Quiet earth (was: Exercise module for Plettenberg railroad in 1/22.5 scale)

[marc_reusser]

No, grain on drawers is correct as it follows.the grain on doors below and other desk sides. Typical for this type/style of furnitu.re

[Hydrostat]

Thank you all for your thoughts and suggestions. Next time I'll start with a more 'prototypical' wood with tight grain (I'm afraid I already said this before  ). Pear wood, as suggested.

Anyway - I need this desk for testing the lamp switch. And I like the rosewoodish impression of my veneer and so I tried on to improve it at least a bit. First attempt was using a wood filler. This worked well, but as Russ mentioned it brings a somewhat artificial coloring to the wood. When I then started applying thinned nail enamel all the filler came off ... Reset. There was nothing to loose, so some CA had to serve as filler. That worked well and after sanding it down, applying mat lacqquer and polishing it with shoe polish it's a bit better. I think Marty meant the grain of the desktop front; this should be running parallel to the desktop (I glued two layers of veneer at right angles). No, this is no great result, but CA again has proven as a good home remedy.

Meanwhile I was able to build my first own lamp:





Now I'm waiting for Helmut's shipment with some electronic device for the switch which then should work.

Cheers,
Volker

[finescalerr]

Noticeable improvement on the desk. The lamp looks good, too. Altogether a very successful exercise. -- Russ

[marc_reusser]

I think I have seen his desk.....at the Stasi Museum

[Hydrostat]

Be lucky to have seen it at the Stasi Museum !

Really, did you? Show some pics!

[marc_reusser]

In typical Stasi/East-Bloc fashion we were told "absolutely no photography" by the very sour, stern and matronly looking woman at the front desk......when pushed a bit she acquiesced and said "okay $1 per photo".  ....but I thought this was ridiculous extortion so didn't take any. (Mind you, this was after already getting scolded by her and being told "NO, the Museum is NOT free of charge on Thursdays!"....despite the fact that I had the brochure in my hand where it said it was....this was very promptly and curtly explained away as a "printing error". 

Mind you, I was not at all upset at any of this...I was greatly amused and enjoyed it immensely.....as she, and the whole discussion, was so in keeping with the subject/theme of the Museum...it made it a complete experience (especially when including trying to get something to eat and drink at the museum cafeteria...but that is a whole other story  ). I even had a hard time finding the place/museum,...and some of the people in the area I asked for directions, even denied it existed or know nothing about it. 

[Hydrostat]

That's a really funny story. Reminds me of a train trip to Poland with a Russian train from Frankfurt/Oder. I had no ticket and the German stationmaster, a very nice woman, accompanied me asking the matron chiefs of the train to take a ride for some sweetener (I didn't speak any russian word) and each of them forwarded us to the next matron. The last one, most impressive from physique and appearence (impressive in a more intimidating way) finally agreed. After paying some 30 Deutschmarks (which would have been a usual ticket price in Germany, but was a lot of money for the little distance in Poland - and for the train chiefess), I was seated in an extra compartment with fresh tea served. I enjoyed my tea and mellowed out. On the wall there was a faded picture of a russian soccer team. With a roach running 'round it.

And now to something completely different.



No forgery: youtube.

Now there's a working socket and plug missing  .

Volker
Schönen Gruß
Volker

[Malachi Constant]

Scale working light switch, eh?  That's completely insane!   

And quite delightful! 

Amazing work, there ...
Dallas

[Ray Dunakin]

Scale working light switch, eh?  That's completely insane!   

And quite delightful! 

Amazing work, there ...

I agree!!

[Chuck Doan]

I bow to your superior insanity! Truly impressive too!

[Hydrostat]

That's completely insane!

I agree!!

I bow to your superior insanity!

Thanks gentlemen, for your complaisant assessment of my mental condition. Do you really think that's insane? So what is this:





Well, the plug is amendable concerning its form, but it works both ways mechanically and electrically. Diameter of socket is 3.5 mm.





Base is a brass casting socket by Frithjof. The looming holes for the plug had to be enlarged to 1 mm and drilled through the complete casting which then was cut off. 0.65 mm hypodermic needles with some soldered enamel copper wire serve as shafts for the 0.3 mm plug pins. The upper plastic part of the needles was sanded and filed down to 1 mm diameter using the Dremel as a lathe to get them fitting to the holes.

The plug consists of a small PS plate, two 0.3 mm pins with soldered 0.15 mm sec and a piece of a wooden toothpick, which was rounded and carved at the sides for pins and cbles. No CAD machinery or drawings.





I didn't like the coarse form of the plug, but this should work now after some improvement:














I hope they release me from that mental institution if I promise to pursue more reasonable activities.

Cheers,
Volker

[mad gerald]

That's completely insane!

I agree!!

I bow to your superior insanity!

Thanks gentlemen, for your complaisant assessment of my mental condition. Do you really think that's insane? So what is this:

... for example ... stark raving mad (meant as a mark of respect) ...   ... (seems someone has left the door of your cell workshop open again) .... warden! .... warden! ... Volker has done it a gain!

[Malachi Constant]

Well, you may or may not want to go to Wien for some psychiatric care ... but the schnitzel is pretty good! 

(Obviously, your insanity is deepening -- nevertheless, it is quite enjoyable for the spectators!) 

Cheers,
Dallas

[finescalerr]

I have sent a suggestion to the Abteilung der psychischen Gesundheit (pardon the crude Google translation) to place you and Frithjof in the hospital for the creatively insane. Unless, of course, you are there already. -- Russ

P.S.: Satisfactory.

[BKLN]

"Virtual Nursing Home for the Creatively Insane" should REALLY be the name for this forum, Russ!