Introductions All Around...

Albert is no shy violet...

When I got up this morning, he was introducing himself to everybody in the neighborhood.

I caught the first photo when he was at Eakaiga's place.

He was getting permission to use the nine dollar dollhouse from the owner.  She seems to always be at Eskaiga's place.  I am not sure what is going on...

He left there and was on his way over to Zar's trailer. I caught him rescuing the cat that was about to pounce on the snake in the Archeologist's Office.

I guess that was his good deed for the day. He carefully tucked the kitty in the carpet bag and took him along on the rest of his visits.

I have the feeling that Albert has chosen his own pet.  I didn't have to encourage him at all.  He knew that the kitty was no match for the snake...

When he got to Zar's trailer, he stopped long enough for a cup of coffee.

The two of them are still negotiating over the clockwork cottage.  I don't think that Albert will have much trouble talking Zar out of it.  Zar has shown very little interest in it in the last couple of years...

Albert stopped at the Witches Warehouse. He seems to be very interested in fortune telling... Or maybe it's just Zofi, the fortune teller that he is interested in...

His last stop was at Daisy's cottage... She showed him the time machine.

For some reason, I have a feeling I should have hidden that, before he got here.

He is now asking how much Daisy would sell the cottage and the time machine for...

He wants to learn how to run the thing. I can see it now.  He is going to try to get more people to come back here and keep him entertained...

I think that the time machine is going to get a glitch in it's works very soon....

Back to work.

See you tomorrow.

Getting Wired Now...

I heard shouting from the vicinity of Daisy's Time Machine this morning... It was Tessie.

"Zar!.. Get in here!  NOW!!!   It's about finished!"

I went to the hall and watched... Zar dragged the console to the back of the room and sat it up on its feet.

He then reverently backed away and if I am not mistaken, he bowed formally to the machine...

No.  It doesn't work yet.  That's why I was not afraid to leave it lying there.

However, I don't think that the shock and awe are going to last...

It is mostly put together, but I don't have the electrical stuff connected as yet.  There are a couple of bells and whistles still to add. 

And it is in need of a control panel on the desktop...

For now, I am just going to let the Terrible Two gaze in wonder...

I also still need to make a chair or bench for the operator to sit on.

In theory, it doesn't have to be comfy seating.  Time travel doesn't take that long, from what I hear.

I heard Zar whisper to Tessie as I left the room..."We need two seats in there. 

Yup, they are planning a heist!

See you tomorrow...

Ahhhh...That's Better!

OK.  Here we go again!  This is the pallet that I used for the tower.  They are all Ceramcoat colors.

I mixed them as I went and basically made a mud pie with them.  That is, I only wet my brush.  I didn't rinse it. Ever.  Until I was finished.

 I have shown the technique before, so I won't go into the whole thing again, but basically, I did a mixture of black and white in different shades of gray and added the two colors to the paint for shading different rocks.

The Terrible Two plus One are showing way too much interest in this project.  I am sorry that I let the cat out of the bag, about what it was going to be when it was finished.

They told Spike that the light was for attracting food... He's going to be waiting and watching for a long time...

I think that Tessie likes the porthole best.  I don't know how to break it to her that there is going to be glass in it.  I don't think it would be wise to be sticking one's head out whilst traveling through space and time...

Next up is the roof and then we will be to the fun part.  The inner workings are going to be after the roof...

Wish me luck.  Hopefully Zar has access to particle accelerators and such nonsense... I am not really sure what is needed, but I am sure that Zar will tell me... And then expect to be the first to use the machine... I do hope that Daisy gets here soon to claim it.  Before the Terrible Two abduct it...

See you tomorrow.

Bits and Pieces...

First you tear scraps of the theater trays into little pieces and then the pieces into layers.

 Then you have Tessie poke her head through the porthole while you are trying to glue the pieces on... And ask, "Do I look like Queen Elizabeth the First in a ruffled collar?".

Then you tap the top of her head with the ball stylus until she backs out of the hole and you continue working.

At least that's how I do it...

She gave up and went away for a while... Not for long though. I think that Zar got tired of her suggestions for ways to grab the time machine and told her to go away... I heard her tell him that she could "invisablize" it... That was the straw that broke the camel's back...

I glued pieces of the tray randomly around the box and then used a crochet hook and ball stylus to knock down the edges of the stone.

That was supposed to show up in the third photo... Didn't happen...It will be more noticeable after paint is added.

I also mounted pieces of chair rail on the window bars to give that area more interest...

Now all I have to do is spend the rest of the morning staining and painting stone. That is, if Tessie doesn't want to help... If she does, it will take until midnight to finish...

See you tomorrow. 

Stonework From the Theater...

I decided to try the theater trays for the stonework on the Time Machine.

It is heavier than even the old egg cartons.  And it works well!

I added a back wall this morning and painted it black, inside and out.  I used foam core.  This building is not going to have a lot of wear and tear, so no problem with the foam core.

I had wrapped some of the pieces from the sides around to the back to make whole stones.

I did the part around the port hole with wedge shaped pieces, like the ones at the bottom.  Each piece has to be cut as you go, to make them fit.

I bent the narrow ends to the inside of the hole. Again to make the rocks look continuous.

Then I cut various widths of strips and filled in the blanks, so to speak.

I will probably add some extra fiber to some of the rocks, so that they aren't all so flat and one dimensional.  That is especially true of the ones around the edges of the windows.

OK... Here's where the time machine dock is going to be.  It sits perfectly on the corner of the roof peak, even without the platform. 

I still have to add the peaked roof to the top.  I have the pattern all drawn up.  I just have to cut it out and cover it with shingles to match the roof of the house.

Meanwhile, I do believe that plans are afoot on the top of the tower...

Zar and Tessie have been very chummy and have had their heads together all morning...

I found out that time machines, in general, don't need spark plugs...I am going to have to figure out some other way to keep the thieves at bay...

Any suggestions would be appreciated... I may just have to put a good lock on the door and swallow the key...

See you tomorrow.  Hopefully with the finished stonework.

Little Boxes...

Yesterday I managed to get the whole time machine painted black, inside and out.

That's more complicated than it looks.  I started with the whole thing upside down and painted it inside and out.  Then I turned it right side up and it took another half hour to paint all of the spots that I missed when it was standing on it's head.

Incidentally, the top  box is not attached.  I am going to put some molding around where it will be setting and make it so that the box will lift out to change the lights.  I don't see any reason to hinge it.

I did a couple of rough drawings of what is going to happen next.  I think that a pointed roof with weather vein  is in order.  It is important to know which direction is which when you land in another time and place.

 Zar came in to help and it was decided that the back wall will be closed in and a porthole of sorts will be added.  That's one thing that I don't approve of in Doctor Who's machine.  He never knows if he landed in the right place until he opens the  door.

 And don't get me started on H.G.Wells' version.  Totally without protection if he lands somewhere  bad!

Anyway, now that it is black, I can start on stonework and woodwork. 

I did add foam core arches on three sides this morning.  Daisy's orders. 

I also looked into building a landing platform on the roof of  the cottage.  I think that will  be a snap, compared to some of the other alterations on her house.

I think I hear Zar calling for help.  I had better see what he wants.

Back to work.

See you tomorrow.

Choices...

OK.  I made the box for on top of the time machine yesterday afternoon.

Plain old four sided box about 3/4" smaller all around than the case.  I used 1/16" basswood for the box itself.

I cut windows in all four sides.  I trimmed them out in 1/16" double bead molding. 

At the bottom, I added crown molding all around, mitering the corners. Then I mitered chair rail to go around the top.

I stained the whole thing with Red Mahogany Minwax.  and painted the body flat black over that.

To make the window inserts, I used the usual packaging plastic, cut to size. 

To fog the windows and make them look old and dirty, I used a big Sharpie black pen.  I scribbled lines in both directions and then before they were dry, I wiped most of the ink off with a swipe across in a horizontal direction.

Now the problem is... Which lamp to use.  I thought that I was going to like the orange...

Then I tried the yellow one.  I kind of like this one better. 

By the way, the fog that you see inside the box is suds, borrowed from the baby elephant's bathtub. 

I like the eerie quality that it gives to the light.

Now on to the rest.  I think that I am going to try filling in the top corners of the windows on the main box with arches.  That will go with the stonework on the rest of Daisy's Cottage. 

Onwards and upwards!

See you tomorrow.

A Trip to Town... Supplies Needed...

OK...First I hit Walmart and K Mart.  I was in search of a rug for my workroom...

The carpet in there is a mess... from 15 or more years of spillage.  I can't see getting a new one or even tile...It would mean that I had to move EVERYTHING out of there and then put it all back.  Then in a week, it would be messed up again.

Anyway, I found the black 5 by 7 rug for under twenty dollars.  Sure.  It will show dirt, but it's going to work just fine.  Besides, I like black.  So there!

I also found the lampshade at K Mart.  It makes a world of difference.  The cork one just wasn't working.  Too much light escaping through the sides of it.

Anyway, my next stop was Dollar Tree.  I wanted the tea lights for Daisy's Time Machine.

The plastic glasses are part of the plan too...

Just for fun, I found coffin boxes that are perfect mini size.  I wouldn't be at all surprised if Tessie took to sleeping in one. At least until Halloween...

Now.  About the time machine.  I gathered up some of the stuff that I think I will need and probably some that I won't need.

I took the windows out so that the thing will be easier to paint.  I also took the fancy handle off of the top.  I have other plans for the top.  No handle needed.

Daisy sent another short note that the time machine should match her house, so that when she is home she  can park it on the roof and it will look like part of the building... She doesn't want much...

Anyway, by the time I had most of the hardware off, the Terrible Two were there, with their heads together...

I am going to have to watch this build closely.  I suspect that they are planning a kidnapping... Or should I say a time machine napping...

I heard Zar say..."You know... Rome was really nice, this time of year in 2014BC.  I doubt that he has any idea what it was like back then, but he wants to find out... And he considers Tessie a willing accomplice.

I am going to make sure that I hide the spark plugs when we get to that stage of the game... Do time machines have spark plugs?  Hmmmm... I'm going to have to look into that.

See you tomorrow.