Monday, March 5, 2012

Switching Gears - Steampunk Art


And it all began because of a Sickle Sharpener.


When I heard we had been given a Sickle Sharpener, lets say I was less than thrilled. As soon as we took possession of said Sickle Sharpener, my husband found inspiration in the gears, which looked something like this...

Rusty and covered in bright orange paint.

Then, told me that he was going to be turning them in pieces of Steampunk Art. Can you guess the look I gave him, a cross between 'are you crazy' and 'do you actually expect me to put those things in my our house'.

When my husband came home with the most recent Restoration Hardware catalog and there {in this catalog from a home decor store I admire}...gears ranging in price from $80 to almost $200.

Restoration Hardware Gear - As seen it their store.

He won the battle, Steampunk art began and a tutorial was born.

First find yourself some gears. You can find them on Ebay, or in pieces of machinery {an old sewing machine, coffee grinder, old tools}. You should be able to buy gears starting roughly around $5.


Most gears will be dirty, grimy and even rusty. Give them a good cleaning with steel wool or a wire brush. If covered with paint, use some paint thinner. After you've cleaned up your gears, give them a coat of General Finish Oil & Wax. This will give your gears a polished shine.


Using a masonry/concrete bit {which should be a standard bit in any set}, carefully drill a hole into your gear.


Now that the hard part is over, grab some JB Weld {it's to metal what wood glue is to wood}.


Mix an equal part of JB Weld. Dip a post into the JB Weld mixture {we used a nail cutting off the top and point}. Insert the post into the drilled hole. *Allow 24 hours for the JB Weld to securely affix the post to the gear.


Select and prep a base for your gear. We opted for a thin strip of wood that we sanded and stained. Drill a hole into the center of your base.

Using your JB Weld mixture insert the post of your gear into the base {you may need to trim the nail down even further}. To give your gear extra support during the drying process, tape the gear to the base. Again, allow a full 24 hours for the JB Weld to affix and dry.


And there you have it.


Thank you Restoration Hardware!

Linked up and a BIG thanks to:
Tip Junkie handmade projects
Funky Junk's Sat Nite Special

17 comments:

  1. Gotta love it when the husband is right, here it happens so seldom....

    ~Bliss~

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    1. Bliss you are a woman after my own heart. Let's hope it this victory doesn't go to his head!

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  2. So cool! I love everything Steampunk!

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    Replies
    1. Alicia, thanks for the feedback. I am now a fan of Steampunk as well.

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  3. Replies
    1. Thanks Kim! I guess, in this circumstance, my husband was right :)

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  4. This is very clever! I like it!! Would love to have you share it at my "Homemade By You" party going on right now! Would love to have you follow Via Linky Followers too! I am your newest Linky Follower!

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  5. Amy, love it!! When they do have a good idea, like you said, we hope it don't go to their head ;-) lol. Bur awesome Steampunk! Hubby has some of that stuff around here, may have to get to work on that... or maybe get him involved :D Thanks for sharing!!

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    1. Debi, it's a good thing you don't live by me, my husband would be drooling over your gears :). If you make your own, I hope I'll be able to admire it on your blog!

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  6. Nicely done! I really love this look as well! Your hubby was right on target here and what wonderful gears he found!

    Shared on Fji facebook and pinned for SNS 124. :)

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150698651906141&set=a.192514281140.164586.175378011140&type=1&theater

    Donna

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    1. Thanks Donna! I feel like a celebrity has visited my blog. I appreciate the shout out on facebook and the personal praise from you (you made my day!).

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  7. This is awesome, and you did a fantastic job! thanks so much for sharing with me and the copy cat challenge.

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    1. A visit from Ms. Debbiedoo's herself...nice! Thanks for the feedback, I wish I could take full credit but the gears were all my husband.

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  8. Bouncing over from Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special. The Steampunk is great! I like it a LOT! Thanks for the tips...

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I am head over heels you took the time to leave me a comment.

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