Articulated clipboard, iPad cradle & G5
Articulated arms & a mess, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
What a mess, and yes that’s my desk. The clipboard to the left is one of a kind that I found at a flee market. Apparently made by a chemist. The iPad cradle to the right is made from a wall bracket for a flat screen and a piece of an iPad stand made by my friend Brian: http://www.industryworks.com/Industryworks/Home.html
The G5 and monitor where a gift from Greg, thankx. However the hard drive had been removed long ago. I bought a new drive and it didn’t work. Had it tested, it’s fine. Talked to the folks at the Apple store and an Apple expert. Useless. Took a week to find the info. The drive must be 1.5 Gb/s or less or it won’t be seen by the computer. Returned drive and got another. Required a jumper on the back. Installed OS 10.4 while I looked for a copy of OS 10.5. The OS 10.5 disks that came with computers will only work on that model. It took a month to find an update disk. Thankx Tom. I had to use an external enclosure to load the new OS. When booting up the G5 doesn’t see the internal drive but will see the external FireWire drive. If I boot up while holding down option, the drive shows up right away. I think that the drive starts up fast, sees the jumper, then slows down. That small amount of time makes the computer miss the drive. I must have formatted that drive 7 times. There were more problems but I don’t want to bore you any more. What’s important is that I can now sync my iPad.
Where is BHI this weekend?
1938 bag – A, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
I just finished this upcycled bag with a 1938 license plate. I’m leaving for Oakland as soon as I’m done with this post. I’ll be at Lady Cuckoo’s Collage Factory in West Oakland @ 7th & Peralta. Noonish to 6pm. On Sunday I’ll be at the Alameda antique fair with The Window Lady @ booth W8. I have to be there @ 5am. Ouch. I’ll also have new cuffs, upcycled belts, new key loops, iPad cases, vintage buckles, etc.
BHI at Treasure Island Flee, Sunday Sept 25
Round box belt – 1, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
I’ll be at the Treasure Island Flee Market this Sunday, Sept 25. I’ll be with The Window Lady at Booth 220 & 221. I’ll be bringing this upcycled belt & bag combo, new bracelets, upcycled belts, iPad cases, belts with vintage buckles, wallets, new belt key holder, etc.
http://www.treasureislandflea.com/
BHI at Treasure Island Flee, Aug 27 & 28
us-motors-bag1, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
I’ll be at the Treasure Island Flee Market this Saturday and Sunday, Aug 27 & 28. Booth 215A. I’ll be bringing this upcycled bag, new bracelets, upcycled belts, iPad cases, belts with vintage buckles, wallets, new belt key holder, etc.
http://www.treasureislandflea.com/
Tricycle – part 5
Tricycle damage, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
On the way home from Indie Mart I was struck by a car that went though a red light. I hit the side of the car. The front wheel was torn from the fork and I was tossed over the bars. I only suffered a few scratches and a muscle bruise. The driver admitted fault, drove me and my junk home, and paid me the money I asked. Well, I thought it was just the forks and wheel that needed repair. I was wrong. The frame is totaled. I just don’t have time for this. Too much work to do and I need this contraption to do it. No rest for the wicked. I have a small frame that isn’t quite right so maybe there will be something at the Bike Kitchen. Ugh.
Alamo Square Flea Market & Indie Mart: Saturday Aug. 20th
us-motors-bag1, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
Come down to Indie Mart this Saturday 9 – 3pm at Alamo Square. I’ll have two new bags, new cuffs with metal plates and pins, Upcycled belts, iPad cases, belts with NOS vintage buckles, belt loops for keys, leashes, etc. Lots of new stuff and there’s also a flea market. What’s not to like?
BHI @Treasure Island Flea, July 30 – 31
Hex clock – Etsy 10, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
Come by this Saturday or Sunday to Treasure Island Flee Market , 9am – 4pm, to pick up this clock, new wallets, belts, bracelets, etc. I’ll be with Romey Designs in booth 215 across from The Window Lady.
http://www.treasureislandflea.com
Accordion
Accordion, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
Thanks to Brittany for bringing this into the city for me. Every reed is working and it sounds great. It’s slightly smaller that a full size. At first I was surprised how loud and heavy it is. Now I think it’s not so heavy, and the volume is easily controlled. Operation is fairly straight forward. The main problem I’m going to have is my lack of fingers on my left hand, due to a table saw accident. I may try some type of prosthetic, like the X-finger. An expensive proposition just to play the accordion. I can only push one or maybe two of the bass buttons at once. I’m stubborn, I’ll find a way. The first step is to find some sheet music. To this end, I’ll be tracking down some people I know in the Vaudeville music scene. I’ll be putting some fresh batteries into my Casio VL-Tone, the smallest synthesizer I own. An easy, portable solution for practicing some tunes. It also doubles as a calculator.
Alameda antique faire 2-6-11
Alameda antique faire 2-6-11, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
It was a very lovely day, so many people came out for the faire. As the ferry doesn’t run in February, I took BART over to Oakland and road my bike through the Oakland portal, a tunnel under the bay connecting Oakland and Alameda. It’s wasn’t fun. Closer to the entrance of the faire there were people waiting in their cars for over an hour. I road quickly between the cars. I got there at 9 am. On the way back things where much worse. At 1 pm, the day was much hotter, the traffic in the tunnel was bumper to bumper and not moving. No air. I thought I was going to die in that tunnel. When I finally came out the other side, I spent ten minutes with my hands an my knees. I didn’t feel quite right the rest of the day.
Upper left we have a giant knob followed by a variable resistor. The leather covered box has a pendent on it of Christ nailed to an anchor. What a score. Leaning on the box is a beautiful photograph of a young woman with very long hair and a violin. Also, two tin types. To the left is a large and very well made craft scissor that cuts zig zags. It is held up by a box full of nuts suitable for switches and potentiometers. The two wooden cylinders contain many small brass screws. Farther left we have three clips, one for paper, one for sheet music, and another metal clothes line pin for my collection. Next to that we have three hooks with three hooks that are for mounting under a table and a victorian iron hat hook. I’ve already mounted it onto my wall. To the far right is some vintage capacitors followed by some switches and some miscellaneous electronic components. At the very bottom is a vintage voltmeter. The largest item is not pictured. It is a piano accordion. I bought it not knowing how I was going to get it home. As I was hanging out at my friends booth, I ran into another friend that had borrowed a car. The accordion is with her and if all goes according to plan, I will have it tomorrow.
White Elephant pre-sale – 2011
White Elephant pre-sale – 2011, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
Ok, I went a little crazy. The main thing I’m excited about is the mechanical handheld games in the center. These are hard to find. I found the mother load. The boom box is in perfect shape. The Erector set is incomplete and has some newer pieces as well. I like using them to make all matter of gadgets. The American Tool set is complete, but I got it for the box, which I already have one just like it. I use it for my leather tools. The carts are for the Intellivision video game system and three for the N64. The Hamilton Beach milkshake blender needs a little love, but is beautiful. I got lost in the “bric-a -brack” department. The leather photo album, metal boxes, accordion files, pencil sharpener, Japanese lacquer box, ink, calculators, and clips came from there. The leather photo album only had a few pictures and will become a collage book. With the pages being so thick, I realized that I can cut into them, making it posable to use subtractive methods. I have become obsessed with clips lately. The clothes line pin is made of brass and the red clip says: Masonic Employment Service, for dependable personnel, men and women, phone HIgate 5885. I don’t have a great deal of wall space, as I live in a converted attic, so I layer my artwork and photos using clips and use picture frames as a way to add structure, instead of just highlighting the subject. Another meaning of frame. The poker chips have been removed and the box has been made flat on the inside. Also, the loose leather has been glued down. The hat is from World War 2, American. Hooks for my craft show display. Some electronic parts and finally a small Boss mixer. Some day I’ll come out of retirement and make some noise.
Alameda antique faire 12/5/10
Alameda antique faire 12/5/10, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
I had a splitting headache and it was treating to rain, but I still got to the ferry by 9:25. There were about a third of the usual venders. Plenty of great items. Upper left we have an interesting book stand made by The Chas Fischer Spring Co. Brooklyn, N.Y. It collapses flat and if one’s sitting down it can clip to your leg. Would be great for an iPad. Below it we have a leather box made by Sears Robeuck and Co. I washed it after this picture was taken, it still smells of mold. A little lemon juice and some sunlight should take care of that. At the center top is a hefty metal box. No idea what it was used for. It has a wooden base on the inside. Below it is a hot type plate that has had eight spring clips added to it. The gentleman that made it, and many others, suggests using it to hold photographs. The clips were used to keep track of account balances. Looks like they were originally manufactured this way. Nice job. The contraption to the upper right is a piece of a Mass Spectrometer made by Sciex. It has three axis movement plus rotary positioning at the end. Very high quality. I’m thinking I may be able to use this for ornamental turning. Lastly we have another book by Audel: Audels Machinists and Tool Makers Handy Book, 1946. I love the gold on the spine. It’s full of useful information, fantastic illustrations and photographs. No sunburn this time, just a little wet.
Alameda antique faire 5/2/10
Alameda antique faire 5-2-10, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
I got such a bad sunburn that I’m just getting over the sun poisoning. The aviator/motorcycle goggle needs the strap replaced. It’s too small, not original, or adjustable. Otherwise it’s very nice, The same vender gave me the headphones, which I intend to modify with modern stereo elements and cable. When done I’ll post them on Etsy.com. The switches are a nice find. I’ve never seen a switch like the one with the white and black buttons. Only as large light switches. The one next to it must have been rated to withstand large current. There’s also a prototype with a label.
Flee market booty 4/19/10
Flee market booty 4/19/10, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
What we have here are seven photogravures, probably removed from a book. On the back of each is a description printed on a thin piece of paper that has a faint ghost image. It must have been the protective cover for each print. Top row left: Hannibal Crossing the Rhone by Henri-Paul Motte. Next is Hermann’s Triumph Over the Romans by Paul Thumann. Center row left: Charlotte Corday and Marat by Paul-Jacques-Aime Baudry. Next is The Victors of Salamis by Fernand Cormon. Last in this row we have MME. Roland in the Prison of Ste. Pelagie by Evariste Carpentier. Last row: The Victims of Galerius by E. K. Liska. Finally we have Gustavus Adolphus Before the Battle of Lutzen by Ludwig Braun. The book is Paradise Lost by Milton. This copy is from 1935.
Alameda antique faire 12/6/09
Alameda antique faire 12/6/09, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
Why do I do this to myself? Do I really need another multimeter? I’m a sucker for military and scientific gear, you know “Boatanchors”. This is a ME-297/U also known as AN/USM-223. I actually found the manual online. It looks like it takes one C cell and two AAs. Wrong. I should have known. It’s not even that old, 1974. The single battery is a BA42 or BA2042 (the cold weather version). In fact, a C cell will work here. The other batteries are BA1312, mercury cells which are 1.35V each. You need three per slot. Impossible to find, really. That’s 4.05 volts per slot. I found some interesting info on the web. Radio Shack has a battery that’s the size of a AA but is 3.6V. That’s a difference of .45V. Apparently this works. (called Radio Shack, their code is 23-037: Tadiran TL-5903 3.6V/2200mAh Lithium “AA” Battery, $16.99!!!!!!! batteriesandbutter.com has them for $7.50 and one made by Xeno, XL-060F for $3.50. I don’t know anything about this outfit). Maybe three AA cells and a voltage divider circuit, per slot, would work. Three AA cells are also .45V off, in the other direction. You could also use three FSN 6135-269-5843 button cells, but these are also 1.5V each (batterytex.com has them for $1.70 each, I’ve not ordered from them before). At first I thought that I paid too much for this thing, but Fair Radio has them for $135, a modified version that uses one C cell and six AA cells. The switch and lights were also from the same vender. This flee market wipes me out. It’s an epic adventure just getting there. Ride my bike to the ferry terminal, and take one across the bay. Then a short ride to the fair. It’s so big that even after hours of walking around, it’s almost impossible to see all the venders. I’ve only done it once.
Flee market booty 11/15/09
Flee market booty 11/15/09, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
Not too much today. Got some old switches and some high quality switches by Cutler-Hammer, aerospace controls division. The most interesting item is that thing that looks like a clock. It’s a ten turn, 20K ohm potentiometer, made by Bourns inc. I’ve never seen this kind before. A real class act.
Flee market booty 11/08/09
Flee market booty 11/08/09, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
In front we have a cute vintage calculator by Casio. It contains three games. The first is an incredibly difficult puzzle, the second is basically a slot machine, and the last is whack-a-mole. Behind it we have 34 tubes of IC chips, and one tube of 50 trim pots, 100k. Some of the chips include: 121 chips of UND 2543B quad power drivers, good for robotics I would think, MJD 44H11 and MJD 45H11, NPN and PNP power transistors, respectively, N8749H 8-bit micro controller from 1980, probably useless, a bunch of hex inverters and a crap load more chips that are all surface mount. Lots of useless stuff, but I wanted the pots and maybe some of the chips could be useful. Anyone need some random surface mount chips?
Alameda antique faire 11/1/09
I want to know what showgals do on rainy days! Hubba hubba, nice gams. After staying up all night, and doing stupid things, I still managed to make it to the faire. Friends still manage to be lame and not make it. I scored on a box full of bakelite knobs, most in great shape. The high derby is quite nice. That makes three hat of this ilk. I need a hat rack. I don’t have the room, but I like those with the oak curls, very noir. The magazines are full of great ads, terrible jokes, cheese cake photos and pin ups. I don’t know what one calls these types, but I’ll be hitting that guy up for more next month.
Alameda antique faire 10/4/09
Alameda antique faire 10/4/09, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
Sunday was a very busy day, but I still made it to the faire. The first thing I did was try to find the folks that had an aneroid barometer two months ago. I had run out of money and the ATMs where depleted. They said they weren’t going to be there the following month. So after two months wait I finally got my new pocket device. I work by the bay, so I’ll be taking this to work to calibrate it at sea level. Next we have two books, both on electronics. Electronic Circuit Design Handbook by the Editors of EEE Magazine, 1970. The other is Electronic Motor Repair by Robert Rosenberg, 1977. This book opens to reveal two books in one, illustrations in the left and text in the right. I ran though the market in about two hours to make it back to the city to see Aimee Mann at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Rode my bike like a bat out of hell and made it just in time. For a bonus, Neko Case was also playing. Two of my favourite artists. phone-text-tagging seceded in meeting up with friends. Excellent except for the god damn hippies and dogs everywhere. I’m never seen so many hippies in my life.
Flee market booty 9/27/09
Flee market booty 9/27/09, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
Super hot today. Don’t do well in the heat. There seemed to be less venders, and not much good junk. I did find six rubber rollers, each about six inches wide. They seem to be handmade and not in great shape, but that just adds to the character. They where probably used to make wallpaper boarders. I’ll make a simple handle for them and repair the one in the middle. I’m in the mood to do some print work.
Alameda antique faire 9/6/09
Alameda antique faire 9/6/09, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
Burnt again. When will I learn? I could have spent more money, if I had it. Everything here is from one person. All clock/watch tools. At the top we have the best piece, a very nice watch hand removing tool. To the left, a pocket watch key. To the right, a puller. In the center, a jewel pusher. On either side we have a calliper. The one on the left is a Levin. The one on the right is by E. F. B. & Co. Lastly we have a set of broaches. There are a few more watch tools I need to acquire before I attempt a simple watch repair.
Flee market booty 8/30/09
Flee market booty 8/30/09, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
Well, all three of my pocket watches are now not working. On Friday I dropped one off at Clockworld for repair and a cleaning. I’ll do one at a time. The maintenance will set me back about $125. More then I paid for the watch. An expensive affectation, but I do love my watches. The Elgin I just picked up for a fantastic deal of $45. The device is in working order and has 15 jewels. It’s lovely, and I’m wearing it right now. I was cheating and wearing a compass at the end of my watch chain. Below the watch we have a copy of The pipe fitter’s and pipe welder’s handbook by Thomas W. Frankland, 1948. Full of excellent information. Next we have Mechanics’ pocket memoranda, by the International Correspondence Schools, Scranton, PA. 1904. This is the same company that published the steam engineering book I picked up recently. Yet another excellent reference. Below that, The Holly Bible, American standard version, 1901. You can really feel the fire and brimstone in this one. India paper, seal-skin, silk sewed, and with red and gold edges. I’ve been looking for a bible like this sense I found “Dispensational Truth”. The vender gave me this book for free because I had once told him that a device I bought from him didn’t work. That was nice of him, considering that it was no fault of his own. Lastly, a rubber stamp set. I have a more modern one already. This has a nice font. The problem is the holder is too small and doesn’t work. Oh well, something else to fix.
Flee market booty 8/16/09
Flee market booty 8/16/09, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
There are some real rat bastards at the flee market, thieves and liars. I’m not just taking about the venders. On the left we have a nickel plated brass collapsible camping cup. Hero trade mark, patented Oct. 8, 1912. On the right we have a steam regulator. It’s probably from the basement of an apartment complex. Wall mount, with marble faceplate. The indicators are brass and glass, made by The Pelton and Crane Co. Detroit, Mich. The one on the left is for regulated pressure, the right one for tank pressure. The source comes in from the bottom pipe into a valve, whose knob is in the center of the box. Four pipes leave it, One for each indicator, and one for each exit valve. The button above the center knob is for an unknown purpose. You’ll notice the exit valve on the right has a different connection. It’s a modification and can be removed. It looks as if I’m going to have to make a steam powered vehicle, possibly a tricycle. I saw a nice cast aluminum pressure cooker that could serve as the tank. I also have a automobile wind up clock. I’ve been researching carbide bicycle lamps. I’ll contact the folks at www.kineticsteamworks.org when I’m ready. For now, more reading.
Flee market booty 8/09/09
Dispensational Truth 1, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
I just wasn’t feeling it, so I left early. However, I did find The Greatest Book on Dispensational Truth in the World by Clarence Larkin, 1920. Pastor Larkin has illustrated, written, and published this fine example of obsession and delusion. 90 charts and 15 cuts. These charts are quite interesting and well done. Also, the writing is very entertaining. It takes bible passages and interprets them to explain the charts. Fantastical malarkey. Click on picture to see more pages.
Alameda antique faire 8-2-09
Alameda antique Faire 6-8-09, originally uploaded by Black Heart Industries.
I’ve been ill, suffering from the damp lung. This has hindered my work, however I still managed to make it to the faire. Four more sterling silver metals from The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes. My man tells me he has more of unknown quality. Upper left we have a metal from the Alexandria Lodge No. 6652, presented to Bro. W. Els C. P. 6-6-1968. Below that we have a heavy fob from The Alban Hanham Lodge, presented to Primo F. G. Morriss for services rendered, 10th Nov. 1936. Upper right another metal. This one presented to Bro. L. Letellier. C. P. by the Musical Lodge No. 1081 for attendance, 1912. Jan-28-1913. The last one is a medallion presented by the Broadstairs & St. Peters Lodge 1367 to Bro. W. H. Andrews, Oct. 7th, 1901. The quality of the metal and engraving is superb. Surrounding the metals are four iron claws each grasping a crystal ball. These are for the end of a stools legs. I’m thinking of using them for a jewelry box to hold all my metals, cufflinks, buttons, watches, chains, etc.
