Wednesday 4 August 2010

Full Circuit

Good morning, Mrs Foggy

Or is it evening? All these time differences make me wish that some of the clocks and watches we have lying around the Circus actually worked! Still, it would be a terrible shame to break them open for all the pretty things inside if they were actually doing something useful like telling the time.

I have been investigating some strange apparatus that the Prof brought back from his travels. I believe they are called quartz watches, which made me think that they might be nice and glisteny, like the stones (well, once they've been polished; quartz can be a little dull until its been well and truly buffed). Sadly, this has proven not to be the case, but the do have interesting innards, once you get past this strange material called plastic.


In some of my earlier experiments, I extracted the little copper coils (called solenoids) by use of some teeny-tiny screwdrivers and a bit of pixie determination, thinking at some point that I would use them as dangly connectors in earrings. In two of the watches, however, the solenoids refused to be parted from the little circuit boards (which I have already used on their own in some other earrings I've been making).


After a bit of a ponder, I decided to wire a crystal into the gap between the coil and the board, so making it into a "Full Circuit" (hence the name). They are quite simple, but very chic and shiny. They remind me of a period that Miss Emilly calls Art Deco, although I think I shall describe them as electropunk (as there are no cogs, I can hardly call them steampunk now, can I?).

I look forward to hearing what adventures you and your good husband have been having, but please try not to feed the butterflies too much ice wine when they deliver this letter. I know they're rather fond of it, but they were pretty tipsy after their last visit to your Northern shores (and its bad enough having to deal with a drunken Boxed Brownie).

Love,

F.

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