The Steampunk World
Bubbly Dynamics, Part III
Ever since, oh, August, I have been working with Foamy on the Bubbly Dynamics headquarters. This picture was taken way back then. The first thing we had to do was put the windows in, which we accomplished just before it started to get cold. VeloRat and I must have carried 50 of those damn windows up the stairs. Putting in windows isn't particularly interesting. Nor is ripping up a plywood floor that was used as a pisspot by the former residents, the heads of crack (who, we discovered, had a pet rodent of some sort). At one point we were singing spirituals in time with our crowbar whacking, and when we took a break, Foamy walked by and called, "I don't hear spirituals!"
I tend to take on the laborous tasks, because I don't mind them after sitting on my ass all day at the office. These included ripping plywood off the windows, busting up a big pile of concrete someone had dumped in the driveway (I've never legitimately had to use a pickaxe before!), and general hauling of nasty crap. Once the place was cleaned out and sealed, the fun stuff began.
Lately we've been building a lot of walls. I like building walls. I'm horribly imprecise at whatever I do, but hey, Foamy knows he gets what he pays for. The walls are encasing studio spaces, which is what most of the building will be. Metal studs, a layer of plywood, then drywall. Electrical goes on the outside so some inspector doesn't say "rip it out and do it over". I never do the stuff that requires precise measurement- like laying the track for the studs- but I'm getting pretty good at sinking screws so that they just dimple the drywall and don't smush through. Maybe I'll do a little electrical work, too, having bent a conduit or two for a sissy bar... am I ready for the saddle bend?
We also got the freight elevator working, sorta. Again I was involved only for the grunt work. This other fella, Gareth, has devoted quite a bit of his time to breaking into abandoned buildings and playing with the elevators, so he and Foamy are rich with elevatory knowledge. Bubbly's is the hydraulic kind, and right now it works but doesn't know where to stop, so it takes some tries to get it level with the floor. But a working elevator means we can move in the machine shop, the lathe and drill press and so on.
Just in time, too. Bubbly is finally coming together. The first client moves in on the first of February. Foamy has been busting his ass trying to get ready for him. I'll be glad when he's all moved in, because it will leave some time for more interesting pursuits. After all, I'm not doing all this work for fun alone, fun though it is.
Bubbly Dynamics will host the Rat Patrol hideout. Foamy, being a long-standing member, has generously offered us workspace and use of the machine shop and TIG welder (which was moved in last week or the week before). Lending the use of an Argon atmosphere was very Noble of him, ha ha. There's also another group, the Cycling Sisters, that I have been doing this work in the name of- they may hold workshops on the bike floor as well. No bike club is complete without a hideout.
As Vice President of Takin Care of Business of Bubbly Dynamics (a Delaware LLC), I'm in charge of obtaining bikes for the bike pile. The goal is to have plenty on hand for the upcoming Rat Patrol Build Day so that folks aren't required to bring their own. Way back in March, I attended a neighborhood bike program at the A-zone, and it has since collapsed, so they have generously donated that pile of bikes. I guess they twinkled their approval ;) I also get about 10-20 bikes a week from another source, but that's a story unto itself.
Even though Bubbly is almost open for business, it's far from done. So far only two of the four floors have walls. Nothing has been done with the roof. And we haven't even touched the railroad siding. Foamy is an ambitious fellow, and he has many plans. I'm happy to help. There's so much to do, though... I'm working on a piece for an art show in February, and I'm eager to get started on a design I've been cooking up for this year's TV Smash... If I don't blog, or read blogs so much, forgive me. I'm probably down at Bubbly Dynamics.
Ever since, oh, August, I have been working with Foamy on the Bubbly Dynamics headquarters. This picture was taken way back then. The first thing we had to do was put the windows in, which we accomplished just before it started to get cold. VeloRat and I must have carried 50 of those damn windows up the stairs. Putting in windows isn't particularly interesting. Nor is ripping up a plywood floor that was used as a pisspot by the former residents, the heads of crack (who, we discovered, had a pet rodent of some sort). At one point we were singing spirituals in time with our crowbar whacking, and when we took a break, Foamy walked by and called, "I don't hear spirituals!"
I tend to take on the laborous tasks, because I don't mind them after sitting on my ass all day at the office. These included ripping plywood off the windows, busting up a big pile of concrete someone had dumped in the driveway (I've never legitimately had to use a pickaxe before!), and general hauling of nasty crap. Once the place was cleaned out and sealed, the fun stuff began.
Lately we've been building a lot of walls. I like building walls. I'm horribly imprecise at whatever I do, but hey, Foamy knows he gets what he pays for. The walls are encasing studio spaces, which is what most of the building will be. Metal studs, a layer of plywood, then drywall. Electrical goes on the outside so some inspector doesn't say "rip it out and do it over". I never do the stuff that requires precise measurement- like laying the track for the studs- but I'm getting pretty good at sinking screws so that they just dimple the drywall and don't smush through. Maybe I'll do a little electrical work, too, having bent a conduit or two for a sissy bar... am I ready for the saddle bend?
We also got the freight elevator working, sorta. Again I was involved only for the grunt work. This other fella, Gareth, has devoted quite a bit of his time to breaking into abandoned buildings and playing with the elevators, so he and Foamy are rich with elevatory knowledge. Bubbly's is the hydraulic kind, and right now it works but doesn't know where to stop, so it takes some tries to get it level with the floor. But a working elevator means we can move in the machine shop, the lathe and drill press and so on.
Just in time, too. Bubbly is finally coming together. The first client moves in on the first of February. Foamy has been busting his ass trying to get ready for him. I'll be glad when he's all moved in, because it will leave some time for more interesting pursuits. After all, I'm not doing all this work for fun alone, fun though it is.
Bubbly Dynamics will host the Rat Patrol hideout. Foamy, being a long-standing member, has generously offered us workspace and use of the machine shop and TIG welder (which was moved in last week or the week before). Lending the use of an Argon atmosphere was very Noble of him, ha ha. There's also another group, the Cycling Sisters, that I have been doing this work in the name of- they may hold workshops on the bike floor as well. No bike club is complete without a hideout.
As Vice President of Takin Care of Business of Bubbly Dynamics (a Delaware LLC), I'm in charge of obtaining bikes for the bike pile. The goal is to have plenty on hand for the upcoming Rat Patrol Build Day so that folks aren't required to bring their own. Way back in March, I attended a neighborhood bike program at the A-zone, and it has since collapsed, so they have generously donated that pile of bikes. I guess they twinkled their approval ;) I also get about 10-20 bikes a week from another source, but that's a story unto itself.
Even though Bubbly is almost open for business, it's far from done. So far only two of the four floors have walls. Nothing has been done with the roof. And we haven't even touched the railroad siding. Foamy is an ambitious fellow, and he has many plans. I'm happy to help. There's so much to do, though... I'm working on a piece for an art show in February, and I'm eager to get started on a design I've been cooking up for this year's TV Smash... If I don't blog, or read blogs so much, forgive me. I'm probably down at Bubbly Dynamics.
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