My next email, much like yours, is very likely to be spam. But once in a while, just when you think unwanted junk mail is all you are ever going to see, a nugget of pure gold appears. Such was the case when I opened an email asking if I was interested in seeing a few miniature turbines. Anyone who has tried to find these elusive little machines knows the odds of such an email bearing fruit are similar to those of winning the Irish Sweepstakes. I replied to the gentleman and he sent me photos. I took one look and my jaw dropped onto the keyboard. Needless to say I had to attempt to negotiate with him to buy these beautiful handmade pieces.

Machina Obscura Turbine

Dimensions: 4" length x 4" width x 6" height
(includes base)

Karsten, the man who is responsible for creating these marvelous little turbines, admitted to having a penchant for old science fiction flicks. The Machina Obscura Turbine is something of a tribute to the old Mad Max and Road Warrior movies. The base plate is mounted in a manner that suspends it above the nicely finished wood base. The low friction ball bearing mounted steam ball boiler / turbine has an extremely low friction feel and rotates as smooth as silk. Add a few HO scale workmen on the catwalks and this engine makes for one very interesting display and my preferred desk toy. I'm quite impressed with the craftsmanship of these engines.

"Simple" Turbine

Dimensions: 4" length x 4" width x 5" height
(includes base)

The "Simple" Turbine, as its name implies, is a simplified version of the impulse rotor style, created with a more limited budget in mind. The turbine was intended to allow even smaller schools to have access to a quality teaching aid. The same attention was given to building this small machine as was spent on the larger more detailed models.

This one was an excellent machine for those of us who find our shelf space getting a wee bit limited. The machine may be small but the visual effect is quite nice when its running.