RSSVolume 17: Lost Knowledge
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Volume 17: Lost Knowledge
MAKE Volume 17 goes really old school with the Lost Knowledge issue, featuring projects and articles covering the steampunk scene -- makers creating their own alternative Victorian world through modified computers, phones, cars, costumes, and other fantastic creations. Projects include an elegant Wimshurst Influence Machine (an electrostatic generator built entirely from Home Depot parts), a Florence Siphon coffee brewer, and a teacup-powered Stirling engine. This special section also covers watchmaking, letterpress printing, the early multimedia art of William Blake, and other wondrous and lost (or fading) pre-20th-century technologies.
View a list of all links referenced in this volume
Table of Contents
Romancing the Steam by Gareth Branwyn
in Welcome
Learning from makers of long ago. Page 12
Love the Machine, Hate the Factory by Cory Doctorow
in Make Free
The biggest appeal of steampunk is that it exalts the machine and disparages the mechanization of human creativity. Page 14
Reader Input
in Reader Input
Tales of inspiration in school and debates on artistic expression. Page 16
Penny for Your Thoughts by Dan Woods
in Maker's Corner
Got an idea for a great kit? Let us know. Page 17
Going Buggy by Linda Permann
in Made on Earth
With an entomologist's passion and meticulous attention to detail, Wesley Fleming recreates bugs in the form of tiny glass sculptures.
Page 18
Super Green Greenhouse by Bruce Stewart
in Made on Earth
Jasmine Zimmerman's greenhouse made from used plastic bottles. Page 20
Hennepin Crawler by Dave Sims
in Made on Earth
A fantastic pedal-powered art car that rides on roads or rails. Page 21
Power to the People by Laura Kiniry
in Made on Earth
An inventor turns spinning wheels into generators for rural India. Page 22
Paper Hardware by Annie Buckley
in Made on Earth
Christopher Tallon's paper sculptures of tools fool the eye. Page 23
In the Round by Donna Tauscher
in Made on Earth
Dick Termes' spherical paintings really do give a new -- six-point -- perspective. Page 24
Transatlantic Tunnel by Marc de Vinck
in Made on Earth
The Telectroscope is a digital transatlantic tunnel between New York and London. Page 25
The Year of Peak Waste by Saul Griffith
in Making Trouble
Recessions reduce our carbon footprint. Page 26
The Kosmos in a Box by Bruce Sterling
in Hands On
The world's "oldest computer." Page 28
Trouvé Magic by Karen Hansen
in Maker
Gustave Trouvé was like Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, and Igor Sikorsky rolled into one. Page 30
Crib Notes by Michael Kelsey
in Maker
Modding a baby crib for disabled parents. Page 37
Flight of Fancy by Lisa Katayama
in Maker
Kazuhiko Hachiya mines cartoons for his real-world inventions. Page 38
Thin(k) Ice by Mike Haeg
in Maker
A chilly reception for Minnesota's Art Shanty Projects. Page 40
Giants of the Micros by Adam Salter
in Maker
The two inventors who fueled the rise of the living room helicopter. Page 43
Putting On a Show by Douglas Repetto
in Art Work
There are other humans around, and it's time to meet them face to face. Page 46
How to Photograph the Solar Aureole by Forrest Mims III
in Country Scientist
Build a simple occluder for your digital camera to shoot the sun's halo. Page 48
The Power of Steam by Dale Dougherty
A steam-powered sawmill survives. Page 52
William Blake: Patron Saint of Makers by Gareth Branwyn
The mad Englishman was on a mission that makers can relate to. Page 56
Teaching Time by Erin Kelly-Park
The nation's premier watchmaker's college, in the heart of Amish country. Page 62
The Florence Siphon Arabica Brewing & Extraction Apparatus by John Edgar Park
Make your own mad-scientist coffee machine. Page 63
The Teacup Stirling Engine by Jim Shealy
Turn the heat from tea, coffee, or candles into piston power! Page 68
The "Discreet Companion" Ladies' Raygun by Molly Friedrich
A pocket butane raygun for steampunky cosplay. Page 76
The Lost Knowledge Catalog by Gareth Branwyn
Amazing & confounding techno-artifacts, unearthed for your edification & amusement, in the interest of their most timely preservation. Page 80
Steampunk Family Album by Gareth Branwyn
Colorful, creative expressions of alt.Victorian finery. Page 83
Kitty Kaleidoscope by Erico Narita
in Upload
Make magnificent mandalas from kittehs and other kritters. Page 84
Make Scalable Art by John Edgar Park
in Upload
Use simple commands to build organic patterns with Context Free software. Page 86
Beautiful Brushes by Charles Platt
in Upload
Simplify applying images with the Paintbrush tool. Page 90
New Video Options by Charles Platt
in Upload
An increasing range of possibilities for hassle-free video. Page 91
Wind-Triggered Lantern by Morten Skogly
in 123
An LED, a feather, and a spring. Page 92
The Wimshurst Influence Machine by Jake von Slatt
When assembling a proper laboratory, the gentleman or lady experimenter should be sure to include a Wimshurst electrostatic generating machine. Page 94
Medicine Man Glider by Ryan Grosswiler
Build a majestic, 5-foot-wingspan model airplane inspired by stick-and-tissue designs of the 1930s, then fly it free or radio-controlled and watch it outclass all the toy-store plastic. Page 108
The BeatBearing Tangible Rhythm Sequencer by Peter Bennett
The BeatBearing is an exciting and intuitive way to make music. Move the balls on a grid, and you change the beat. Music sequencing couldn't be simpler. Page 120
Your Own Wunderkammer by Heather McDougal
in Build Notes
How to create your own museum of the bizarre and the beautiful. Page 130
Mechanical Image Duplicator by Cy Tymony
in 123
With a few everyday items found in the home, you can make a pantograph. Page 136
Elastic String Bass by Len Keeler
in DIY: Music
Optically amplified rubber band twang. Page 137
Random Music Box by Kevin Weekly
in DIY: Music
Microprocessor organ and servo drum play an endless song. Page 141
Egg Heads by George W. Hart
in DIY: Home
Construct an interlocking puzzle with 30 identical pieces. Page 143
Volts Hurt, Amps Kill by Tom Parker
in DIY: Home
Excerpts from Rules of Thumb: A Life Manual. Page 146
How to Remove Anything From Metal by John Todd
in DIY: Workshop
Glean gleaming treasures from rusty trash. Page 147
Case Reopened by Thomas Arey
in DIY: Workshop
Repurposed packaging for electronics experimenters. Page 153
Electronic Roadkill by Thomas Arey
in DIY: Workshop
Scrounging useful components on your two-wheeled travels. Page 155
Animal Detector by Bob Goldstein
in DIY: Outdoors
A webcam captures animals who visit while you sleep. Page 157
Flash Memory Hard Disk by Brian Nadel
in DIY: Circuits
This fake hard drive stores more data and raises eyebrows. Page 159
The Stealth Mic by Bill Byrne
in DIY: Circuits
Disguise an inexpensive binaural microphone as ordinary earbuds. Page 161
USB Key Makeovers by Brian Nadel
in DIY: Circuits
These case-modded pocket drives move your files with style. Page 163
The PowerFake by Daniel Walker
in DIY: Circuits
Make an inexpensive desktop scroll wheel and volume control. Page 165
Toolbox by Gareth Branwyn, Colin Cunningham, Jeremy Jackson, Goli Mohammadi, Tim O'Reilly, Tom Owad, Joseph Pasquini, Robbie Pitts
in Toolbox
Cool beats, aged brass, an analog synth kit, and a guide to surviving the apocalypse (steampunk style). Page 168
Compressed Air Power by Nick Dragotta, Saul Griffith
in Howtoons
Page 176
Island Tricks by Tim Anderson
in Heirloom Technology
Here are just some of the island tricks you should know about. Page 178
Maker's Calendar by William Gurstelle
in Maker's Calendar
Our favorite events from around the world. Page 180
Coin Chess Set by Tom Parker
in Make Money
Sometimes it costs more to buy it than to make it from the money itself. Page 181
Theory of Self-Reproducing Automata by George Dyson
in Retrospect
In an era of increasingly self-reproducing goods, we can suffer a declining economy while still producing more stuff than people can consume. Page 182
Makeshift: Mountain Bike Rescue
in MakeShift
You need to figure out a way to get your friend, who weighs a good 30 pounds more than you, up off that ledge and back down the trail to your car before nightfall. Page 184
Puzzle This by Michael H. Pryor
in Aha!
Einstein's Riddle? Page 191
My Own Arduino Espresso Machine by Timothy Hirzel
in Homebrew
My espresso machine is customized for a quality coffee experience. Page 192
Extras
Additional content for this volume available only online.
MakeShift 17: Analysis, Commentary, and Winners
by Lee D. Zlotoff;
June 30, 2009
MakeShift 17: Frank Tipaldo's Most Creative Winning Entry
Frank Tipaldo's entry was awarded the MakeShift Master Creative award for his solution to MakeShift 17.
by Lee D. Zlotoff;
June 30, 2009
MakeShift 17: Andy Tran's Most Plausible Winning Entry
Andy Tran's entry was awarded the MakeShift Master Plausible award for his solution to MakeShift 17.
by Lee D. Zlotoff;
June 30, 2009
MakeShift 17: Jayne Johnsen-Seeburger's Honorable Mention Entry
Jayne Johnsen-Seeburger's entry was awarded an Honorable Mention award for his solution to MakeShift 17.
by Lee D. Zlotoff;
June 30, 2009
MAKE: Amends Errata for this volume.
| Where it appears | The Florence Siphon Arabica Brewing & Extraction Apparatus, Page 65 |
| The error | In the materials list on page 65, and again in Step 6 on page 66, all references to 4mm tubing and holes should be 7mm tubing and holes. |
| Where it appears | Mechanical Image Duplicator, Page 136 |
| The error | Some readers mistook the second paper clip box for a second fixed anchor. It's not an anchor, it's simply a spacer to keep the duplicator level. With just a single anchor at far left (as shown in Figure 3), the duplicator works great. |
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