Restoration project

This weekend was the last time I could use my (company)car to pick up free things.But the very last addition to my orphanage of electrical and non-electrical devices is also one of the best ones.
Or will be,because now it is very rusted and in dire need of cleaning.
It is another sewing machine,my eight,or to be more precise: a shoemakers sewing machine.
I don't now what brand it is,or in which year it was made.But it looks a bit 19th century to me.
On the side it says:"patent elastic",I assume to refers to the driving belt.
Many hours of removing rust lay ahead and then some repainting.A nice project for the summer.

Fun with VU-meters

Sometimes I salvage quite a few of the same type of parts and then start looking for a project to put them in.That's what I did with the counters.From the same type of devices come VU-meters,commonly found in audio-equipment.
I was looking for a way to make the needle move and thanks a member of the Steampunk-forum I found one.A real simple one it is too,but it didn't cross my mind.
The most simple way is to wire the VU-meter to a flashing-led(through a resistor);the needle will then move as the led flashes.
This works better with some VU-meters than others and sometimes it moves just a little.
The other way is to build a 555-circuit,then wire the meter to the LED.Or you can leave out the LED altogether but it is always good to have a BLIFNAR in your project.
Now all I need to do is find a good way to mount a lot of VU-meters together.....

turning vacuum cleaners into....

Last weekend I got this two vintage vacuumcleaners which,I think,have great potential.I really like their shapes,and the handle on the one in the second picture.Not sure what they'll end up as.I was thinking the electrolux one (in the 2nd photo) could be turned into some kind of carrying case......

Loot

Yesterday I went to the birthplace of Philips(Eindhoven that is) to pick up an item I ordered from a charity shop.It is a box with glass test tubes,I guess about 50 of them.Very usefull for future projects like lights and The Poisoners Project.
Of course I had a good look around while I was there and left with the following items:
-copper vessel
-brass pipe
-copper sprayer(broken,but the sprayer part can be used to make a syringe)
-another copper bowl(possible use as part of a bicycle light)
-copper "thing" (The English name has escaped me)
-glass part for an oil lamp
-the glass test tubes
and last but not least a string of bullet casings

N-ex-presso

Or in other words :the end of a Nespresso coffeemaker which wasn't working properly anymore.......I was hoping that I could use the waterpump for a future project but that turned out to be a bit too difficult.I did salvage a few useful parts like the tubes and some LEDS.

In the meantime I've managed to built a working flashing LED circuit(yes very impressive),one with a CDS resistor and a combination of those two.I know people experienced in electronics will probably shake their heads but it is my first circuit using a 555 so I was well pleased........

Artists who inspire me III

This time it's not so much inspiration,as admiration.A few days ago while reading this
blog I noticed the link to the site of William Dubin.This Los Angeles born artist builds miniature steam-machines that run on...............electricity.His site features many beautiful made machines.

Catching up

It has been too long since I wrote something for this blog,over a month.In that period of time I went on holiday in the US again and brought back a few breadboards.
These last days these I've been working with those trying to make a simple LED flasher circuit.But I have to shamefully admit it hasn't done any flashing yet.I guess FLED's were designed for people like me.
The other project I'm working on is slowly progressing,I'm still gathering materials for it.On the look out now for a large copper pot or vessel but no luck as of yet.