The Antediluvian Keyboard is a representation of an interest in civilization and technology from a time that has been forgotten, twisted, or even denied. A time in which only biblical stories, crypto-histories, and ancient artifacts surrounded by controversy are the only clues to this culture’s achievements. I had this in mind when creating the aesthetics of this functional piece. And with this, the final product was a merging of organic materials and technology.

This full sized keyboard was created from an old Model M clicky keyboard solidly made in 1986 by IBM. I was inspired to use this keyboard after seeing the success of it having been modded in a different fashion by an artist named Jake Von Slatt. The keyboard itself is superbly designed and very hefty compared to modern keyboards. Each key uses its own mechanical spring/switch, giving it the solid ‘clicking’ sound when typing. The first Model M keyboard I acquired had a couple flaws to it, so I ended up buying a second. One thing Ive noticed when opening up these 20+ yr old keyboards is that they always contain 20+ yr old Doritos crumbs!

The project took a full month of many tedious hours. Creating the design and template required great patience which is something I’m not used to practicing. The first piece I made was the face plate utilizing a very thin hobby grade sheet of wood (poplar). It needed to be thin enough to allow a slight curve when added to the keyboard. The tricky part was to make a template for all the holes of each key! Yes, you read that correctly, each single key fits through its own individually drilled hole on the faceplate. The template was by far the trickiest part to make especially since the final piece is curved. After the wood was drilled for each key, I stained the wood ebony and added a very slight red tone to it. I like the way this color turned out for it gave a good contrast with the brass details that I added later. To hold the faceplate down and retain the curve, I actually drilled 3 holes through the keyboard itself in which I used to attach the faceplate to securely.

Next, I then stared at a box I had filled with the 100+ plastic keys that I pulled off the keyboard, took a deep breath and started grinding away at them. I know there is probably a better and faster method for modifying these keys, but again, since I do not have a workshop and am lacking in many necessary tools, my dremel and bench grinder had to do. I used the dremel with a saw blade to cut the skirts off and then I used the bench grinder to grind the keys down to about the size of a typewriter key. I did this for every key.

The next step was to create the fonts and graphics for each key. This was tediously done in Illustrator and printed out on high quality glossy paper. Each graphics was then cut out with an exact-o-knife using the glass from one of the typewriter keys as the template. Two and a half full sets of vintage typewriter keys were then taken apart and put back together, but with a new graphics cutout installed in each. I then used black silicon to attach eye typewriter key the keyboard key stalks. After this, I needed to take a mental break from this project to ensure a future stable state of sanity.

Once my ability to even look at the keyboard returned to me, I knew it was time to work on the frame. I decided to carve the sides out of wood which will eventually be the support for the keyboard’s frame. I quickly hand drafted a shape that followed the curve of the keyboard itself and allowed for two support feet and a mount for these Reedbuck horn tips that I planned to utilize. The pieces were then cut from 3/4″ oak with a scroll saw. Mini Victorian molding/trim was then used to decorate the feet and horn mount edges and small brass claw feet were attached on the back to legs.

The wooden sides were then drilled to fit 4 rods. I used 2 metal rods and 2 wooden dowel rods. One of the metal rods was securely attached using a lot of jb-weld to the lower end of the keyboard. The length of the rods were longer then the keyboard itself, allowing it to protrude 1/2″ from each end. The 1/2″ ends fit into the freshly drilled holes of the side pieces. The 2nd metal rod was the same length and also connected the two side pieces together. It was located higher up which allowed the keyboard to just rest on it. Once resting on the top rod, it was secured only through gaffing tape to the underside of the keyboard. The two wooden dowel rods were just used to hold the 2 decorative brass tubes that frame the top and bottom of the keyboard. Before permanently fixing the pieces together, I then proceeded to stained the sides with the same shade as the face plate.

I wanted the LED’s to retain its functionality, but the original lights were green. So after a quick trip to radio shack, I removed the existing LED’s and soldered in red ones. I then cut a faceplate for the indicator lights from brass sheet metal and drilled holes in it. After much polishing, I attached jeweled red indicator lights and connected it to the keyboard. Each light gives a BRIGHT glowing red indication for the activation of the Caps Lock, Number Lock, and Scroll Lock. I couldn’t capture the brilliant red light in these images. I think it turned out really nice!

All that was left now was to add the final decorations. I cut the horns to the correct length using a dremel. Be warned that this creates a very awful smell akin to burning hair or fingernails! It was then mounted and a brass trim was added. Brass rivets normally used on leather, a custom wood and brass spacebar, and Victorian doll house trim and parts were used to add the final touches.

And finally its finished and now everyone knows where Ive been for the last month of my life!!

-Considering I am currently unemployed and the market is still very grim, I am willing to recreate this keyboard on a made to order basis. I haven’t decided on a price, but expect it to fully reflect the costs of materials and the insanely tedious amount of effort required to make this. If you are seriously interested, contact me by clicking HERE.

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This portion Originally written in January 2009, but laziness/business prevented it from becoming a full blown post until now.

So for a week and a half I was able to watch this guy inside his egg. He appeared fully developed and I could not see a yolk. I started to become concerned that he was unable to escape from the egg, which is much tougher then bandensis eggs. He was already responding to its environment and even following shrimps around. One day I saw him hovering in the egg in a manner that resembles how a baby bandensis would look if it was starving to death. So I decided to break the egg and release the baby. So far, a week later he seems healthy and has been eating live mysids.

I put a short video together. Im still not positive on the ID for this guy, but the egg had a diameter of 1.25 - 1.5 inches and the cuttle itself was about 1/2″. The egg was surprisingly strong requiring a decent pinch and tear to open.

March 03, 2009

Pretty sure it is Latimanus. A very interesting species so far. The behavior reminds me of officinalis . Seems more personable then bandensis and found to be hovering around more often. It was shy at first, but quickly warmed up to me when he learned I was his source of food.

The most fascinating aspect of this species is the attack posture. When preparing to strike, Latimanus will flair out the two largest tentacles. You can see this in some of the pictures here and the video.

I haven’t had time to take the best pictures, but here is what Ive got so far!

Mid Strike!

And heres a more interesting video of him!

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I was at a local flea market not too long ago and saw a large taxidermied deer. On closer inspection, I saw a big crack on its nose as if it took a big tumble off of someones wall. Because of the crack and the fact that it was at a flea market, I was able to haggle with the merchant and purchased it for $40!

Tiffany and I decided to make it into a project for us. I made the wood frame and the harness while Tiffany painted the deer’s eyes, mouth, nose and horns! What do you think???!?!

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After a couple weeks of development, Im pretty sure it is S. latimanus! Did I mention the common name for this cuttlefish is the ‘Giant Cuttlefish’. This species gets to be 2 feet long! Ive never heard of anyone having ever kept this species.

The egg size is more then 2x the size of Bandensis eggs, the baby with plenty of yolk left is 3-4x times the size of bandensis hatchlings and its still not hatched yet! I will take care of this one until it outgrows my available space, which shouldnt be long. Rich will probably then take him to throw in a 150 gallon system and when it outgrows that, we will need to hope the academy of science will take him!

Here is a size comparison. The bandensis on the right is 1 weeks old which is already 2x the size of freshly hatched bandensis!

Here you can see the cuttle on its side with the remaining yolk still attached.

Here is an egg size comparison between the Latimanus and Bandensis

Pretty cool stuff!

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After completing my custom keyboard, I was constantly annoyed with seeing my ugly plastic mouse sitting next to it, so I knew a new project was inevitable. I decided to make a custom matching mouse! At first I felt this project was beyond my abilities, since I had to make actual moving and working parts, but after hours of staring at a dissembled mouse and my boxes and jars of random found objects, I developed a plan of attack. The mouse I started with was a generic 5 button mouse with scroll wheel. The two main left/right buttons were the largest obstacles for I couldn’t find anything that would both look and function well. My first though was to use the two sides of a bottom jawbone of some rodent I had lying around, but they ended up being too small and fragile for constant use. I then decided I will just carve some pieces out of wood. After this, I made a mount using brass tubing and brass I-beam shaped pieces. To match the keyboard, I decided to add vintage typewriter keys to each of the finger points on the main 4 buttons of this mouse. I used Alchemy symbols to replace the original letters in the keys. These symbols may or may not have been chosen for a specific significance in this project.

The 3rd and 4th buttons are on the sides of the mouse. I used thin brass sheets cut in a small strip that attaches to the brass rod used to mount the main keys. At the end of the brass strip, I made a mount to add more Vintage Typewriter keys.

The brass strip and key mount can be seen in this construction picture here. It is on the left of the picture.

You can see the side buttons on the bottom of the mouse in the picture below.

I then took apart the internal gears of a clock and used a dremel to cut the center of it out so it was large enough to slide over the scroll wheel. I did this with two gears and found a 3rd that actually slipped on the side perfectly. I then cut a thin strip of brass to wrap around the center of the scroll wheel. The scroll wheel is perfectly functional and also acts as a 5th button if you press down on it!

After the buttons were completed, the rest was easy since it all has to do with decoration! One late sleepless night, I had the ironic idea of using a mouse skull in the piece. Luckily I had a whole rodent skeleton sitting in a box. I bought this years ago with the idea of articulating it as if it would be a fun puzzle to do on a rainy day. Well many rainy days went by and it was never put together, but the head and a couple other pieces now reside in my new mouse!

There are 2 LEDs on this mouse, 1 was near the laser which gives the mouse a slight glow at all times, and a 2nd LED used to light the back of the mouse whenever it was moved. I extended the wires on the 2nd LED and then dremeled a hole into the bottom of the skull and stuffed it in there. The mouse was then placed on a big gear which I glued to the circuit board of the mouse, covering most of the internals. Now, whenever you move the mouse, the whole skull lights up! Creeeeepy!

The next two pictures show the resting state of the mouse with just the bottom LED active and the activated state with the 2nd LED on.
Resting

Activated

To protect the skull and to give the mouse a shape that will contour to your hand, I decided to make a rib cage. I used brass I-beam shaped pieces that you can get at a hobby store and meticulously bent these to form a cage. I then JB welded it all together and painted any exposing epoxy with brass colored paint. I then took the vertebrates and tail bones from the same rodent and lined the center beam with it. I had to soak the bone in warm water for 5 minutes to soften the tendons which allowed me to bend it to its final shape.

I also added a couple 9mm bullet shells at the back of the mouse for added detail. I love how they say ‘Luger’ on them.

Some other decorative aspects I used were the rodent’s shoulder blades for the front of the mouse. There was an open area here which needed to be covered to look complete and these pieces had the correct shape. You can see them in the following picture as well as how the left/right keys can flip all the way open revealing the micro-switches.

After the mouse was complete, there was one more thing I wanted to make. A custom mouse pad!

The mouse pad was made of scrap Victorian wooden trim, brass trims and rivets, and mini wood corbels from a hobby shop.

The mouse and mousepad took about 22 hours spread over a week and a half. Strangely, except for the brass trims, tubing, and screws, all the parts I used were found in my house! Costs including the mouse was about 40-50 dollars and the only tools I used were a bench grinder, a dremel, coping saw, and a lot of JB weld. Unfortunately, I am unable to reproduce this mouse for sale since it contains so many unique parts.

Now I just need to make a custom computer case and I would finally have a completely modified system!

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This is the first clutch of Eggs I got. They look recently laid, so I will need to wait to see if they are viable. If so, I “may” have some available for sale. Dont email me about these yet, I will post here if they do in fact become available.

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So I finally can check off the “Customize and make a steampunk keyboard/monitor” entry that has been on my list of things to do for years! I really do hate using the word steampunk, but its become the modern and accepted label for this aesthetic. I’m pretty happy with the outcome, although my next attempt would probably have some significant changes now that I know what I’m doing. I feel that my obsession with transforming the everyday object to something more aesthetically aligned with the world of my psyche has pushed this unconscious universe one step closer to a tangible reality. Did I ever mention that this universe in my mind has a strong focus on form over function??

The Paradox Keyboard

Ive always been a fan of mini sized keyboards for Ive never use the number pad thats typically on the right side. I also always hated the way traditional technology looks in contrast to all the antique furniture that adorns my home, so I always had keyboards hidden in drawers. So with this, my first SteamPunk keyboard project uses a mini USB keyboard measuring 12.5″ x 6″. This project took me well over a month to complete, with most of the time used on modifying the keyboard and typewriter keys. In the same amount of time it took me to make this keyboard, I made my entire 6 ft long Neo-Victorian hood and stand for my aquarium!

Almost 2 full sets of vintage Typewriter keys were used along with a hand carved wooden spacebar! The frame was carved from wood, and functional colored LED indicator lights were added to designate Caps Lock, Number Lock, and Scroll Lock activation. This keyboard has been designed so that if for some reason, the electronics ever malfunction or breaks, a replacement keyboard’s internals can be swapped out fairly easily and cheaply. The completed keyboard types very smoothly and I can touch type on it with no problems!

These keyboards will be available for purchase through a made to order contract. The cost is a flexible $600 and reflects the incredibly tedious chore of creating one of these plus the costs of materials which include the two sets of vintage typewriter keys. If you are interested, please contact me here.

The Paradox Monitor

The monitor is made from a 24″ wide screen Samsung LCD attached to a desk arm that allows the monitor be positioned in any angle and stretch out a radius of a couple feet! I liked the idea of having the monitor seem like its hovering. A king of futuristic touch on something that looks like it was made a over a hundred years ago..

Since the monitor can be rotated 90 degrees, it allows me to use it as if its a giant LCD picture frame!

To access the monitors controls, the frame has a hinged area that opens to give you access.

Next on my list of things to do is to create a matching computer case.

To be continued……..

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This was an old project completed 4+ years ago, but I still thought it was Blog worthy. I will have new art to show soon. I Promise!

This is The Suicide Bike.
The name of this bike comes from the high probability that I will meet my demise (via impalement) one day riding this bike. The bike was created from the frame up and was completely hand painted. It has been loaded with fun vintage accessories such as an electronic horn, head and tail lights, and an old generator to power them. I made custom removable saddle cases from army ammo boxes. The handlebars are custom made using African Reed Buck antlers and the fender houses a small mink skull sporting an eye patch! Like most of my creations, this piece ranks a 1 on the practicality meter,but achieves a 10 on the coolness factor.

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So You Want Your Own Cuttlefish Army?

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Can be purchased or viewed at Paxton’s Gate in San Francisco, CA or contact me directly for purchase.

With a new technique and concept, I have preserved these large squids in a articulated manner in their Jars and Displays. Instead of just throwing the animal in a jar of alcohol, the squid was carefully positioned and suspended in its container to be immortalized in this unique display. The entire sculpture is a tad over 2 feet tall with a width of 10 1/2 inches. The squids themselves have a body length of over a foot with tentacles if stretched out reach 2 1/2 feet! The process of preserving the squids requires around 2 gallons of alcohol and over a month to complete. Each one will be completely unique!

The wood displays are made of high quality heavy Oak stained a dark red/brown on the exterior with a black wood stain for the inside of the box and the lighting housing. The black stain creates a clear contrast to the lightened squid. Detailed columns and accents to the box were created to develop an antique mad scientist aesthetic and feel. The squids can rotate 360 degrees within the display, so you can view the specimen from any angle. The light housing is situated on the bottom of the display, up-lighting the squid.

Biology
Nototodarus gouldi or commonly known as the Arrow Squid are found in the Southern half of Australia and New Zealand . They can be found as far down as 825 meters and are short lived with a lifespan of a little over a year. They eat voraciously and are aggressive predators that grow a couple inches a month. Their mantle (body) length can reach 1.5 feet and have arms that will double this size. They have a sharp beak hidden under all the arms and 2 extra long feeding tentacles equipped with circular suction cups lined with sharp razors that make it very difficult for their prey to escape. Squids and all cephalopods are equipped with a color changing mechanism that is so efficient that scientists still are not in full understanding of its mechanisms. Colors change instantly and are brilliant in color. Moods are expressed as well as it being used for camouflage. Rippling color waves are often seen flowing through the bodies used in some species to ‘hypnotize’ their prey. 10 Tentacles can be counted with 2 of these much longer then the other 8. Males can be identified by a modified shorter arm located on the backside of the body. This arm is violently thrusted into the body of the female squid during sex. Actually mating is a violent act and often indiscriminately performed in which the male will mount any squid regardless of species or gender. Squids have blue blood and evolved thick nerves that allow them to have faster reaction times that almost any species of animal.

Propulsion is done through a blow hole visible on the back side of the squid. It works much like a jet engine, using its fins to adjust the direction they are moving. When attacking they can be seen with the 8 arms spread open in a circular formation and the two feeding tentacles shooting straight forward.

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