This adjustable focus desk lamp was made from a multitude of parts gleaned from scrap
boxes, car boot sales and from parts available in my workshop. The items specifically purchased for the project were braided flex, a drawer handle, brass bulb holder and the Edison type bulb itself.

The Lamp Base
A circular wooden base was cut out and edges routed to shape. An 8mm diameter hole was drilled in the brass dome at the correct height for the switch. Additional
holes were drilled for decorative brass rivets at intervals around the dome. An 8mm hole was drilled at the top of the dome and a 6mm diameter hole at the back for the electrical cord. The 6mm hole was shimmed to protect the braided flex.

The rest of the lamp ‘stack’ was brazed together using a brass gas burner ring
fitment and two mysterious, but nonetheless interesting parts. Holes were drilled in the flange of the dome to accept the fixing screws which will eventually secure the lamp to its base. The maker’s name plaque was then riveted to the dome above the hole for the switch. I had initially intended to have the
ceramic knob at the front control a dimmer switch, sadly however, I could not find a suitable 3-core in-line dimmer that it could be connected to.

The screw-in base of the bulb holder was riveted to the centre of a large clock gear
and this, then soldered to the top of the ‘stacked’ components. This completed the metal section of the lamp base.

The Reflector Dish 
The reflector dish was made using  two 12” lengths of 3/16” stock brass rod,  the base of a (for want of a better description) ‘Wee-Willy Winky’ type candle holder, a stainless steel collapsible vegetable steamer and three brass curtain pull plus a few small components. I intended for the lamp shade to be reminiscent of the revolving disc seen on the back of the machine in the 1959 movie version of H G Wells’ ‘The Time Machine’. 

The vegetable steamer is fully adjustable and provides a highly polished internal surface to reflect the light as well as allowing some light to pass through the small holes onto any wall behind the lamp, creating a nice secondary effect. The candle holder base fitted very snugly into the recessed rear face of the steamer and is held in place by an 8mm threaded rod with a domed cap-nut.  The central focus was made from one of the three brass curtain/light pulls (same type as used at the foot of the shade supports) soldered to a brass nut, which I had to make, drill and tap with an M8 thread. Once I was happy with the fit, it was all disassembled for the two supports to be attached.

The 3/16” rod was bent to the correct shape, and one end hammered flat and shaped with the power-file to fit the curved candle holder base and then drilled. – These were riveted to the  candle holder. Once this was complete the whole shade assembly could rebuilt. Two 3/16” holes were drilled into the wooden base, curtain pulls were drilled and fitted to the brass uprights, and the entire shade assembly fixed into position on the base. The final element was to create an additional base decoration reminiscent of a ‘Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory’ type early electrical component using some ceramic insulators, copper end caps, parts from old brass extinguishers and the modern drawer handle. Once complete, the whole thing could be wired-up and all sub-assemblies fixed to the base. The final touch was to apply a brass trip around the base and apply baize
to the underside of the base. Here are some photos of it lit with the reflector in different postitions..

The Piston-Broke ‘Quark Spanner’ 
Based on the Gallifreian Sonic Screwdriver, the Quark Spanner is designed to finely
adjust and tune temporal particles to provide a far more accurate time travel
experience.

This prop was made using a section of 22mm brass tubing, 25mm diameter wooden dowel, a brass curtain pull, plumbing parts, typewriter key, brass rings, cam wheels from a clock chime, copper wire, springs and a small brass candlestick. The electronics were taken from a toy which provided the batteries, switch, LED and buzzer/emitter.

I started by shaping the wooden section of the grip using the 25mm wooden dowel
(stained and waxed to look like old mahogany).Once shaped, a 15mm diameter hole was drilled into one end to receive the battery compartment and electronics. 

Whilst working on the wooden part, the 22mm brass tube was sitting in a pot of etching solution masked with the art nouveau decorations. The etching takes about two to three
hours for a deep enough cut. The decorative dome was then made from a brass disc 
 (also etched) and punched with a 7mm hole to receive the next component. This was then soldered to the end of the tube.

The end finial was soldered together from a brass curtain pull, capped with a brass dome, a 22mm cast-brass plumbing nut from the hardware shop which I smoothed and polished to remove the rough casting finish. I also added three 22mm internal diameter brass rings. Once cleaned-up and polished this could be screwed directly onto the
wood with a spot of glue. A conical brass spring was then wound onto the end.

The steel spindle was removed from the chiming cams leaving the brass discs and
spacers. These were then re-drilled to take a 6mm diameter copper tube as a conduit
for the LED wiring. This assembly was then soldered together. 

The three-point terminal was made using an old clock part, brass beads and brass
rivets. The brass beads were riveted to the clock part, then drilled to accommodate the twisted copper wire, grooves were filed into the cams as recesses for the twisted copper wire, which is then soldered into place. 

This sub-assembly was then soldered to the decorative dome/22mm brass tube. Great care was needed for this to ensure all the earlier soldering didn’t come apart!

The press-button switch was fitted to the brass tube to enable a simple thumb-press
to activate the sound and light effect. This was done using an old typewriter key, soldered to a hollow brass rivet together with a small compression spring and a brass washer - all held together by a rivet head. 
 
The assembly had to be soldered inside the tube with the spring compressed – again,
a fiddly and tricky business. Once in place, the key was re-assembled with its new character, glass and retaining ring. The LED was threaded through the tube and the two halves of the unit fastened together. Final decorations such as the brass stamping were added along with the green shroud over the LED to complete the project.

I must tip my hat to Natasha Ransom of the esteemed ‘Great Kentspectations’ Steampunk group for my initial inspiration for this project. The group has a website at
www.greatkentspectations.co.uk  and also a page on Facebook – A thoroughly splendid
bunch!  

The Basic Bracer
 Starting with the basic leather bracer, made from 4mm dyed-thru veg-tan leather with three brass buckles and keepers from my local haberdashery
supplier (http://www.fabric8online.co.uk/).
Leather is cut to shape and the
buckles and keepers riveted on. The brass buckle hinges were cut and folded from thin brass sheet. Here you can see the aether aerial (aetherial?) which is a flip-up brass rod with a brass finial soldered-on. This is connected to the bracer with a simple hinge mechanism made from a Sam Browne stud.

The ‘Incoming Transmission Alert’ System 
(Bells!)

The bell cups were made  from discs cut from two slightly different gauges of brass sheet to allow for a different tone when struck. These
start off as flat discs, cut from  sheet with tin snips. They were then annealed  to make more malleable and carefully hammered and shaped in a ‘doming block’. The bottom edges were then finished level and the indentation at the top of the dome was then made by gently hammering with a small ball-peen hammer over a 15mm tube held in the vice.  The holes can then be drilled (or punched) for mounting later on.
The mounting bars for the bells were made from a 3mm diameter brass rod flattened at one end with a hammer to allow for fixing to the metal mounting plate, (cut and shaped
from 18 gauge bronze sheet) which in turn will be riveted to the leather bracer. These were then shaped to fit the curve of the mounting plate and the ends bent to shape for the bells. Holes are punched or drilled to take the small rivets which will connect it to the mounting plate and the hand-wind ringer/hammer spring. Due to the order of construction, the bells must be mounted after the mounting plate in fixed in place as riveting the parts together with the bells fitted wouldn’t be possible. This was done by
soldering a small brass ball on each upright to support the bell and another on top to
hold the bell in place.

Purely for effect, to achieve a ringing sound without the need for electronics, I opted for some clock parts assembled into a striker mechanism which could be spun manually. The parts used were a gear wheel on its axle shaft and a coil spring from an old clock. The ball-ended ‘hammer’ is attached by trimming the end of the coil spring to fit snugly into the hole of a brass ball/bead which is then soldered into place.  The bronze supporting frame/housing was cut out, shaped and soldered to the mounting
plate. The finial was added by using another clock gear, soldered to the top of the axle shaft. The base of the axle/shaft of the gear was peened loosely to the housing, in which I made a shallow countersink to allow free spinning by hand. When spun, the brass ball strikes each bell on every rotation making a very pleasant sound!

The key-pad dialling plate.

Cut and shaped from more 18-gauge bronze sheet, it was cut out,
and curved to fit the shape of the bracer, 3mm diameter holes were punched and countersunk on the rear face to accommodate the keys’ backing rivets.

The keys are simply old
typewriter keys, cleaned and polished back to the brass, with flat-headed rivets (or copper slate nails) soldered centrally to the back of each  housing. These can be tricky to rivet to the plate without damaging the brass housing, so use an upright ‘anvil’ that will fit inside the diameter of the housing. A simple steel rod of 10-12mm diameter works well.
* You can see that I used the same keys on the wrist-mounted Gatling gun made for my son in the portfolio gallery.
Once riveted to the plate, the lettering, glass and brass retaining ring can be put back in-place. A small dab of super-glue helped to keep the brass covers in-place. As the keys were old, and almost unreadable, I printed a new set of numerals onto thin card.

The speaking tube, or ‘oscillating voice converter
membrane’.

Made from a small brass flower vase left over from my jet-pack project, the base was shaped
with a power file and finished by wrapping abrasive sheet around a 60mm diameter steel bar in order that it fit onto the curved mounting plate. The speaker contains the innards of an old wristwatch glued in-place. The grille cover is a brass stamping found on the internet.

Almost finished! Here it is loosely assembled but still with some more parts to be made and added. Hopefully the finished piece will be ready to photograph in the next day or three!

Here's the finished piece!