?

We need to know!!

Dr. Q.

[Alexander Edmund Clough]

Some sort of "Highlighter cocktail" to give just the right effect?

Do they mix at all?

We need to know!!

Dr. Q.

Well, having assembled the small circuit to drive 4 UV LEDS from a 12V power supply and wired up the LEDS (I just need to pot the whole lot in hot glue for resilience), the beloved and I had a giggle seeing just what around the house would fluoresce under UV.

The results were quite startling.

Anyways. I shall have to test the highlighter cocktail.... FOR SCIENCE!

Just not tonight.

Bed is beckoning.

[Commander Obadiah]

Highlighters do mix, and become a disgusting shade of brown. Do Not Mix Them. Even for Science.

Commander C. Obadiah

[Lady Penelope]

If it's blue you're wanting, perhaps you could experiment with some blue curacao?  If you don't like the effect, you could always dispose of the rest by drinking it.  In moderation, of course.  *hic!*

[Alexander Edmund Clough]

Highlighters do mix, and become a disgusting shade of brown. Do Not Mix Them. Even for Science.

Commander C. Obadiah

Thank you Commander! I shall refrain from doing so!

If it's blue you're wanting, perhaps you could experiment with some blue curacao?  If you don't like the effect, you could always dispose of the rest by drinking it.  In moderation, of course.  *hic!*

Hrmmm. Tempting but that would require the purchase and consumption of alcoholic beverages.

On the other hand, what's the downside? 

I might try tonic water that has been allowed to become flat. That also glows quite well by all accounts.

[Lady Penelope]

I might try tonic water that has been allowed to become flat. That also glows quite well by all accounts.

Effervescent fuel might be interesting.

*musing*

No, no, you're probably right.   

[Dr cornelius quack]

Highlighters do mix, and become a disgusting shade of brown. Do Not Mix Them. Even for Science.

Commander C. Obadiah

Cheers, Commander. I knew someone would know.

Dr. Q.

[Lady Penelope]

Highlighters do mix, and become a disgusting shade of brown. Do Not Mix Them. Even for Science.

Commander C. Obadiah

This, by the way, is also what happens if one attempts to make sherbet punch using rainbow sherbet and ginger ale, rather than sticking to a plain lime sherbet or orange sherbet.  One ends up with Sewer Sludge Greeny-Brown Punch.  Interesting, if one is going for that sort of effect, but not at all the thing for a wedding reception.  Discovered this the hard way.   

The tonic water strikes me as a safer idea.  (For the fuel, I mean, not the punch recipe.)

[Alexander Edmund Clough]

Highlighters do mix, and become a disgusting shade of brown. Do Not Mix Them. Even for Science.

Commander C. Obadiah

This, by the way, is also what happens if one attempts to make sherbet punch using rainbow sherbet and ginger ale, rather than sticking to a plain lime sherbet or orange sherbet.  One ends up with Sewer Sludge Greeny-Brown Punch.  Interesting, if one is going for that sort of effect, but not at all the thing for a wedding reception.  Discovered this the hard way.   

The tonic water strikes me as a safer idea.  (For the fuel, I mean, not the punch recipe.)

Mmmm, sounds delicious! 

[Lady Penelope]

Highlighters do mix, and become a disgusting shade of brown. Do Not Mix Them. Even for Science.

Commander C. Obadiah

This, by the way, is also what happens if one attempts to make sherbet punch using rainbow sherbet and ginger ale, rather than sticking to a plain lime sherbet or orange sherbet.  One ends up with Sewer Sludge Greeny-Brown Punch.  Interesting, if one is going for that sort of effect, but not at all the thing for a wedding reception.  Discovered this the hard way.   

The tonic water strikes me as a safer idea.  (For the fuel, I mean, not the punch recipe.)

Mmmm, sounds delicious! 

Sewer Sludge Greeny-Brown Punch does taste far better than it looks.  It's hard to get beyond the looks, though.   

I saw a beverage today that looked like it might fluoresce under the right lighting conditions--it was an intensely scary cochineal/hot pink/fuchsia concoction.  Don't remember the brand name, though, and Raving Mad Pink probably wouldn't fit the aesthetic you're looking for in your fuel source. 

[Alexander Edmund Clough]

Please excuse my crude doodle, but here's the current design of the fuel tank:



The fuel gauge window will reveal the glowing fuel housed within, and if you peer through the open fuel filler cap down the vertical pipe into the fuel tank you will ALSO see the glowing fuel!

And here's the reference photo I'm using for the fuel gauge design:



The original of this image (uncropped) can be found on Flickr. I found it while doing a google image search for inspiration and it immediately clicked - "that's the fuel gauge for me!", so a big thankyou to "acojon" for posting it in his image stream and making it publicly visible!