Posted By Steampunk Tribune on May 19, 2012
Posted By Dieselpunks.org on May 19, 2012
This will be a short one. Meet a Bristol monoplane built in 1922 but looking a good ten years “younger”.
Wilfrid Thomas Reid designed this ship in 1921, trying to come up with a “Super Racer” to enter into the Aerial Derby of 1922. The aircraft, designated Type 72, proved to be spirally unstable because of oversensitivity of any aileron input. They were way too big and caused oscillating vibration with minimal input. The Bristol 72 was then modified with smaller ailerons to race against the French in the 1922 Deutsch de la Meurthe Cup.
Ed Coates wrote on his website:
The two Bristol Aeroplane Company images on this page illustrate the very advanced (and very ugly) experimental racer developed in 1922 to exploit the new Bristol Jupiter IV nine cylinder air cooled radial engine. Note odd open ended spinner and ducted cooling, clearly visible on the shot below. The craft featured a manually retractable undercarriage. It turns out that the wings were too flexible and hence use of the ailerons produced a reverse effect when applied. The test pilot, Captain Cyril Uwins was able to effect turns using the rudder only. Flaps were virtually unknown at this time and hence the high landing speed, coupled with other control problems persuaded Bristols to abandon the project.
Well, success it wasn’t – by all means. But I can’t help thinking the Bristol 72 forestalled a lot of 1930s-1940s aircraft literally “built around the engine”.
Sources: Ed Coates Collection, Virtual Aircraft Museum
Posted By Brass Goggles on May 18, 2012
The most recent maintenance post has been updated; maintenance was postponed due to issues discovered during testing. The new maintenance window will be Monday , May 21, 2012 from 15:00 to 23:00 UTC.
During this time, there will be one long (approximately two-hour) downtime, and several short interruptions.
Posted By Dieselpunks.org on May 18, 2012
“The Troubleshooter is a blend of old and new genres that Bard Constantine coined ‘dystopian noir’. Part of the developing Badlands universe, it introduces Mick Trubble, a character Bard describes as “a blend of noir detective and hard boiled antihero, blended with a generous amount of sarcasm.”
The story takes place in the dystopian city of New Haven, where it rains every day, and every night the dark and desperate haunt the foggy streets. It is a melting pot of bad men and badder dames, gangsters and players. There are secrets buried in the shadows; behind sealed doors and the minds of men and women who won’t hesitate to kill in order to protect them.
This is the world of Mick Trubble, who has a knack for two things: Getting neck deep in trouble, and shooting his way out of it.”
Here is the cover for this latest novel by Bard Constantine I’ve had the privilege to design. Learn more about the literary work of the talented Bard Constantine at: http://knightvisionltd.jimdo.com/home/the-troubleshooter/
Posted By Dieselpunks.org on May 18, 2012
The only 1.5-liter Adler to race at LeMans:
The Trumpf Rennlimousine was designed in 1936-1937 by an outstanding German aerodynamics expert Baron Reinhard von Koenig-Fachsenfeld (his other creations, the BMW Wendler Coupe and Volkhart Sagitta, have been featured in this column in 2010 and 2011). Using Paul Jaray patent, the Baron developed a lightweight all-enveloping low-drag body on the Adler Trumpf front wheel drive platform.
The Trumpf, a brainchild of Adlerwerke’s former technical director Hans Gustav Röhr, started its life in 1932. Three years later, it provided a platform for the fantastic Spezial Monoposto racer:
But its 1937 cousin was even more fantastic. Just look at this beauty on the race track:
An alien, isn’t it? Here’s a short quote from the The Other Mille Miglia Coupe, an article published in the Bimmer (BMW magazine):
<…>Separate trunks, spare wheels, fenders and running boards were being subsumed into the main body shape, while radiators were disappearing behind grilles. In the latter movement, BMW had a brilliant head start with its twin kidneys, though the Munich stylists would otherwise find it a constant challenge to keep pace with rapid change.
The transformation was especially rapid in the shaping of sports racing cars. By 1937, the most advanced sports racers had all-enveloping bodywork, with smooth flanks that kept aerodynamic drag at a minimum. Two landmark designs launched this trend in 1936. The first was from Bugatti, whose open-cockpit 57G “Tank” was a major advance. It scored its first wins in 1936, won Le Mans in 1937 and again—in a new version—in 1939.
The second were made closer to home: the exotic streamlined sports racing coupes designed for Adler by aerodynamicist Reinhard von Koenig-Fachsenfeld. Von Koenig drew on the aerodynamic concepts of Paul Jaray to create the ultra-low-drag Trumpfs, not only for sale but also to compete in international sports car races.<…>
A pair of trendsetters: the Adler Rennlimousine and Bugatti 57G at LeMans
Another quote, this time from the The Auto Collections & Collectibles magazine:
Posted By Steampunk Workshop on May 16, 2012
Shannon O'hare of the Neverawas Haul and Zachary Rukstela of Kinetic Steamworks share a scotch.
Posted By Dieselpunks.org on May 16, 2012
Despite have a long distinguished firearms heritage, Italian smallarms makers during World War II seemed to have floundered in attempts to make the next great advance in weapons designs. They came close quite often, but inevitably fell short when finding that right next generation weapon. And while other weapons makers were utilizing standard methods of operation for their rifles and submachine guns, Italian designers took an unusual route in their expertly built FNAB-43.
Only 7,000 of these 9mm Parabellum submachine guns were built during World War II and most of them confined to the Northern Italy front of 1943-1944. A folding-stock SMG, the FNAB-43 had a front pivoting magazine well to reduce the overall sihlouette of the weapon with a magazine inserted. The Italian SMG could take a 20 or 40-round magazine that would be spent at a relatively low, controlable rate of fire.
At 400 rounds per-minute, the FNAB-43 could put a steady, slow string of bullets. This rate of fire was not accplished by traditional methods of a heavy bolt or recoil springs, but rather lever-delayed blowback. The bolt assembly on the FNAB-43 had a bolt head and a small lever piece between it and the bolt body. As the bolt head recoiled slightly upon firing of the round, the lever would apply mechanical friction, slowing the rearward progress of the entire bolt assembly until it was unlocked when propellant gas levels reduced to safe levels.
A perfectly effective submachine gun, the FNAB-43 suffered from timing as Facist Italy fell war-time production staggered making the precision construction of the FNAB-43 unattainable.
Posted By Steampunk Magazine on May 16, 2012
post by Katie Casey
Are you headed to Piscataway, NJ this weekend for Steampunk World’s Fair? A bunch of Steampunk Magazine contributors will be there, myself included. I’m presenting on a few panels, and I’m also going to be seeking out events that deal with the overlap between steampunk and LGBTQ culture. Here’s a few of the highlights that I’m hoping to catch; if you have any recommendations between now and Friday, send them my way!
Visit Combustion Books, our publisher, at their table, and look for the Catastrophone Orchestra’s Shadow Cities presentation!
For those of you who like to enter contests, there will be the Queen of Steam Drag Show, and/or the Annual Facial Hair Contest; I personally will hug anyone who enters both.
For entertainment, I’m looking forward to a weekend full of burlesque shows. A few that look promising are Violet DeVille’s transgender burlesque performance, and Uncle Monty’s Mollyhouse presented by Royal Baritarian Players! Molly houses refers to 18th century English taverns for all manner of sexual deviants, and a modern version should be all sorts of fun. They’ll be at the Goblin Market and helping to host the Absinthe Tasting.
If you’re looking for something more intellectual, I’m presenting in a few panels hosted by SPM contributor Steampunk Emma Goldman. Visit us on Friday at 6:00 PM for “Great Activists of the 19th Century,” and again on Sunday at 2:00 PM for a discussion on political aspects of steampunk. There’s also an excellent-looking panel on Victorian sexuality, and several on multicultural steampunk, which I’m quite looking forward to.
Hope to see you there!
Posted By Brass Goggles on May 16, 2012
There are a bunch of software updates that need to happen on the site software as well as the underlying OS. Since these updates requires some down-time anyhow, I’ll be taking this opportunity to perform some maintenance I’ve been putting off.
Here’s what you can expect:
As always, keep an eye on @brasstech and the Status Page for updates.
Posted By Steampunk Tribune on May 16, 2012
Posted By The Steampunk Librarian on May 15, 2012
It looks as if last weekend’s Watch City Festival was splendid. This weekend, it’s on to the Steampunk World’s Fair!
If you’re attending these festivals and looking for something to wear, Kate Beaton has a vintage photograph of a man dressed like “a side of bacon.” He was a hipster before he knew it.
Also hipster, but in the most wonderful way possible, is ~Flow, “electro-acoustic musical machinery powered by the River Tyne.” Very impressive, and beautiful as well.
I found ~Flow via BLDGBLOG, which also has a fantastic entry on New York City’s quarries of yesteryear.
In related rock-smashing news, the Daily Mash has reassured us that the dramatic increase in potential fracking activity will cause only a 30% chance of awakening Cthulhu. Don’t you feel better? Er…hello?
Posted By Dieselpunks.org on May 15, 2012
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!
Since hitting the airwaves in August 1930 as part of the “Detective Story” radio show, The Shadow has become one of the most beloved heroes in pulp history. On Two-Fisted Tuesdays, we’ll follow the adventures of The Shadowas he battles a rogues gallery of crooks and villains from around the world.
Click on the link below to download this old time radio broadcast in MP3 format.
This week’s episode is…
The Shadow – Death is Blind starring Orson Welles (originally broadcast on November 20, 1938).
Special thanks to John Picha for collecting all of the classic Shadow covers for us!
Loading ...