Pondering Steampunk
Sep. 20th, 2012 10:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kerravonsenLast Worldcon I went to, I saw a number of people wearing lovely steampunk costumes. Every now and then I contemplate putting together a steampunk costume of my own. Probably not as Period or conformist as most - I can't really see myself making a Victorian Ladies' walking dress, though I could probably rustle up a skirt, blouse and vest of some sort.
But the fun and interesting part would be the accoutrements. I have already taken the first step on this journey by purchasing for myself a fully working clockwork fob-watch. And I've ordered some faux-metal goggles, as one does. At some point, I will probably get myself a top hat, and decorate it.
Looking around on places like Etsy, it seems as if the standard things are:
- fob watch
- goggles
- hat decorated with brass cogs etc.
- pendant/brooch made of clock innards (I'm not interested in this, as I have a fob watch I can wear as a pendant if I want)
- steampunkish ray guns
Now... I don't want a ray gun, because conventions nowadays don't let you wear weapons, even fake weapons. But I would like to have or make a gizmo that is as impressive as a ray gun, but which isn't a weapon. But what?
Ideas, ideas please!
But the fun and interesting part would be the accoutrements. I have already taken the first step on this journey by purchasing for myself a fully working clockwork fob-watch. And I've ordered some faux-metal goggles, as one does. At some point, I will probably get myself a top hat, and decorate it.
Looking around on places like Etsy, it seems as if the standard things are:
- fob watch
- goggles
- hat decorated with brass cogs etc.
- pendant/brooch made of clock innards (I'm not interested in this, as I have a fob watch I can wear as a pendant if I want)
- steampunkish ray guns
Now... I don't want a ray gun, because conventions nowadays don't let you wear weapons, even fake weapons. But I would like to have or make a gizmo that is as impressive as a ray gun, but which isn't a weapon. But what?
Ideas, ideas please!
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Date: 2012-09-20 01:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-20 03:42 am (UTC)Yes, that thought had crossed my mind...
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Date: 2012-09-20 09:56 am (UTC)OK, how about a steampunk mobile phone (sort of like the ones the Warehouse 13 agents carry)?
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Date: 2012-09-20 10:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-21 06:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-20 05:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-20 03:09 pm (UTC)Device for detecting things.
Telescope
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Date: 2012-09-20 03:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-20 03:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-20 03:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-20 04:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-20 10:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-20 03:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-20 04:07 am (UTC)On the other hand, someone suggested a collapsable walking stick...
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Date: 2012-09-20 11:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-20 08:40 pm (UTC)/runs away
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Date: 2012-09-21 12:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-21 01:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-21 02:04 pm (UTC)I saw:
-goggles (with green lenses)
-eye patches with a cog on the front
-fake moustaches
-little top hats with various decorations
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Date: 2012-09-22 04:35 am (UTC)But I want to do stuff that looks really good. And I like the crafty challenge of doing at least some of it myself. It's a kind of trade-off; I don't want to make things that look cheap-and-nasty and fake, so where it's much easier to get components that other people have made better, I'll get them, especially if they aren't fake. Hence, my buying a real working clockwork watch-pendant rather than a pendant made out of non-working watch parts.
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Date: 2012-09-23 01:51 am (UTC)I hope that you'll post pictures as you get your bits and bobs together!
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Date: 2012-09-23 11:28 pm (UTC)I am going to call it my "Electrochemical Incandescent Illuminator".
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Date: 2012-09-25 01:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-23 03:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-23 11:17 pm (UTC)You could also take an old book, mod it with metal and a lock, put a chain on it, and attach it to your belt.
You can make an old book into a memory book. I love these and am trying to work on one. Its where you take an old book, and an exacto knife, and you can take out some pages while modifying others, painting over pages that you wish to write on, adding pictures to it, flowers, letters or notes others have written you, making the book into an album of memories, lace and special to you. You may even choose to leave some pages as they are in it. And then, locking it shut, and letting it hang from your belt. Leave some pages blank, there's always someone that has a good drawing hand that you might be able to ask to add a page too. Friends you could ask to write a special moment from the event in it. It becomes special to you and special to the event.
Actually, the book is my favorite personal to me idea. I love reading.
A friend of mine took one of those old cheap child globes of the earth that are about 5 inches across and neatly added thin wire filligree around each of the continents, some metal pieces on the globe where she lived and where her family lived in other areas, added a hook to the top and attached it to her belt.
One guy I know had the cheapest accessory I ever saw. I loved it. Well, he actually had two. One was a crown royal bag of trinkets, jacks, rings, odd unique marbles, and other odd ball things up to 10 items in the bag that he called his scrying stones.
The other was a deck of cards that he took the jack, queen, king and aces from and modded them with metal paints over the images and added jewels to them to tell people's fortunes. There were totally unique as I haven't seen others even like them.
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Date: 2012-09-23 11:20 pm (UTC)