H.L. Theories

I had a client recently ask me to make a steampunk mechanical bee for her and gave me a photo of a tattoo for reference. This is the result. The wings were a problem as I wanted them light. I ended up cutting down two brass pendant bases and filling them with UV resin. They then had to be sanded back to the brass and finally polished. I was aiming on transparent but the frosting works. Her body is an old brass electrical terminal cut to fit. Her wire legs are threaded through the body for security. The crimps are for effect and to stop the feet scratching if worn as a pendant.

Wagstaff stimboard for anon

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.  

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.

sturgeon are probably responsible for most of history’s “lake monster” sightings around the world! these giant fish do sometimes cruise around just under the surface, and from a distance their primordially scaly spines can look like some kind of fantastical serpent, or something. 

“STAY OUT OF THE WATER”

these freshwater fish are generally huge, sure, but some individuals have been recorded as north of 20 feet long, which is frankly ridiculous.

add that to the fact that a single sturgeon can live for more than a century and you’ve got a lake-monster hypothesis!