gfish | Fireprop

One of the big projects for me in March was something that I didn't talk a lot about here because it was a custom piece I was making for

ladyaraia's use in the Spring Mysteries Festival and the big reveal belonged to her. She needed a representation of fire as a stage prop, something that would look good outside during the day. After toying with the idea of an arc lamp (which would have severe thermal issues and require a backpack-mounted battery array), I naturally went for a mechanical device with lots of gears and brass. I mean, of course!

The basic mechanism is three cranks which are turned via a series of re-purposed clock gears. These move three connecting rods, which make the flames on the top move. This was the first time I have used random old gears instead of ordering new ones. It's a lot cheaper this way, but much harder to get the drive train correct. I ended up making my own hacked-up gear depthing tool, about which I should really make a separate post. The entire thing is controlled using a switch recessed in the bottom plate.

The flame shapes were all designed by

vixyish. The moving flames on top I heat-treated to get the added color.

(Yeah, SMF was a few weeks ago, but then I needed to get some good pictures, which meant coordinating with

niac. Well worth the wait! All pictures are links to full resolution copies of his most excellent work here.)