Sunday, November 09, 2008

Metal and Wood

Sometimes older is better - witness the blending of color case-hardened steel and walnut in my 1874 Sharps Business Rifle:

2 comments:

Jenny said...

is that a telegraph machine in the background? Nifty!

Gewehr98 said...

It's actually a late 1800s telegraph sounder, yes.

In the picture, one can just barely see an electronics project box underneath it.

That box has an RF circuit and power supply, along with a small AM radio antenna, that sets the telegraph sounder clattering when thunderstorms approach the house.

In other words, it's a lightning detector!

I couldn't just let it sit there doing nothing, you understand...