Writing, audio drama, trains and general geekery with a touch of noir.
‘Allo, allo!
Taking a break from Friday afternoon to post two little additions to my steampunk outfit / collection. The first is a pair of loupes scored off of eBay and the second is a bolt and wingnut pin or collar tab, of which I plan to make a second.
Now then, I’ve got two emails from VP’s in my inbox. Back to it!
Just as the title says: the painting and polishing is now complete. It is effectively done, but detailing has yet to begin or even be considered. I want to add some lining, I think, to gussy it up a little around the ‘tumbler’. I may also dry brush on a lighter colour to highlight edges. Paint is Krylon charcoal with a hammered finish. I greatly approve of this paint. Greatly. Polishing courtesy of steel wool, of which I also approve of. Behold the “finished” result below as well as the “grease-gun” or “trumpet” from last year.
Behold: my new standard steam punk side arm: the Fleming MKII. The goal for this piece was two-fold. First, I wanted something to costume with. Secondly, I really wanted an impressive piece I could hand on my wall in a nice display. Ideally such a display would probably include a Lee-Metford carbine and a Webley MKIV but I appreciate the unlikeliness of that happening. So, with that in mind, it was off to the workshop!
(Blackberry provided for scale)
Disclaimer time! Let it be known I am not glorifying firearms, violence, etc. I love a good bit of gun play and I look pretty cool in a trench coat, Fedora pulled low and revolver at the ready, but I’m a big proponent of gun control. Why? Simple. I can’t trust your average person to operate a motor vehicle safely, let alone posses a loaded firearm. Also, I’m pretty much a poster child for gun control. I will never own a gun in my life out of concern for my fellow human beings. Trust me folks, you don’t want me owning a gun.
So, disclaimer out of the way, on to the build.
The design is loosely based off of an old CO2 pellet revolver that’s been sitting unused in a side table for time immemorial (see last picture). I’m tempted to get a new cylinder for it, but honestly the amount of missing screws and loose joints is enough to put safety in concern. The original idea was to build an actual revolver, just steamed up, complete with a break – the stock is split and has a hinge, even. In the end, I couldn’t come up with a retaining method I was satisfied with and simply changed the focus of the idea to a ray gun, or electric pistol, if you will.
The stock/frame is (obviously) all wood, cut out on a saber saw. The barrel is a simple length of 1/2″ copper tubing with an adapter at the end, held on with brackets. The trigger is a coat hook. The Brass piece on the top is actually a damaged throttle manifold from an Accucraft Ruby. The piece where the hammer should be (it is a raygun, after all) I’m not too sure about but has a screw on the end that can be adjusted for different power settings, or the like. The bit at the front of the stock, under the barrel, is a simple piece of brass with a spring over the end and mounted through the tip of a ball point pen. Added an eye hook to the bottom of the grip to attach a lanyard to and thumbtacks to the side of the ‘tumbler’ for extra texture.
Overall, I’m very pleased with the result; it’s a good size, just a bit on the big side and has a modest amount of heft to it. The detail is sufficient but not overdone, avoiding a major irritation I have with most of the steam punk subculture. I’m really not looking forward to taking it apart for painting, though. The plan is to leave everything metal as it is (except the thumbtacks) and give the stock a nice hammered iron look. Between the painting and a bit more filling and sanding, I’m thinking there’s another six hours ahead of me and it should be done by Monday night.
Edit: Oh, plus the labels need removing and the inevitable weathering with a dremel tool.
