Finally Took Video Of A Dragon Tail Being Swung. It's Quick And Not Perfect, But It Exists! Next Time

Finally took video of a dragon tail being swung. It's quick and not perfect, but it exists! Next time I'll try to figure out why it didn't record audio, and also I'll have a tripod.

Because chainmail isn't rigid, these tails swing very smoothly. Fluid, sinuous, curling and extending as gravity and inertia dance with each other. So much better than a fabric tail with stuffing.

Also, a milestone to note: This page just passed 256 followers! That's 2^8 people. And that's awesome. Thank you all. I'm happy to be able to make things that you enjoy.

Craft Fair!

I'll be vending at a craft fair in Cambridge MA tomorrow! It's called Cambridge Open Market, it's located at the plaza at Harvard, and runs from 11-5:30. This is my first real live full-scale regular craft fair! (Though I have done a real live full-scale non-regular craft fair.) It runs weekly on Fridays through the summer, with tomorrow being the opening day. I'm signed up for three days over the course of the summer: tomorrow, then once in July and once in August.

Here's hoping it goes well!

This dragon tail is made of standard aluminum scales, with a blue anodized aluminum underbelly. It's my standard length of 35 inches long, and that's mostly it. Classic and simple. But at the request of the commissioner, it does have an engraving on the scales on the underside, right below the belt loops where it's attached. (The tail was commissioned as a gift.)

And I guess as an added bonus, the photo with the engraving gives a good shot of the belt loop attachments. There are two straps (made of stainless steel in a European 6-in-1 pattern) that your belt threads through, and if you want to make sure the tail stays well in place when you're wearing it, in between the two loops on the tail you can also thread the belt through the belt loop in the center of the back of your pants.

If you like these tails I make, how about checking out this page with information about them? http://armoreddragon.tumblr.com/tails (My commission queue is currently kind of deep, though. I'm working as fast as I can.)

This dragon tail is made of white painted aluminum, a material I hadn't had much chance to experiment with before. It claims to be a sturdy automotive paint, and it definitely has a storm trooper sort of feel to it. Personally, I'd been a bit hesitant to make much with it, because I don't really trust paint on metal, but it seems durable enough, and I sent some sample scales to the commissioner and she was cool with them.

The tail is a pretty short one, at only 24 inches long. It's also got a line of spikes down the spine.

If you're curious about these tails I make, check out this page with information about them: http://armoreddragon.tumblr.com/tails

Wow, this month.

Sorry for the radio silence this month, Internet. Between a huge pile of stuff to do at work plus a family wedding plus obligations to friends plus two craft fairs, I had basically no brainpower left to deal with commissions or updates.

To help me deal with the stress, though, I did make a large thing just for myself. (Well, it was also related to the big friends obligation.) I made an aluminum and rubber ring shirt in European 4-in-1. It's been at least a year or two since I made something large like that just for myself, and I'm really happy that I made it. Photos will be uploaded once I have a chance to take them.

Anyway, my obligations are back down to a manageable level now, so I'll be picking things up again and starting back up on commissions, and on the backlog of correspondence that's piled up.

Chandelier Saga Part 4: The Big Day

Seeing this installed and lit up was fantastic. It was hung in a big tent for a fundraising gala banquet, and it really held its own in the big space. I don't know who it was who had the idea to scatter the smaller paper lamps around the chandelier, but it was a fantastic idea.

I went in before the event started to take photos, and they had lit it up beautifully with color-shifting spot lights. The effect was really cool. By the time the banquet started, though, they'd toned that down to let it illuminate itself. I did very much enjoy seeing the play of colored shadows across the textured surface, but seeing the light seeping from below the scales, making it glow from within as I'd hoped it would, made all that work worth it.

Everyone seemed to love it, which was awesome. The Possible Project, who had commissioned the design, made a couple of these available on their Kickstarter, and two people ordered one. So there will be a couple more of these made!