Hourglass Vampire Hunting Kit

  A stealthy vampire hunting kit for the secret hunter.            

Last December, I saw an image on The Steampunk Empire, a social site for people sharing an interest in all things steampunk:  literature, props, costume, history, RPGs, and the like.  The item was a novel hidden vampire hunting kit housed and disguised as an operational hourglass.  I emailed the maker, Artimas Ward for information and received a narrative about making the item along with some photos for this blog.  Many thanks to Master Ward and his ingenious workshop.

 
Imagine having a secret vampire hunting kit that can look like a common object but which can be quickly disassembled to stake out a vampire quick and simple.  The shape of this is one is simply unique!  What follows is Mr Ward’s explanation about how this unusual piece came to be with some construction comments.




"I started it with a find at Michael’s Art and Crafts, (I work there and have a lot of creative ideas looking at all the crafts) and saw that the glass hourglass was on final sale, wanting it to make a steam punk timepiece, so I bought it."

"When I got it home I set it aside and was gonna let inspiration find me later, I didn't have to wait long when I got a idea at 4 am, a week later! I had teak bowls and set to work on building my Vampire hour glass, my father has a nice Carpenter shop and I got good advice on setting the glad in and how to set the drilled holes (hardest part) an Setting the two stakes and handle in place, and leather hinges, you seen what I got, now still have to put in the equipment and such to supply it."

"The hourglass kit has all typical vampire hunting equipment, mirror, stakes, hammer, salt, considerate earth, nails, communion wafers, compass, holy water & holy oil, matches, and a cross.  The stakes and handle of the hammer are stored on the sides of the hourglass and the equipment as stored in the ends in compartments."

A Word of Warning

You know the drill:  hunt the vampire in the crypts just like Van Helsing in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  The bonanza of “authentic” vampire hunting kits have hit new highs in sales.  The real truth is that there are no vampire hunting kits much older than 20 years or so, although some components in the better put together kits might date to the middle or late Victorian Era.  Yep they are bogus, despite the hype and nonsense being bandied around the blogosphere.  A few credulous museums purchased kits and now they are claiming they knew they were fake all along.  If you recall in Dracula, Van Helsing threw together some items ad hoc into a grip and drug it down to the tombs.  Even Van Helsing didn’t have an existing kit; one had to be assembled on the spot.  See also Propnomicon's blog posts for more information:   

 

http://propnomicon.blogspot.com/2009/08/35000-vampire-hunting-kit.html

 http://propnomicon.blogspot.com/2008/11/1809-vampire-hunting-kit.html

 http://propnomicon.blogspot.com/2011/04/vampire-hunting-kit.html

 http://propnomicon.blogspot.com/2010/04/deluxe-vampire-hunting-kit.html

                                                                                                                    CoastConFan

UPDATE: 

Vampire Hunting Kits Debunked, June 17, 2014

http://coastconfan.blogspot.com/2014/06/vampire-hunting-kits-debunked-props.html  

See also my blog post:   The Logical Vampire – A brief overviewon removing these pests

WARGAMES AND MINIATURE FUN ON THE COAST

The Gulf Coast Gamer’s Club hosts monthly gaming meets.

Here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, gaming runs deep.  In fact, our local SF convention CoastCon, has always had a strong gaming contingent from the start, some 35 years ago.  The Gulf Coast Gamer’s Club holds a game day every month, with an open format and often hosts tournaments.   

This December saw a Warhammer 40,000 tournament hosted, bringing colorful science fiction miniatures to the civic center.  Generally, there are a variety of board games and role playing games routinely played at the facility and there is plenty of room to run most any game you would want.  The next Game Day will be held on 5 January, 2013.

The Gulf Coast Gamer’s Club meets monthly at the Gautier Civic Center.  Link for the schedule and map.  I have posted a few photos of the gaming action this past December at the gaming club.  Please come by if you are in the neighborhood, everybody is welcome and you need not belong to the club to play.
                                                                                                             CoastConFan

Lou Zocchi a noted game
designer often appears
on Game Day.