Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

I've seen some incredible stuff including AVOs turned into lamps.

None as good as a wood plane with a lamp holder jammed on top. This was on sale at a local vintage place.

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

Its an interesting discussion. For all the old radios, TVs, comms gear etc etc in existence, can it all be conserved? Of course not, a lot could, but nowhere near what exists now.

Give it a 30 years and new waves of enthusiasm driven by nostalgia will be hankering after 1990s PCs, early iphones, or early smart TVs, leaving less room for what we're interested in.

So if the conversions aren't too destructive and are tasteful, it can be argued they repurpose this stuff and keep it in existence.

All of that said, I'm not sure much, if ANY of the items referenced in this thread meet those requirements! ;) AND, assuming they don't, they have potentially less hope of existing going forwards.

I believe (and hope) the bottom will drop out of this market (if one even exists!), prices are far too optimistic and I cannot believe they sell much of this stuff at all. Even if you like steampunk as a style, some of this just looks plain crap!

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

We could get our own back by converting things like 'souvenir from Brighton', those stuffed toys, or even toilet brushes and stands into a lamp, then putting them up on auction sites for outrageous prices.

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

In the late 1930's, Bulging used to sell electric lamps intended for putting on top of your radio. Their catalogue referred to advice from the BBC which recommended listening to the radio in subdued light.

In the 1950's, dad made a number of bedside cabinets for the family from the wooden cabinets of prewar radios, turning them on end and fitting a door and a shelf. I still have one in the garage, complete with its red Fablon plastic covering, that now stores odds and ends.

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

More Barry Bucknell than Steampunk I'd have thought!

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

Avos are not really rare. The fact other folk who own one do this to them is really up to them. It is their property. I have 2 Avos, both work well and i intend to keep them, despite having less than 10 minutes total use these last 5 years!
IF I had a faulty model 7 say and someone offered me 50+ quid just to put a lampholder on top of it, I would.
I would NOT do it to one of my working ones though.
Let's face it, OLD Avos aren't worth a fantastic amount in general and the more they are converted, surely the value of those remaining that WE all have can only increase, which is good and should prevent upcyclers considering them as candidates in the future.
I think there are enough decent Avos around to last us all a long time.
As an aside. If any interest, I will take some pics and offer a smashed up Avominor less back and with a glued up case and a duff movement for a fiver including post on here to see if anyone really wants to "save" it from my bin or from "upcycling".
Mods, this will only become a for sale offer (in the correct section) if someone tells me it will REALLY be wanted and prepared to put their money where their mouth is! I don't think it is worth all my effort taking pictures to make such a post all for less than a couple of quid after my own expenses! That it is why it is in my WEEE "recycling" bin.
Rob

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

I guess 'value' is in the eyes of the beholder. Personally, if someone rescues a dead AVO from a skip/house-clearance and does _something_ with it, that's surely better than it going to landfill. Same goes for the old computer-monitors that have been gutted and the cases used to house aquaria (backlit with high-intensity LEDs these can look quite good as a 'living screensaver').

[A friend has a glass-topped coffee-table whose 'legs' are four pistons/conrods recovered from a scrapped Merlin engine. He's happy to point out the scoring on the sides of the pistons and the slight bend in one conrod as evidence he's not depriving a Spitfire somewhere of the parts needed to allow it to fly again].

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

The flaw in attempting profit from steampunk is that anyone who can learn to use a hacksaw, a drill and a butane torch can do it...and i think people are now realising this. Why buy a mutation at retail price when you can make your own for very little.

Rob's mention of the fate of a dead Avominor is interesting- one of my few homebrew projects (well, ok, it was a quick & easy cobble up, and this is why it hasn't shown up in the homebrew thread) involved a dead universal avominor with a u/s movement, o/c bobbins and stripped out case threads. Having seen the 'damp-chaser' protometer based on this carcase, it inspired me to use it as a project box for a DC voltage reference chip, c/w 9 volt battery but without switch. The switching was catered for by bridging two of the wander plug terminals on the front- hey presto, positive switching without the switch potentially wearing out. Two other terminals are used for testing the pd of the PP3, and 3 terminals are dedicated to NEG, 2.05vDC and 4.1vDC outputs.

So yes, Rob, if you have a knackered avominor case and some 3mm wander plugs it makes a good basis for something like this!

Dave

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

Googled What is Steampunk?

noun: steam-punk

a genre of science fiction that has a historical setting and typically features steam-powered machinery rather than advanced technology.
"if you like steampunk, this is a great book for you"
a style of design and fashion that combines historical elements with anachronistic technological features inspired by science fiction.
"the essence of steampunk is homage to vintage fashion with a modern, sassy twist"

DFWB.

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

This is he & some friends showing off our steampunk fashion, there's a Steampunk day in Howarth each year.

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

Quite restrained by Steampunk standards. There's an annual gathering in Whitby, an offshoot from the better known Goth weekend. Our last visit coincided, quite by chance.

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

How about a stuffed steampunk with a bulb holder screwed into the top of his head and suitably chintzy lampshade? Either the trigger of his blunderbuss or the position of his goggles could be used as an on-off switch.

Now we get our own back by connecting a good ATU and tuning him up on any of the amateur bands. Steampunk converted into useful radio item!

David

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

Jajajaj

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

I notice the Steve Coogan version of 'Around the world in 80 days' was billed as a Steampunk Fantasy Adventure last time it was shown on network TV. Wikipaedia says it lost a substantial amount of money at the box office. It did look (to me) to be a waste of good talent.

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

I quite like them and I don't have a problem with this sort of 'remake/remodel' idea so long as it is not done to rare items. AVOs exist in their hundreds of thousands, so it's no great loss to the collective pool. Like I say, I don't agree with, and would never myself remodel something that was rare. Saying that you're never going to stop 'those who don't know what they are doing' ruining rare items be it by bad restoration/workmanship or changing it into something else. I'd much rather see people - in some way at least - enjoying vintage items rather than them be cast into landfill - and that's what happens as we all know only too well!

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

I suppose the conversion of most things into a table lamp or similar is very easy for those with limited grey matter.
It would be great to see something like a standard lamp where the shade actually makes up a loudspeaker cone! That would exercise the brain cells. I am waiting.......
I once converted an old 64Mb memory stick into a usb charger for a single AAA cell, constant current as well! This was for my discrete mini usb mp3 file player with headphones that I could charge from my pc USB port without anyone realising!
I suppose I got my own back on the steampunk generation!
Rob

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

It might be, but sometimes it might be difficult for those with unlimited grey matter as well.....I suspect.

Lawrence.

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

You'll love this- put 'Industrial vintage / rustic box chandelier' into your favourite search engine. It's hilarious. It's expensive. It's a crusty packing crate with 3 lamps swung around it lassoo style. It reminds me very much of Mrs Doyle from Father Ted placing a housebrick in the middle of the floor, because she saw the idea on the cover of a magazine. 'Brick enlivens dull floor'

Well at least they're not actively destroying anything worth saving. Fully approved!

Dave

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

My wife other half reminded me of this today which I thought is rather apt for this thread and quite funny:

https://youtu.be/TFCuE5rHbPA

Re: I hate Steampunk AVOs
 

Even a 1954 aircraft autostabiliser test set is offered with 2 lamps sticking out of the top!
Rob