His fascination with wheels and water has brought him and KSW together. He is known for his abilities as a master fort builder, unaffiliated flag waver, breakdown maintenance specialist, and an artistic kindler. Lesser known affiliations include Northwest Boy Choir, Seattle Peace Theatre, Nana & Pappy's Farm volunteer, and Extra Action Auxiliary member. As a Bay Area location specialist, Stephen has provided countless hours as a conductor/safety engineer on various vessels. Collage educated, plumber, electrician, opportunist, and General Contractor for hire.

The self-proclaimed old man of the group, steam MacGyver & Steam Wizard, was born in Rhode Island with a recessive steam gene. As a boy, Dick remembers visiting grandparents on one of the last steam passenger trains. That experience stuck in his mind and was to forever shape his later life. He served 4 years in the Navy and later his professional career bloomed in the high tech sector of the semiconductor industry, wherein he developed processes to make now ubiquitous computer chips. To decompress from the frantic pace of the tech sector he would revert to early engineering in his spare time, building two full size steam powered launches and several steam vehicles. His artistic talent was gained from his mother (a RISD student) and remains totally undeveloped. He's recently been profiled in the San Jose Mercury News.

Educator by day, ethnomusicologist by training, steam fiend by choice.

Adam got his first whiff of exhaust steam from KSW's Hortense and has been fascinated by steam technology ever since. He's a mix of artist and bureaucrat, as likely to organize and facilitate as to create. His checkered past includes design and construction of several large-scale Burning Man art installations, an addiction to computer programming and entrepreneurship, and a stint as a psytrance DJ and producer in Los Angeles. Today, he aspires to many labels: scientist, artificer, vice aficionado, captain of industry, cognitive liberty advocate.

Erik first came to Kinetic Steam Works, as directed by a court order for community service after pleading “Nolo Contendere” to Mopery. He was found to be capable of following simple instructions, a willingness to lift things beyond the limits of his diminutive size, a passion for repetitive tasks, and an understanding that uncontrolled steam is potentially dangerous. Although secretive about his colorful past, it is known that he has managed the construction of buildings of note, operated historical streetcars, and piloted red wagons with speed and abandon.

If the words you know limit the thoughts you can express and the instruments you possess determine the music you can make -- similarly, the machines you have determine what you can do and ultimately who you are.
Interest in the co-evolution of us and our machines, William Francis has taken an interest in many retro-technologies including vacuum tubes, horn loaded speakers, vintage motorcycles and the motive/industrial implications of steam power. As a counterpoint to his professional career in the tech industry -- helping to write the software that manages the backend of a large popular website -- free time is often spent exploring the path of the technologies & design that eventually lead to a million things going right every day. He's also interested in the decline of places and technologies and has spent time exploring numerous abandoned insane asylums, hospitals and factories. His photographs have appeared in numerous galleries and several print publications including FHM, Physics World, as well as on the cover of Clamor magazine.

This girl knows her way around a lathe. 

EE by training, wrench-turner/PC-rebooter by trade, Troye comes from a long lineage of auto-mechanics.  As an army officer in the 82nd Airborne Division (and later with the 3rd Army HQ/CFLCC command, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait), he jumped out of perfectly good airplanes, crawled through the mud, and put in long-haul fiber optic and satellite links.  His civilian day job with Siemens Healthcare is half-mechanical, half electrical/software, but his real passions are steam and photography.  (And a bit of assembly language programming (8051) on the side).  He can be found in his native habitat under Wilhelmina, grinder in hand, doing an Al Jolson impersonation..

Mr. Monahan has a M.A. is B.S. and a B.S. in M.E. During the day he designs things that old men around the world go crazy for. They've never seen his face, they've only seen his jewels. Sadly, these wares are better traveled that he. As a youth he learned the dying art of sheet metal forming with everyone's favorite tool, the English Wheel. When he was still sneaking into bars, he was also working at American Airlines as the first ever journeyman mechanic. Before that he was a pubescent oiler for San Francisco's Jeremiah O'Brian.
He's a whiz with fast cars and can think his way out of any auto or motorcycle issue that comes his way. He's designed motorcycles, built crane platforms, machines for adult activities and much more... When he was finally old enough to buy his own Jameson he bought the infamous Coffee Club Too and houses DJs 24/7 to entertain the 5-0 of San Mateo. His favorite way to skip out of jury duty is to feign menstrual cramps of ask for a day to accommodate scent gland expression. Brought to KSW through world class porn, he has graced the shop with dry sarcastic humor since early '09.

Our fearless treasurer and Empress of Wampum, Kathy holds on to KSW's money wearing a velvet glove over a leather glove wrapped around an iron fist.  Spending her time in her day job relieving others of their pain, she spends her free time giving pain to those who try to submit reimbursement expenses without a receipt.  Lover of paint, boilers, fire, and the smell of things burning, Kathy uses her skills in checkbook balancing and organization to benefit KSW as well as practicing looking innocent while doing Bad Things whenever opportunities present themselves.

This woman is a superhero.  No joke.

Part logistician, part technician, and 100 percent transportation nerd, you can count on Dan to tell you what needs doing and where it is. There isn't a mode of transportation that he isn't fascinated by and hasn't driven (except a submarine, and if you've got one, get in touch!) The more cantankerous, the better! Current project: boiling the ocean.

Artist.  Performer.  Mime. (yes, mime).

Professional plate-spinner, former nanny, lover of loud engines, the smell of grease, steam, and all things sugar-related.

Jack of all trades, lover of cheese, olive tapenade, woodworking, and all things steam.

Collector of chainsaws, understated wealth of knowledge, supplier of rations, lover of Carhartt brown.  And steam, of course.

Zachary Rukstela is an industrial artist, steam dork and "Dad" of KSW. In August of 2008 KSW needed a new home, so he used his contracting business, Rukstela Heavy Industries LLC, to secure a new steam shop and quality long term industrial art production space in West Oakland. As a wee lad, he attended countless agricultural shows featuring steam engines and vintage steam technology. For the La Contessa, aka the Desert Galleon, he designed the electrical layout, implemented it, and maintained it for every year it travelled on the dusty former sea of the Black Rock Desert. He's a long time volunteer Firemen/Water Tender on the S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien, a steam driven liberty-class ship first launched in 1943. He also volunteers and works closely with The Roots of Motive Power in Willits, California. He is a member of the rock band Rig for Red and plays drums around the Bay Area. During the day, he's a freelance Engineering Project Manager, and manages, 2525 Mandela Parkway, an industrial arts production space located in sunny West Oakland.