Last night was my Engineering Final Exam.  There were only four questions:

1 & 2 were electronic circuit design problems – always the bane of mechanical engineering students – 3 & 4 were closer to our field of intentions.  None of the test questions were specifications.

1. A diagram showing the path of Medieval French peasant taxes through the local collector, to the regional overseer, to the area prince to Le Roi; and
2. A paleo-botanical analysis of the evolution of local wheat on the Indian subcontinent.  We had to deduce the circuit properties from the problem statements.
3. Number three was a fluid dynamics problem.  We were given a facsimile of a Toltec carving showing Chichen Itza irrigation ditches.  From this we were to derive the integration formulas for instantaneous water flow at any/all gates and sluices.
4. A Thermodynamics question:  We were given the timetable of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad and asked to derive the steam tables applicable to larger and  smaller steam boilers across a range of pressures and temperatures.

Tough test.

And given by a tough grader, Mr. Keller, my Eight Grade home room teacher, now Professor Emeritus at Jules Verne State.

Three hours later I still hadn’t made it past #1 when into the test room came tame, friendly tapir’s who liked scratchin’s and gave smootchies to signify Pencils Down.

The Transmorpholizer as viewed from the operators position through a protective screen of Unrealium.

Not down but up is The Market, which has swooned these two weeks past, and so my pulse returned to the low three digits.

Put the final, finishing touches on Nemo’s New Antique Mono-stereo Transpoly Morpholizer, which consisted of a credulity cage focusing ring and a gasconade grate safety housing.

GLASSDAY –

And not my knee, since last week.

Yet still, the gods laugh upon me.

Boot up the long-suffering and needing to be taken out behind the barn and shot desktop, and cannot logon to Windows because me N key does not work.  Reboot.  N key works, but now the B and M do not cause the B and M to be.

Replace curved, expensive keyboard with Dell OEM; can now type B’s and M’s all I want.

Resolved to get something, anything out of the Kohl Cenotaph Prototype (KCP),  something other than thermal  energy.

Probably the five sides and top ought to be glass, but not clear; because probably inside ought be a light source.  But I haven’t any translucent, or colored glass.

Most of the prototype parts, the base if off somewhere having a mortise cut…

I don’t?

I have a locker full of spray paint, don’t I?

I do.

But since the green and blue cans seem inert,  this neo-lamp will be in strong, equatorial colors, we’ll call it the Harlequin Light.

Didn’t know if spray paint would take to glass, but it did.  It takes to metal, and it’s relatively non-porous.  Don’t know how it will age with heat either, but since likely there will be a fluorescent  light source, this probably won’t be an issue.

Cutting the glass, at least the five sided top, was an issue.  Cracked the first two.  Why?  Dunno.  Better luck with #3, and it got spatter copper color.

The five sides were rectangles 29.5 x 13.2 cm and although in 3/16” thick  glass, suffered no setbacks.

The former front drawbridge re-purposed into the prototype parts will never be front sitting room or company parlor quality, most likely good enough to garage quality, though.

ASSEMBLYDAY –

Not of a better, cleaner life, no.

Assembly of the Harlequin Lamp, gods willing.

Mortising out for the On Off switch.

Put a screed of Wildman’s Secret Elixir to the top and five verts; the base had to wait because mortising out for the electrical switch was Critical Path.

Didn’t have to use an inset switch, could have installed an in-line, but I’d had enough of that for a while.  And besides, the Eisenhower Fail Safe Dr. Strangelove toggle switch always looks better to me, even on the iPhone.

Got everything wrong the first time, even with a note I’d left to myself the last time I installed one of these switches.  This one WASN’T wire top-to-bottom.  Had to tear it all apart and re-do it side-to-side.

We live – we die – we learn – we aspire.

Glue-up came next.  Thanks to the learning on the real deal I knew to glue in the verts to the base, insert the glass panels, put on the top without the top glass, and then hot melt glue the panels lower down so as to fix them in place whilst establishing the end repose.

Once done, removed the top, inserted the top glass, put the monkey glue to ‘er and clamped it up.

Harlequin in glue up.

The Prof stops by, approves.

But he’s an easy garage grader.

MINDDAY –

IF I ever wanted to make another book stand, I’d want it lighter looking, likely with dowels as the vertical supports.  While this improves certain stylistic issues, it complicates fabrication.  Since I want the two book support leaves to be canted inward about 15 degrees, and the front to back rake at the same, it seems to me that I must drill out for the dowels at a double 15 degree angle.  In two directions.

Visualization of this is too complex for my tiny brain, and so fall back on superior futz with some wood experimental approach.

The drill press table cants to 15 degrees, there’s one angle, but how to impose the second 15 degree angle?

Probably there exists a tilting stage which can be mounted on a drill press table, but I don’t have one.  What I do have is the ability to make a small jig at 15 degrees, which I do.

Double 15 degree drill press set up. No. Really.

Test Results: Favorable.  Accuracy is lacking, but that can be addressed; it seems that the double angle is possible.

Should another book stand ever be contemplated.

A more simple approach would be to simply lop off the upper end of the four or six dowels at 15 degrees, insert them into holes in the base, and then swivel them into position on the underside of the book support leaves and screw the butt joints home.

TOURDAY –

I had the 1030 and 1230 shows at PBL.

Attendance light, but scored one unqualified success: Guy comes in on a virtual tether held by his wife, his glower says, ‘another #%&$!!ing program of cultural enrichment.’

Takes a seat and assumes the classic ‘I hate this and I want you to know I am being punished’ posture – a slouch, legs extended and crossed at the ankles and arms crossed  over the chest.

At the end of the show, he comes up to me, shakes my hand and says, “Thanks, that was Great!”

And it wasn’t what he said, for words are puppets, it was the bright light in his eyes.

You get lucky sometimes.