Spock's Pickled Brain

Every steampunk costume needs some sort of crazy device or gadget to set it apart from straight-up Victorian age cosplay. I had thoughts of making a headpiece or a bracer of some kind, but ultimately decided to try making a chest harness. Kind of a steampunk Iron-Man armature. My foray is pretty basic, but could be enhanced further with auxiliary LED lights, pouches on the straps, or using real leather to create a much more intricate harness. Anyway, here's my step-by-step guide to creating a simple light-up harness that can add to any steampunk costume. Materials -Puck light (about 3inch diameter) -PVC toilet flange -Copper spray paint -Spray clear topcoat -"Leather" vinyl fabric -2 slide buckles Tools -Scissors -Hacksaw -File/sandpaper -Needle/thread -Superglue 1. Gather the materials I experimented with some different materials, but ended up sourcing my materials items from home improvement and craft stores. Puck lights are super common, I ...

For our steampunk phase, Loonatic suggested that we throw together (ahem, I mean lovingly and carefully craft, of course). And I have way too much tea (there are a few tea-based cocktails already hanging around in other posts), so I thought it was a great idea. Imperial Agenda The Victorian Age was the heyday of the British Empire. As a naval and colonial power, their might extended across the world and influenced commerce, art, and culture. So it's not hard to imagine these high-flying ladies and gentlemen enjoying a cocktail celebrating their good fortune. The earl grey vodka and lavender are complementary, distinctly British flavors, and the drink gains depth from the coconut rum and coconut milk. Add a dash of edible glitter for complete decadence. Loosely based on the Full Moon Cocktail from Jojotastic ( https://jojotastic.com/2016/08/18/recipe-full-moon-martini/ ). -1.5 oz earl grey infused vodka -.5 oz lavender liqueur -.75 oz coconut rum -coconut milk and water...

1. Adventurer's box I found this box covered in jungle scenes and elephants suggesting an adventure in India. Without any modifications whatsoever it could easily fit in with an interior design inspired by Victorian adventurers. However, you could also make it the base for something else and have a maze of pipework and instruments fitted inside or poking out the top. I found this for about $2, and in pretty good condition inside and out.  2. Clock steampunk cabinet Any analog-looking clock, especially with the wood, brass rims, and roman numeral details, is a gold mine for steampunk projects. Even if the rest was junk, you could still break open the clock and salvage it for cogs, gears, and other bits and bobs. The cabinet beneath presents an opportunity though, and if you are technically inclined you could used the window to display moving parts, lighting effects, bubbling containers, clay-made creatures, or audio effects. This was about $4. 3. Steampunk wri...

All right, a ton of people have made their own industrial-type steampunk sconces, lamps, chandeliers, etc. I've been drooling over them for awhile, so I wanted to try to make my own simplified version. Given my limited experience in electrical work, I'm inordinately proud of this experiment, but mostly because I made a working lamp that didn't electrocute me. But if I could do it, then so could you! Right now this style of lighting is pretty easy to find and buy, but where's the fun in that? Still, you can get a lot of inspiration from these stores, and even more from searching "industrial" or "steampunk" lighting on the internet.  Materials -1in black iron 90degree bend -1in black iron floor flange -Bottle lamp kit -LED vintage-style bulb Tools -Pliers -Hobby knife 1. Gather the materials This demands a trip to the hardware store. In the plumbing section, you can find pieces for the pipework. I used a 1-...

1. The Court of the Air (Stephen Hunt) Stephen Hunt has written a number of novels in his strange, post-future realm, with The Court of the Air being the first. In Hunt's books, the world has moved beyond modern times. We've moved millions of years beyond, in fact. In this future, society has been destroyed and rebuilt (perhaps more than once) to a steampunk-esque world (but with a sentient robot race, not to mention strange mutations, gods, and demons). In this first book, two strange orphans are thrown together when ancient gods are re-awakened (which is such a simple summary that it completely ignores 99% of the book. Please, just go read it). Hunt combines a violent and terrifying view of the future with quasi-mystical storylines and good old-fashioned swashbuckling. 2. Scar Night (Alan Campbell) In an ancient city hung on chains over a seemingly bottomless ravine, a winged boy meets an assassin girl. That's just a fantastic summary for any book, and it...

Again, not exactly a steampunk craft project. No goggles or gears in sight. But if you're like me and you like the Victorian naturalist aesthetic, this is a simple craft project. I drew inspiration from the descriptions of the museums and private collections of Victorian naturalists and explorers, who gathered rare specimens and kept them for documentation and display. To keep taxidermied animals and insects in good condition, they were placed under the bell jars and cloches, which would help keep dust and moths at bay.  For example: Materials -Bell jars -Craft moss -Stick -Fake butterfly, bird, etc. -Foam sphere Tools -Hobby knife -Glue 1. Gather the materials With a keen eye you are likely to find a number of bell jars in your local thrift store. They're these funny little glass cases that people can use to keep dust off of knick knacks, and come in a variety of sizes. I found one for 50 cents and the other for a dollar. Sometimes you can also f...

Although devices for measuring weather were created centuries before, simple weather stations consisting of a thermometer, barometer, and hygrometer (measuring temperature, air pressure, and humidity) became more mass-produced in the 1800s, making them readily available to the scientists of the Victorian age. I found a more modernly made weather station in a thrift store and in the spur of the moment decided it was in need of some help. Besides, my apartment is starting to look like a naturalist's den, so something like this would fit right in. And this is the ugly duckling as it began. I know they're probably immensely collectible or something, but the dull fake wood and flaking gold paint don't help. Materials -Weather station or mounted weather instruments -Black spray paint -Gold paint marker -Spray varnish -Stiff paper or thin cardboard for stencil -Hobby knife 1. Gather the materials Turns out you can spend a lot of money on a weather station or very li...