Here be dragons.
And then here be the steam machine of the Dragon’s Breath.
The other side of the machine.
I don’t actually know why I start stuff like this, except that I enjoy making it. I mean I am never going to earn any money from it so It’s got to be for the love, if nothing else.
About 230 hours of work. (I gave up counting after 200 hours)
Weighs about 240 grams.
This is the start. A laminated slices of black jasper, zugalite and red jasper, using Hxtal as a resin bonding agent.
The base is made out of onyx, sugalite and chrysoprase, first laminated and then carved into a cameo type thing.
On the right is the baby dragon rough lamination.
The flywheel was carved out of red jasper and lapis lazuli that I laminated. Then I carved a baby dragon symbolizing the egg and birth.
The laminated silver backing is there to give it weight.
I carved the cylinder out of clear Brazilian quartz. I love carving quartz. So hard and so shiny. In this picture I am drilling the cylinder out with a diamond core drill. Still a long way to go.
Here is the base, dragon baby flywheel, laminated column and quartz cylinder all set up with sticky putty .
The rough carved crank. This on has the pin soldered to the silver first, then a hole drilled and then laminated with Hxtal.
Then I made the breathing Daddy Dragon
The piston is also a Dragon. ( this is a engine, don’t forget )
The Daddy Dragon, like the Mommy Dragon has a cavity running through the central body, entering from the bottom of the tail, and will supply the steam ( or air) to the motor.
I made the baseplate shown in the picture larger at later stage. This type of project always evolves as it ages and many designs and components are redesigned and remade.
For instance, the base plate was made three times, the quartz cylinder carved twice, the base mountings for the breathing dragons four times.
Here both Dragons are being fitted. The top of the cylinder had been fitted.
The top of the cylinder is a faceted amethyst laminated to a quartz dome that has a ball of fine gold inside. It looks like a little bubble that trembles all the time.
The carved quarts cylinder showing the amethyst stone and the dragon steam input.
Detail showing the carved crank and the carved base.
Side view showing the air intake pipe that leads into Daddy Dragon. All four child Dragons and the side legs are screwed in with silver screws that are set with tiny Sandawana emeralds
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Here you can see the emeralds also holding the child Dragons in place.
The baby Dragon flywheel is held in position with a cinnamon sapphire that I facetted which comes from Tanzania.
The final base plate, made out of 3mm silver. First heavily textured with varying sized ball frazers.
Then gilded with 24 carat gold foil.
One everything was dry, I sanded it down on a flat sheet of fine sandpaper, exposing only the top of the silver, and leaving the crevices still gilded.
Then I treated it with Liver of Sulphur, which blackened the silver.
Afterwards it was coated with a poly urethane to seal it.
Cool or what!
This is in actual fact how a close up of Dragon skin looks like. Trust me, I have friends that are dragons so I have seen this before.
The belly of Dragon’s Breath. With my stamp in the middle, which says HM and meevis .com.
This is so that the Saudi Prince can order some more for his son’s birthday, ha ha.
The components excluding the engine.
My quality control expert and chief causer of little components to go missing, Schpeckles.
Also showing the size of Dragon’s breath well.
I made this glass and brass box for Dragon’s Breath.
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In which it rests on a bed of blood red glass.
Most appropriate, I thought.
It does run as well.
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I have already started my next project which tentatively is called The Hell Hawk.
It will be steam punk, brass and silver and and feature a mini crossbow that fires real arrows from inside it’s body.
These arrows will be specifically designed to eradicate criminals, corrupt politicians, and people that don’t pay their parking fines.
So watch out, all you sinners.
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