Comments on: Steampunk: RSS telegraph, keybard, etc.

By: PKM

PKM — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 15:41:22 +0000

The keyboard is beautiful- a real functional work of art. ditto for the RSS telegraph sounder.

@4: from what I remember of my chemistry it's a simple substitution reaction in solution-
CuSO4 + Fe -> Cu + FeSO4 (I simplify, but you get the idea). The cotton bud probably gets the solution down into the surface scratches on the iron so the coating is a little more durable, and there might be some more interesting stuff going on with the metals the iron is alloyed with- I'm assuming altoids tins are steel.

By: Ender

Ender — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 00:42:06 +0000

I cant wait until summer. As soon as I can get back into my buddys shop I am building myself one of those keyboards.

By: Wolf

Wolf — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 05:52:31 +0000

Man, and I though I could work with metal, the workmanship on the telegraph souders is nothing short of perfect. forget nice reflective finishes, my work isn’t even squared up.

By: Madd_matt

Madd_matt — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 22:07:36 +0000

That is honestly the nicest looking keyboard I've ever seen.

Hooking up a telegraph to a computer is a neat project too. It would be kinda cool to hook it up to your email so you could go real old school, and send+receive emails via telegraph

By: Mr Jones

Mr Jones — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 20:45:24 +0000

wow! awesome old school techniques.

10!

By: twistedsymphony

twistedsymphony — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 18:20:50 +0000

That keyboard is awesome… I love steam punk stuff.

I’m mostly envious because I don’t have the patients to make things look pretty, most of my hacks are quite fugly, though functional.

By: ex-parrot

ex-parrot — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 09:02:46 +0000

I’m planning on trying his electric PCB etch method. Also intriguing is that he managed to copper plate with copper sulphate (blue vitriol) using just a cotton bud. I don’t quite get the chemistry happening there, but I’d like to know more so I can replicate it…

By: James

James — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 07:51:33 +0000

That keyboard is A-Mazing.

By: HaX80r

HaX80r — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 07:29:02 +0000

Almost missed it there. It’s 12:27 now, and this hack just loaded. March 31st was almost a day without a hack.

Very cool hack. Saw this one somewhere – engadget or Wired magazine or something.