Monster Triffid

[chunkolini]

Hi Guys, I have just started my new project.
I have a customer who hates his rain butt, and wants it disguised 'magnificently'. After a series of bizarre phone calls and emails He/We came up with the idea of a giant stainless steel triffid. See concept sketch.


Then full sized drawing, the table is 2.5m long


Then I got to work...


23/12/08, we had Joe aged 9 sat in there while the old folk drank cider and fed him with peanuts and debated whether to release him for christmas or not. His softie Mum rescued him in the end.

More to follow.

Chunko. I love the mad jobs, the ones where I am left thinking what the hell am I supposed to do and how do I do it. Today I finished the frame, next thing is to work out how to put the skin on it.

 

[madkayaker]

like the cage. Keep up the good work.

 

[Hitch]

Looks a cool project Chunko

 

[twowheels]

It would be interesting if you would get acustic sound from any over hanging features when it rains!

Regards
Leon

 

[mgarym]

looking good so far

Is that a device for bending bar clamped on your bench?
and if so is it homemade?

 

[chunkolini]

mgarym
Well spotted.
It's one of these, http://www.metal-craft.co.uk/strip-worker.asp
An awsome piece of kit, it has eaned me thousands of pounds over the years, it will bend 10mm round into a circle about 70mm diameter, and 30x5mm strip the same and shear it, oh and make accurate angled bends as well. Pricey but essential. It looks like something that could be made up by a lathe wizard but a lot of it made of hardened steel plates etc. if anybody makes one let us have a go with it. Oh and it will punch 6mm holes in 5mm strip, and can be used to fit rivets. British Engineering at it's best.

Re sounds, when the tentacles are made and atached I reckon they will react to the wind and make some kind of tinkly noises, who knows? at the moment I am trying to work out the best way to atach the scales. Yesterday I lopped the top off it and made so it bolts together in two halves.

This one will run and run.....

Chunko'.

 

[JayRS4]

Can`t wait to see more of this, should be stunning. I like the web in the background too, does it have a spider?

 

[Drains]

Will it eat blind people, and will it dissolve in seawater?


I was also thinking, isn't "Monster Triffid" a tautology?

 

[Hitch]

Plug welded on layer by layers i reckon would be good, each next layer could cover the welds. I guess if you wanted to make it more solid you could put one of two in the tip of each leaf?

 

[chunkolini]

Hitch, have you been spying on me?
this is pretty much what I am planning.
I reckon start at the bottom, and spot weld the upper 3 corners of diamondish shaped scales, and overlap them as I work my way up

Here we have the next stage, got the body finished, started sorting out tentacles, then the bloody power went off/ Ho Hum off to the cider farm, a short detour on my way back home.

Chunko'.

 

[madkayaker]

Looking good Chunko

 

[malcolm]

It is looking excellent. How enclosed will the covering be? We acoustic types call that a monster helmholtz resonator (or a big wine bottle to everyone else). The air in the neck acts as a mass, and the volume in the base acts as a spring, so with a bit of air blowing past you could have an excellent low frequency drumming.

Can be easily cured by getting rid of the spring by making a gap in the base but it would be fun to see if you get anything.

Will there be a 20 foot sting that can be thrown from the top whenever a blind dude walks nearby?

 

[chunkolini]

Has Mr Drains swallowed a thesaurus?
Tautology? Monster Triffid, Since when has a Triffid had to be a monster?

I was referring to the dichotomy of 'Triffid' defining the subject of the work, and using the term 'monster' to describe the space (ie volumetrically speaking) occupied by the subject, rather than using the word 'monster' to define the percieved and subjectively applied properties and appearance of the subject. Or something like that, speaking arty cobblers is hard work.


Malcolm are you on the same diet as Mr Drains?
monster helmholtz resonator what a great term. It would be good if does have this effect, and it is a very windy spot. There is gong to be a stingy thingy but probably not 20 foot long.

Chunko.

 

[malcolm]

Malcolm are you on the same diet as Mr Drains?
monster helmholtz resonator what a great term. It would be good if does have this effect, and it is a very windy spot.
Chunko.

Excellent. Main thing for that is to have everything air tight apart from the neck. Won't work so well if you have leaks. Though it would be difficult to eliminate leaks in that thing sadly. Would be astonishingly noisy in a windy spot if you managed it. PS - look up the wiki page on helmholtz resonators.

 

[JayRS4]

Malcolm, i admit i havent read the page on helmholtz resonators, but i`m currently thinking along the lines of a Reynst combuster, simialar principle?

 

[chunkolini]

Triffidular update.
I had another go at over the last couple of days, got all the tentacles made and fitted and the flowery/stingy things. So far looking good.

Here is the larger of the flower thingys, I think it is a bit like a hibiscus, leaves me wanting to start another branch of my sculpture stuff, looking at flowers and maybe sea anenomes.


Here we have the whole caboodle, the tentacles are removeable for transit etc and thrash around menacingly when you kick it so it should have a great presence in the wind, and I think it will make great twangy noises as well. Hmm another branch in my work waiting to be opened up, things that react to the weather.

 

[chunkolini]

Have been at it a bit more sarted working on the scales, good grief what a chore!!! Cutting them out with a plasma cuter worked but what a pain, cleaning up the edges and getting rid of the tiny amount of discolouration on the edges. The power shears are a load better, until the blades get blunt and the pillock who thought 'Hmm these things are due new blades'' didn't get any.



This is with the first batch of scales fitted, seems to be working which is a relief and I even have a large one on the back that lifts out to allow access to the tap. The bloody thing attacked me yesterday, I dropped a clamp inside it and leaned it over to get it out, some idiot had not bolted the top on; kersplaaaam right on the nut. Glad I dont have to fill in an accident book ''Was attacked at work today by a giant triffid''

Sat and watched the 60's film Day of The Triffids last night. Good grief were we really scared by this cold war codswallop all those years ago?

Had a day off the beast today, blunt shears and remembered why I try to have a variety of jobs during the day. Stops me getting bored and hurting myself. Seriously it is great to have a 'break' from the big job and do something else. I always try to have a side project, something I am doing for 'myself' as a learning thing.

More to follow.
Chunko'.

 

[thinfourth]

Can i be an **** and say they might look quite good with the nice discoloured bit from a plasma cutter

 

[chunkolini]

Thinforth,
You are not being an ****. Being an **** involves marching in and anouncing 'well I'd have done it like this'' with no nowledge of the processes involved. Or maybe hemispherical and pink with flabby bits round the edges (in some cases).
I did think of that, but it was not enough of a feature, from my experience you have either make a big feature of any processes used or hide them completely. If that makes sense. I have wondered about doing some colour work with the oxy/acetylene flame. The problem is if I/customer dont like it life gets complicated. I also considered leaving the edges of the scales rough and textured, would look great but potential for skin rippage has to be considered.

Comments about my work are always welcome as it helps me to accept that the rubbish I produced today is actually allright.

It is a weird occupation this one, from thinking what the **** does he mean to a working draft and no plans. Great fun most of the times but there are times when all the sharp things have a siren call. Oh and the fridge as well.

To the fridge To the fridge boys. Cider calls made by mates from real apples.

Chunko'.

 

[chunkolini]

Hi Guys
A quick ,but slow coming update of this pigging thing. Ye gods, how much of my DNA has soaked into the beast? I know they were killers, but this one is a vampire.
First a closeup of the flower sting devices, loosely based on a Hibiscus (well somebody told me it looked like one).



A simple device but effective.

Next up I am about 2/3 through laying up the scales, this has been a vile job, lots of sheet metal cuts and puncture wounds, but it works.



The original brief called for leaves growing out of the pockets, but we figured that they are not neccessary, so I can have a window box on my workshop.

Next stage is to fit the top and cover it. I am going to make the top section with a more hairy texture to give it a thrashy look.

I shal be glad to see the back of the thing.

Chunko'.