Looks impressive but maybe it's a clever hoax and really he's making big coins. But to be on the safe side, I'll start frisking the gnomes before letting them fish in my garden pond. posted by Abiezer at 11:26 AM on February 15, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]
These people terrify me, because they are far far far more driven than I will ever be. Just thinking about it makes me want to take a nice nap in the sun somewhere. posted by aramaic at 11:32 AM on February 15, 2008
At first I thought this was doing to be a double of this post. But no! Different tiny guns! posted by hattifattener at 11:36 AM on February 15, 2008
I don't see any reference to actually shooting them. These guns, they shoot? posted by R. Mutt at 11:49 AM on February 15, 2008
Fantastic stuff, thanks -- but yes, do they shoot? I'd imagine not, but... posted by Pantengliopoli at 11:57 AM on February 15, 2008
Very cool. Thanks for the post. I concur, I'd love to see some shooting going on...hopefully at miniature mechanical ducks on a moving rope. posted by Atreides at 12:45 PM on February 15, 2008
The author Steven Millhauser --Martin Dressler (Pulitzer 1997) and Edwin Millhouse -- wrote a good essay on the hypnotic spell that miniaturization weaves for some (raises hand high.) You can read the full text of it at Harper's Mag (Sub. needed) or find it on Jstor or some other such online college library journals database. It's worth the read.
I'm looking at 4 keychain type cheapo's from where I sit that fire red plastic caps, also a couple of cars (one from the 30s and one from the 40s) or planes (a p-51 and Mig 17). It's weird I've never outgrown them, but it makes it easy for people to buy me gifts.
BTW the minitures this gun smith makes and the Ferrari builder put together are on a whole unique level of obsession. Seems it's even better to live inside a miniature replica, than it is to live in something that's real sized. Cheaper and less dangerous that's for certain, but it seems that perhaps, in ways, these replicas are more real . The Millhauser essay talks about that. posted by Skygazer at 1:09 PM on February 15, 2008
I forgot to mention that the name of the above Millhauser essay is: The Fascination of the Miniature.
Sorry about that... posted by Skygazer at 1:16 PM on February 15, 2008
There's something that utterly fascinates me about the idea of "bootstrapping" especially when it's in regards to the manufacture of complex objects or products. I love how many of this guy's tools are of his own design and construction, or appropriated for use despite being designed for other purposes.
Like the FPP a few weeks ago about the guy who manufactures his own vacuum tubes practically from raw materials, when you look at the workshop of someone like this, it's clear that they could probably make just about anything they put their minds to. posted by Kadin2048 at 1:34 PM on February 15, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]
BTW the minitures this gun smith makes and the Ferrari builder put together are on a whole unique level of obsession.
Exactly. I was impressed by the overall efforts when I first came across the guy's work, but this blew me away:
A miniature firearm, by definition, is identical to the larger weapon it is modeled on in every way except size. The metal is the same alloy, hardness and color. The hardwood grips are checkered in the same patterns. The interiors of the barrels duplicate the rifling. In short, every aspect of the original is re-created,
The idea that in these little tiny 1/3rd scale works, that the barrels were rifled was just too much awesome for my head to contain.
His descriptions of how he went about building his own tools was pretty nifty as well. posted by quin at 1:46 PM on February 15, 2008
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posted by Abiezer at 11:26 AM on February 15, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]