my priest-hole excavated

Since I bought the house in the summer of 1999, I have always known that it had a "priest-hole". The out-house toilet's back wall was not nearly as deep as the out-house itself, and the back wall had an air-brick. What, I have always wondered, might be behind that wall? Stored crap, recently cleared out by a friend, (plus a fear of spiders in the low roof) deterred me from exploring. But today I decided to brave it.

First I angle-ground the wall with discs too shallow to do the whole job, then donned a work-man's helmet and started chiselling out some bricks until I had room to stick a mirror and torch through the hole. I don't mind admitting I was a bit scared sticking my hand through into the dark hole....as I have always rather suspected that old Mr Bloom secretly bricked his first wife up in there.

But, a little disappointingly, it just appeared to be a rubble and wood strewn room. Only when I stuck a camera and flash through the hole did the reason for the walling-up become a little clearer. I discovered that the kitchen had had a coal hole, the door of which had later been blanked off....but the doorway and door were left in place and a wall put in to create an outside toilet.

The fact that the panel blocking the door looks like insulation board and has a modern footprint on it suggests a relatively recent development, but what I don't yet understand is when the coal-hole door was put there. It is right in the place where the kitchen chimney once was, which I'd assumed developers had removed just before I bought the house, to create more space in the kitchen.

A Ukelele case-cum-music stand Mk1

I have just come up from the workshop with my prototype ukelele case, which doubles as a music stand. I have to admit that I am delighted with it. It will need tweaks and Mk2 would be more elegant, but for now I am happy. The lid splits in half. The smaller part of the lid acts as a prop and the larger turns over to form the music rest, which is held on an adjustable head that tucks inside the case next to the uke. I have made liberal use of velcro for locking, fixing and adjustment.

(by the way, for my non-Latin-reading friends, cum does not mean what you think. Put between two nouns, it means "with" or "together with")

Steampunk

Steampunk is my new passion. Roger, my old mate from the USA , who has been staying with me, told me about it. It is a cross-over between the aesthetics of the Victorian era and today's future. A recently made example (albeit Edwardian rather than Victorian) has to be the Dr Who episode where the Titanic is a spaceship.

The best of it for me is recreating modern technologies as if they had been used by the Victorians but powered by steam etc. So, if you google images you will come across a funky electric guitar or a laptop or a PC (click here for making instructions).

I have bought a treadle sewing machine and plan on converting it without actually making irreparable changes, but removing the sewing machine and replacing it with a computer. Also have vague plans for putting a cyclemaster wheel in a penny farthing or a hobby-horse. I also fancy making an ornithopter costume. In the US and Canada there are Steampunk balls where people dress up in pseudo Victorian / futuristic dress. Sounds great fun.

The new craze for customising technologies with the steampunk aesthetic has grown out of sci fi like Metropolis, early interpretations of HG Wells, Jules Verne, etc. I remember being fascinated by The Time Machine (see the 1960 trailer)

Lockable Gate

Lockable gate with snooker ball knobs on

The gate is now lockable (either from inside or outside) and when open, as you can see, it takes up no room - so that the GT550 can just ride straight through, especially now that I can fold the mirrors in. All that has to happen now is that I need to render the wall, which will be another new experience for me. Click to see the bike and the changes to the bat-cave.

Nothing new under the sun! - CarBQ

Damn, just when you think you have something unique up your sleeve, you find that someone is already doing it. It is a nice job too - well designed, tidily made.

A girlfriend of mine has been telling mates about mine and has been talking about marketing them but the name has gone, as you can see, dammit, but where mine is different as an idea is that I'd be building a more grunty, basic, sculptural car-b-que out of various classic cars' panels facing the crusher or disintegration...and so would appeal to a wider market. Also mine are for traditional cooking by fire, not gas.

Black Numbers

I must try and take a picture earlier in the day (when there is sun and neither rain nor wind), as I always seem to get the gate backlit by the setting sun. I have just black hammerited the numbers for contrast.

Now out to the shed to finish the locking mechanism. I wasted a few hours last night fiddling with an idea which ultimately was no good. I think I have a solution that will work tonight.

Gate 94

Now just need to hammerite the detailing and weld on the bolting mechanism etc and it's done.

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Mechanic's Gate

Buying the bike meant taking my narrow wooden gate down and replacing it with a wider, steel one....making it myself by welding two small ones together to make a tall one and designing fittings which would mean that when open it would not take up any space at all in the aperture (pictures later). The gate is now standing and the locking mechanism is in production.

But I wanted the gate to have a cute finishing touch:- scroll work and a house number made out of spanners, pincers, sprockets and motorcycle drive chain. I have just come up from the workshop (1.30 am) having finished welding them together. I will weld them onto the gate tomorrow, if the weather permits.

The pictures here show the parts mounted vertically. I don't know whether I shall hammerite the non-bronzed bits black to give a strong contrast to the silver gate or whether to let them rust naturally. It is very satisfying knowing that these parts are all recycled. The spanners were rescued from a skip last week and the chain and sprockets came off John's bike. The whole gate cost me £10.

Incidentally, I don't know if it looks like it from that sun and pincer motif, but I am not a Freemason ;)

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Teardrop plans for my trailer

I love teardrop trailers and would eventually like to build something similar to this one on the chassis that I was given by Dad's girlfriend. John and I have studied its suspension and we feel that it must have been modified from something fairly substantial like a caravan. A teardrop is lower than a caravan...and can be seen over when looking behind, making it easier to use; it is more aerodynamic and compact; it has a classic aesthetic; and best of all, it can be easily built by a keen amateur, at little expense.

Basically, it is a double bed on wheels with cooking facilities in a compartment which goes above where your legs would be in bed. They can be pretty elaborate but I'd like mine to be simple but well finished.

I will post some of the many excellent sites, but for now, here is a commercial example. Typical of the age, there are many outfits over-designing these things for customers, which I think misses the point. They ought to be amateur affairs, but people seem to have lost or forgotten how to make things, or maybe they can't be bothered to do even the simplest DIY project themselves any more?

Security Hitching Post

Have a look at one of my most successful projects: a secure, fold-down hitching post for my trailer (click here).

make a trailer-tent, bike transporter or trailer from a 100E

Here you see my first sketch of the idea. There are lots of 100Es on ebay in close to scrap condition, selling for around £200. I got my BBQ one for free and the one I now drive, originally cost only £461 (though it is worth a lot more now that I have replaced lots of parts etc, in case my insurer is reading!)

So, cutting up a 100E body can easily be justified.

Remove everything hatched in red, keeping the roof for panels. Gaiter the wheel arch, as the rear wheel will do the work.



I showed the idea to my metal guru, Iain MacKenzie at Fairmile Restorations and he said, "It has got to be done", so I reckon this has to be the project to succeed the 101.

Today I found the sketchbook with the original ideas for the Ford Prefect. Here ya go.........