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| Celestial Mechanical Calendar and Orrery by Dave Beran |
1/22/13
Clayton,
Here are a few pictures of CMCO proudly residing in our entry way. It has been complete but required final disassembly for final sanding, varnishing and decorating. You will notice that the weight cord has been relocated. After careful hanging on the wall the weight would land on a chair we keep there. So I made a pulley, stolen from Simplicity plans, and a new mount to relocate the weight. Bev loves CMCO and we advance it together each morning.
I finished all wood parts, except gear teeth, with wipe on varnish and the orrery colors are Transtint dyes. These dyes are mixed with alcohol and color the birch very evenly. The paper parts are also dyed with a 'brown' I concocted from the dyes. I think it gave them a nice 'old' look.
I've had CMCO running in the shop since last March and would probably still be there if I known it would take two weeks to properly dress her up!
Here are a few pictures of CMCO proudly residing in our entry way. It has been complete but required final disassembly for final sanding, varnishing and decorating. You will notice that the weight cord has been relocated. After careful hanging on the wall the weight would land on a chair we keep there. So I made a pulley, stolen from Simplicity plans, and a new mount to relocate the weight. Bev loves CMCO and we advance it together each morning.
I finished all wood parts, except gear teeth, with wipe on varnish and the orrery colors are Transtint dyes. These dyes are mixed with alcohol and color the birch very evenly. The paper parts are also dyed with a 'brown' I concocted from the dyes. I think it gave them a nice 'old' look.
I've had CMCO running in the shop since last March and would probably still be there if I known it would take two weeks to properly dress her up!
Oh, by the way. The thermometer next to CMCO read -23 this morning!!!
Dave Beran
Duluth, MN
When I read that you and Bev advance it together in the morning, I was just totally filled with joy. What a great email!!! That was just so wonderful to read.
There is just nothing like seeing all that fluttering and gyrating going on with the simple unleashing of two levers. And to be able to look on your wall at a bunch of gears and see what is happening in the Cosmos is almost unbelievable (at least it still is to me).
Your CMCO really came out superb. Thank you for doing the CMCO plan so proud! And I really love the displaced drive weight. I think that looks wayyy better than my original design (I'm so glad that chair was there. Ha). Using one of the Simplicity wheels was brilliant.
Congratulations on a spectacular build, and thank you so much for the pix and totally wonderful email. You've made my day!
Enjoy!
Aloha. Clayton
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I love comments, but in order for me to have more time playing in my sawdust, I cannot respond to them here. If you have a technical question, please do not post it here, or I will have my wife answer it for me and her technical knowledge is highly suspect. For technical questions, check out the FAQ section of my website, or find my email link there. Mahalo and Aloha, Clayton