Steampunk lantern

Art sez, "I've just completed my 'Siddhartha Pod' Steampunk Lantern. Entirely hand made and it took 2.5 months to produce."

The "Siddhartha Pod" Lantern, recently completed, is entirely hand crafted of solid mahogany, solid copper and brass. Without a doubt, the most labor-intensive lamp I've ever created.

Link (Thanks, Art!)

[#1 posted by Khonsu , March 25, 2008 7:46 AM]

That is quite beautiful--especially since it's all from scratch (except the bulbs, I imagine)! I wonder how much light it produces...

[#2 posted by Takuan , March 25, 2008 7:56 AM]

interesting, are those three verticals cold cathode tubes?

[#3 posted by eclectro , March 25, 2008 8:00 AM]

There is no doubt that it has a skilled craftmanship, but I question somewhat the aesthetics of this piece. I suspect that after seeing so much steampunk on boing boing i have become critical.

[#4 posted by technogeek , March 25, 2008 8:26 AM]

"Ooooh! _You've_ got a _sparkley_!"

I disagree with Eclectro -- though of course de gustibus non disputandum est. For me the aesthetics do work, especially when one looks at some of the details. I like the nonlinear coils, for example; they're just weird enough that they've got me thinking about what they could possibly be for.

Of course what this thing needs is a legend (in both senses) explaining what it *is* for.

[#5 posted by MajorD , March 25, 2008 9:19 AM]

On the subject of steampunk in general, I was watching the DVD of George Pal's _The Time Machine_ last night, and found it has a featurette on the prop Machine itself, hosted by star Rod Taylor.

Surely this 1960 incarnation of the most famous Victorian-era sf device must be counted as a crucial inspiration for all steampunkery?

The featurette details the creation, wanderings, neglect, near destruction, and refurbishment of the Time Machine. It even has a "years later" scene between Taylor and Alan Young, playing their original characters, meeting one last time, before Filby leaves for The Great War.

[#6 posted by Jake von Slatt , March 25, 2008 10:19 AM]

Oh, bravo! Wonderful!

[#7 posted by Takuan , March 25, 2008 10:33 AM]

high praise indeed, coming from you!

[#8 posted by elevenwatt , March 25, 2008 12:28 PM]

Steampunk's insistence on being some new subculture is a bit cloying. Otherwise, nice piece of furniture.

[#9 posted by geo the moose , March 25, 2008 12:40 PM]

kinda reminds me of that rococo phase there a few years back... wouldntcha just l-o-v-e to see a room full of steampunk...NOT

[#10 posted by dculberson , March 25, 2008 6:00 PM]

Very nice! I like the electrodes at the top especially. I expect the bulb can be transmogrified or otherwise form-shifted through obscure Victorian-era ether-magic.

@Hammerhog: What's the point you're tring to get across there?