#mechanical insect

Steampowered Pollinator

Sticking gears on everything is debated in the steampunk community.  Some just love the gear in its own right, others say sticking gears on everything and calling it “steampunk” misses the nuance and aesthetic of the genre.  I’m in the middle - I use gears but not “orphan” gears and they must look like they actually have a purpose in the design.  They can imply movement.

I’m telling you this because I wanted to make this piece with no gears.  I wanted it to look like a miniature steam engine powering this little guy.  Starting with a brass shelf support pin I drilled numerous holes to attach the “engine”, exhaust, wings, head and legs.  Everything is screwed in.  

He needed a purpose - in situ - so I made him a stand, bracket with a copper and brass flower to “fly” to. It’s curled around the main support. He can be taken off the bracket but I really like seeing him “working”.  He is a combination of parts from jewellery supplies, watch parts, electrical supplies and miscellaneous hardware.

Thanks for looking!  I really appreciate all the support I get from my Tumblr community.  

Pink Tritium Bug

Yes, another tritium piece and a bug.  Kept this one a bit more conceptual - not so accurately insect.  She is very cute.  

I started with a pink tritium vial, sealed within a second glass vial.  The legs are lever action earrings - that can be moved, bolted on to a bracket.  The brass top is screwed into a cord cap.  The “face” is a solid brass six sided cabochon.  I screwed a bolt into the flat back and then bolted it on the cord cap on the end.  Finally I wrapped fine gold tone wire around the head/face join to form antennas. 

Please note: pink is one of the least bright tritium tubes.  My camera changed the true colour so I used digital manipulation to correct the colour values.  My graphics/web design skills are still useful.

She’s slightly over 1 ½ inches long, 1 inch wide and stands ¾ of an inch high - excluding her antennas. I was going to sell her as a pendant - and if someone wants to wear her I can attach to to some chain joined with clasps to her wings.  If you need more photos of that - feel free to contact me.  You would have to be very careful wearing her - the antenna are fragile.  Leg bolts might also loosen with movement and may need to be tightened.

The tritium is estimated to glow for 10 to 15 years without the need for a charge or batteries.

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I ordered some amazing brass stamps over Christmas and here is one put to use in the latest mechabug.  Watch parts feature heavily in this guy with layers of parts on his face, head and along his top “backbone”.  His “legs” are repurposed lever action earrings - cut and adapted for this use, with watch winder stems at the end.  Flat semicircle brass stamps form the main skeleton all threaded on a brass rod with sleeves and springs between them.  Threading the gears and minute pinions on the “top” backbone was very tricky - a lot of swearing at inanimate objects.  

He is 2 inches long, 1.5 inches wide and stands 1 inch high.  He’s designed to just sit on your desk or shelf, keep you company and impress guests. He has a hanging loop so it would look like he’s walking down your wall.

When I was researching anatomical bugs for this project I accidentally found myself looking at the Russian spy cockroach - very interesting. So here is the steampunk version.  Love to see him come to life…

Light Spider

This has been a long time in the making.  The parts have literally been sitting on my work desk all year.  First problem was creating the abdomen from two perforated domes - something that could be opened and closed.  So I found a tiny little hinge and fashioned a swing hook latch.  Next major problem was the legs. Another artist who I admire greatly solders watch winding stems for insect legs.  I wanted to use the same materials but I don’t copy.  So I used sleeves, cord end tubes with loops, tiny rubber rings and brass rods. They are screwed to a brass ring.  I did want a lot more detail in the cephalothorax but decided to go simple with a stepped brass finding with brass rings attached underneath for the central screw.  It’s more wild wild west than a real representation of a spider.

The glow is from the innards of a LED “fairy globe” sold on one of the big wholesale sites for party decoration.  I took it out of the plastic ball and put it in the spider’s abdomen. The light pulses slowly on and off.  Batteries can easily be replaced.  It doesn’t have a switch so I just break the circuit with a toothpick between the battery and terminal to turn it off.  

It’s 3 inches wide, 2 ½ inches long and 1 ½ inches high.  

Thanks to all my followers - I really appreciate all of you. I hope you have a wonderful New Year and fantastic 2019!

Tritium Powered Assassin Bug

No, not really “powered” by tritium but that would be fantastic.  It’s just a fantasy mechanical winged insect with a tritium rod in the abdomen.It’s hanging from a stick pin so it can attached to clothing.  The legs are vintage watch stems attached to brass rods.  Nearly every connection is nuts and bolts - tiny nuts and bolts.  The centre piece is brass with a square top screw securing the glass vial to the body and head.It’s estimated the green tritium will glow continuously for 10 to 12 years.  It doesn’t need “charging” from a light source like regular glow in the dark.  

It’s 1 ½ inches long, just over 1 inch wide and stands ½ an inch high.  It’s US$185 shipping included.  If you are interested in buying it - drop me a line with your paypal email address and I’ll invoice you.  

Mercury Drone

There is a local art competition coming up in August and I have an idea - three or four “flying” insects mounted on posts mid flight and presented in a diorama under a glass dome. The insects will all be straight out of my imagination and the grass and flowers will also be biomech steampunk. So I’m working on my insects at the moment. The legs and head are the sticking points. I want the legs to look like pistons or micro hydraulics - but they get too big so I’m starting from wire/pins and work from there. Fortunately I’m never short on ideas to attempt.

The main feature on this guy are the great silver tone mechanical clock parts I’ve used as over wings. I wanted a lot more mech on his thorax but there are tiny details in there. He comes with his very own glass and brass display case with a mirrored base to see “under the hood”. He would be a great low maintenance pet for the office desk or a quirky ornament that will catch everyone by surprise. The drop of mercury in his abdomen does move around the sealed glass nodule.

I like to imagine him as a drone used in spycraft espionage sending back images of the secret base, blueprints or a compromised official. He could also take a nefarious payload or just plug himself in to an unattended server port causing havoc.  

So if you like my insect creations keep an eye on my new items as I lead up to the main competition piece. I also had the idea of replicating the framed specimen insect collections that the Victorian era loved so much. Join me for the journey!