Steampunk R&D Features
How To: Building a Steampunk Hand Cannon, Part 2: How to Make and Detail a PVC Gun Barrel
As I said in this earlier post, there's no easy way to explain or define the Steampunk aesthetic. There are a large number of Steampunk tropes or "cues", as I call them, that bring to mind the feeling of Steampunk. These cues combine to push past the "not-Steampunk" threshold into firmly "Steampunk" territory.
News: Recycled Metal Made into Steampunk Sculptures
The Recycleart Facebook group frequently posts awesome pictures of steampunk-friendly sculptures. Not all of them look steampunk, but enough do that it's worth checking out.
Sparky Gets Steampunked: How to Make a Leather Harness for Your Dog
If you want to make clothes for your cat, you're on your own. As I recently said in this article, cats will just totally flip out if you make them wear things. Your dog may also flip out, but I've found them to be more tolerant, personally.
How To: Steampunk Your iPhone! How to Add Your Favorite Art to Apple's Boring Back Glass Panel
Jake von Slatt of The Steampunk Workshop kept breaking the rear glass panel on his iPhone. So, he ended up making his own gorgeous replacement out of brass to replace the standard Apple logo ones who kept getting. The only problem was that it made his signal strength super weak, so he figured out how to transfer the etching onto a glass back. Here's the basic rundown of how he accomplished this feat...
News: Steampunk Tank?
Not sure if this is specifically counts as steampunk, but it's awesome nonetheless:
News: Curious About Steampunk? Check Out This Required Reading and Viewing List
Steampunk is a tremendously interesting phenomenon because of its reliance on science fiction, and fiction in general. Steampunk can arguably be broken down into two categories: the fiction, and the aesthetic. Sometimes these categories cross over, but they're often more distinct than most people suspect; that said, the aesthetic is firmly based in works of fiction.
Steampunk R&D Podcast 01: Thomas Willeford on Creating His Empire
Today, on our first episode of Steampunk Research and Development, we'll be interviewing Thomas Willeford, owner and operator of Brute Force Leather. Thomas is a man of many talents, and has worked in a vast array of fields. His Steampunk work can be seen in his book, Steampunk Gear and Gadgets, as well as on the television show Castle. Thomas is also one of the creative consultants on the upcoming television show Lantern City.
How To: 7 Things Every Steampunk Should Know for Making It Through Airport Security Stress-Free
There was recently a case that came to national attention where a gentleman was arrested at an airport for having a watch that looked like a bomb, among other things. As it came out, the watch was, in fact, not a bomb, and the man was just an artist who was probably trying to make a statement of some sort. Well, that message was lost amongst the hail of people shouting that either he had been stupid for bringing that watch on the plane and so deserved to be arrested, or that it's a free count...
News: Why Steampunks Shouldn't Buy iPhones
This may seem like an odd subject, because what do Steampunks and iPhones even have to do with each other? Actually, more than you might think!
News: What Adventure Time Would Look Like if It Was Steampunk
Adventure Time is one of the best TV shows for kids that's currently on the air. It's so good that it has real appeal for adults, too. Just do a Google image search for "Adventure Time costume" and you'll see what I mean.
Steampunk Travesty: Cross-Dressing in Fandom
Cross-dressing and gender-bending are nothing new, but the realm of Steampunk seems to be especially accepting of role-reversal in dress.
Steamdown: How I Made My Liquid-Cooled Steampunk Rifle Prop
I know, "Steamdown" conjures images of a hoedown, but "Steampunk prop breakdown" is a bit of a mouthful, I thought.
News: Large Steampunk Warship/Train Operating on Live Steam
This ship is over 4 ft. long with many moving parts all run from a live steam engine. There are two videos, one more detailed about the story and one blog showing how it was built. Hope you enjoy.
News: Hands-Free Steampunk Cell Phone Bracer
Need your hands free, but still want to use your cell phone? Tormented Artifacts has the solution for you, with their Communication Bracer. It's a custom-made leather bracer which fits standard smart phones and covers them with an easy-to-open leather flap so that you don't have to ruin the illusion of your steampunk outfit but still have your phone in easy reach.
Arthrobots: Steampunk Insects on the Loose!
A man named Tom Hardwidge has taken it upon himself to create an army of steampunk insects from a bunch of different found materials, including bullets and pocket watches. He's made a ton of them—and they're really awesome. They're modeled after real insects, too, and aren't just fantasy creations. His website has them all categorized by species, with clever, robot-inspired names. His arthrobots are for sale, too, so if you're interested in owning your very own horde of steampunk insects, you...
News: What Is Steampunk?
So I have been wondering this for a while now. What exactly is steampunk? I know a little bit about it but I feel as thought the internet definitions can only give so much information. What do you guys think? Is steampunk a lifestyle? A fiction base? A for of a art? I think that steampunk has way more potential than people think. Share your ideas on what you think steampunk is and what you would like to see be done with it!
News: Rings with Moving Gears Are Perfect for the Steampunk in Your Life
I've heard many steampunks look at a prop and say, "but does it work?"
How To: Have a Classy Night at Home Alone
Full disclosure: I didn't create this. However, do what the picture below says, and your night will instantly become classy. Link One
News: Organic Armor for Steampunks?
Organic Armor is a company run by Paul Hersey which makes... organic armor. Their Facebook page is a really awesome place to get some steampunk inspiration. Check out some of their work:
News: Steampunk Spider-Man and Villains
These are some really cool sketches of what Spider-man might look like if it was drawn in steampunk style. More pictures are available over at io9.
News: The Definitive Steampunk Guide to Sex Is in the Works
I guess it's a sex-themed night, but a few well-known people in the steampunk world are trying to put together a "Steampunk's Guide to Sex", including plain Victorian sexual practices as well as the sort of modern information one would want on a modern movement like steampunk.
News: My Interpretation of a Tesla Power Generator
Hello, I'm new to this group. Thought you might like to see one of my latest creations—my interpretation of a Tesla power generator. Tesla Power Generator Painting by James Christopher Hill.
How To: Not Be Steampunk
Many people have spent many hours discussing how to "properly" be Steampunk. Well, I turned it around and asked myself, "How can you not be Steampunk?"
News: Why Defining Steampunk Is Worthwhile
I've tried my hand in the past at defining Steampunk, but as anyone else who has made a similar attempt will tell you, there's a significant backlash from the community against working to create a real definition of what Steampunk is. That may sound ridiculous to some, but it's a very serious matter to others. With the recent announcement that TeslaCon 4 will be called the Congress of Steam, I think it's appropriate to talk about why all of this stuff is worth it. In this article, I'm going t...
News: Cure All Your Ills (Or Give Yourself Some New Ones) with Steampunk Medicine
We don't generally think of medicine as being very relevant to Steampunk, but it was a big part of Victorian science fiction. Notable examples that you may be familiar with would be Frankenstein and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
News: Fully-Articulated Steampunk Leg
I came across this leg piece on the internet made by Skinz-N-Hydez and I just had to share it. I see a lot of steampunk arms on the internet, but I don't often see legs. This one is really well done, and I love the construction and design.
Auto Polo: The Most Steampunk Sport That Isn't Steampunk
In the early 20th century, some people decided that it would be a great idea to play polo with cars. Sounds like a great idea, right? It was, and it wasn't.
News: Awesome Steampunk Portal Gun
This Steampunk portal gun (from the game Portal) was recently featured on Kotaku, and is really, really beautiful. It's rare that you see such refined woodworking in steampunk props. Now if only it worked...
The Time Traveler's Companion: Surviving the Past and Future with Your Kindle
Not that long ago I wrote an article discussing what it would be like, realistically, if you were to accidentally travel back in time to the Victorian era. At the end of that article, I mentioned that the best thing you could bring with you on a time-traveling adventure is a Kindle, or similar e-reader, stuffed full of the knowledge of the 21st century. Why a Kindle? Well, I own a Kindle, and I love it. However, there's far more to it than that.
News: CustomMade Steampunk Bicycle
This bicycle was found through website CustomMade, which is sort of like an Etsy for people who will custom make things to your specifications rather than selling things they've already made. If only I had the money...
News: Upcoming Steampunk Horror Film, the Mechanical Grave
We could use some more cool steampunk films, and this one looks like it has pretty high production values for an independent thing. So far as I'm concerned we can use more steampunk horror, too. I love that stuff.
How To: 15 Tutorials for Steampunk Photoshopping
I'm not any good with Photoshop myself, but this article on Designer Daily has links to fifteen different steampunk-based Photoshop tutorials. Judging by the images of the finished products, they look really amazing!
News: Steampunk Surfboard
I made a Steampunk Surfboard recently, just for the fun of it. It took quite a bit of time, but I really like the end result. If interested, you can check out my blog for more pics and info on how I made it.
News: Mainstream Comic Strip About Steampunk
You know that steampunk is mainstream when they even talk about it in comic strips. At least they got the punk in steampunk right. I don't know why anyone would be mad if their child was a steampunk. All the steampunks I know are really nice and aren't into subversive stuff or anything. We just dress up nice and do things like drink tea.
News: Get Steamdrunk with Steampunk... Wine?
It wasn't that long ago that we started seeing a variety of beers catering to the Steampunk crowd, so why not some wine?
News: Steampunk Boba Fett Becomes a T-Shirt
Steampunk Boba Fett, aka John Strangeway, has become a fixture in the steampunk world. A quick Google search will turn up tons of images of him.
Steampunk R&D Podcast 02: Joey Marsocci on Professional Steampunking
This week on the Steampunk Research and Development Podcast, our guest is Joey Marsocci, better known to the world as Dr. Grymm. He's a full-time, professional Steampunk maker, and is the owner and operator of Dr. Grymm Laboratories. He's written several books and has worked as a designer at companies such as Hasbro and Disney. In fact, he worked with Disney to design the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attractions for both Paris and Tokyo Disney parks.
News: Writing Is a Lost Art, but Not with This Steampunk Pen
Hardly anyone writes by hand anymore, but I would consider starting again if I had this pen.
Steampunk R&D Podcast 04: Matt Silva on How Artists Can Succeed in the Film Industry
In this episode of Steampunk Research and Development, our guest is Matt Silva, the co-founder and art director of Penny Dreadful Productions. While his current love is producing, Silva is also responsible for bringing to life some amazing creations in PDP's Remnant line, which we talk about on the show. Silva, who supports himself entirely from his work as an artist and a producer, talks about how he got to where he is today and offers advice for anyone interested in following in his steel-p...
Steampunk R&D Podcast 06: Thomas Willeford Behind the Scenes of Steampunk Reality Television
This week, another guest returns to our Steampunk R&D show for the second time, Thomas Willeford. In our very first podcast, Thomas talked to us about creating his empire; this time we most notably talk about his recent appearance on the Science Channel's program Odd Folks Home, in an episode entitled "Blow Off Some Steampunk". Thomas Willeford is the owner and operator of Brute Force Studios, and has been responsible for some of Steampunk's most recognizable props and accessories, such as th...