The Pillars of Time - a Steampunk Nixie Clock

The Pillars of Time- A Steampunk Nixie Clock and my 10th Instructable ;)

Made from pure Brass and Coppertubes.

Many Brass Parts and Ornaments from Candleholder and Lamps

14 ( 12 ) Same Brass Tulips from Candleholders

White Leds or another Colouer you like

Popplar Wood for the Case and Wood Colour. I used dark walnut

10 k Poti´s

Bakelite Rotary Knob

Nixie Kit from PVElectronics here

6 Nixie Tubes IN-8. You must look on Ebay

IN-8 Nixie Socket here

Many thin Cables

Nitric Acid and Sulfur Liver for Colouring

Brass Gears from a Clock

Small Loudspeaker ( if you want ) instead of the Buzzer

Brass Chains and Chainwheels from a Cuckoo Clock.....

and other things which ye install yourself yet

Please note . I know that it's hard to get all these parts , and it should only be an incentive and inspiration to be at the same time to build your own Nixie Clock. A little imagination and you can build amazing Things :)

In these three images you can see how I did the holder for the Nixie tubes .

I have done this 12 times . Sawing , filing and solder together.

Six as a shell and six as dividing . The shell is removed to possibly even to change a nixie .

In these pictures you can see the bottom part .

24mm brass ring .

Drill two holes into it and then solder the Nixie Holder.

Take a 5mm brass screw and solder them to a gear . On the gear their solders then again a brass ring . The whole now serves as a locking screw .

Once a Nixie should fail you open the screw and pushes the top upward .

Now you push the top part on the copper pipe and aligns it with the bottom part . They should fit together exactly .

After that you solder a small piece of a copper pipe with the inner diameter of the potentiometer .

Ttake the dremel or proxxon and a small grinding roll . Now grind the base around until it fits into your bracket .

Now plug the tube and solder the pins in the socket (pic4) .

Now you solder the Nixie kit according to instructions together.

After that, patinate the brass parts . You can leave it shiny . As you wish. ;)

Make a base according to your notions .

Now you build just once all temporarily assembled . (pic 3 )

Now solder for all switches on the main board an extra switch . They must be operated from the outside , yes. (pic 4) One Switch is for external lighting of the copper pipes.

To the beautiful bright picture of nixie tubes not deface , I have omitted the lighting of the nixie tubes .

now you soldered to the base nixie thin cable with enough length to . The cable must be so long that they go through the dividing up of the board .(pic 5 )

The solid cable and the board ( pic 6 )

the soldered cable on the board as it is in the construction manual of the kit . ( pic 7 )

But before soldering the cable to the motherboard, testing please the connectors so that the nixie 5 displays on pin . 5 and 8 display on pin 8.......

Now you solder the pot in series with the leds for lighting columns . Glue the Potentiometer in the small copper pipe disposals . On the pot are still stuck chain gears . Install on the upper bracket also a chain gear.

Connects the two sprockets with a brass chain . Now the upper sprocket rotates with when you pressed the potentiometer . ( pic 1, 2, 3 )

The external switch now even dress up with some decorative ornaments . ( pic 4 )

I know it is not easy to follow my instructions and declarations . Also, I have problems with the translation , and possibly can not exactly explain everything that everyone understands it .

But I think the pictures speak for themselves and it can begin to develop as it was intended or made much .

Nevertheless, I hope that this instructable was a stimulus for you to create many new things.

But if you have to ask then asks .

Your Leander Lavendel