Tauruscat: All Hooked Up

I have taken my replica of Professor Tauruscat's dream helmet from the shelf and dusted it off. Although it has been six months since I last worked on it, I have a good excuse. I've been busy! My leatherwork has been much in demand——and I am grateful for that——to the point of where my wife and I are making a living from it. Huzzah!

In my last missive on the helmet I had completed the insulators which attach to the crest, seen in the photo above. Next step was to cut the crest trim out of 2-3 oz leather and attach it to the bottom of the crest.

Here is the bottom view when the trim is mostly screwed in place. I then set the crest in place and bolted it to the leather helmet.

At that point I could attach the connecting hoses to both the insulators on the crest and the sensors all around the helmet.

Finally I can see what this crazy helmet is going to look like. Now a few blinking lights to give it life, and some aether collectors on the back to power it, and I'll be wearing it proudly to the Nova Albion con coming in March.

For those of you who may have missed the beginning of this saga (or forgotten due to it being almost a year ago) you may read it here from the beginning.

Tauruscat: Ready for Dying

All stitched together, the Tauruscat dream helmet, aka thinking cap, is ready for some color.

I have chosen two colors of wood stain to do the deed, a fruitwood base, and over that a brown mahogany.

Prof. Tauruscat's Helmet

Baron Henry Balzerhaught

As many of my long time readers may recall, I have been keenly investigating the Gryphon Interplanetary Aeroship Expedition in an attempt to verify its fabled journey to Mars and Venus, as well as other planets. There has been much speculation over the years over not only the expedition but also its sponsor, Baron Henry Balzerhaught of Upper Bavaria and his brilliant scientist/inventor Professor H. Tauruscat.

Little is known about this secretive project, and there are few facts that can be proven with any certainty. Many incredible tales regarding the expedition have circulated for years without any substantive backing.

So you can imagine my surprise and delight when I was recently contacted by the archivist of the late Baron's estate with news that a letter apparently handwritten by the professor himself to his patron had been discovered! Although I have yet to see the correspondence in question, I have been told that Tauruscat describes a leather helmet which he constructed and wore for the purpose of enhancing his mental faculties.

I do recollect that many years ago I read of such a device being invented by the professor. As I recall, the writer referred to it mockingly as a thinking cap. I am hoping and praying that the newly discovered letter reveals sufficient details about the helmet to provide us with some understanding of its purpose and functioning. Is it possible that the engraving of the Baron (shown above) could be him wearing said cap?