Fire Extingusihers, Pyrene, Merlite

I am always looking for cool ideas for steampunk kit bashing.  Back in the day, there were some cool brass hand held fire extinguishers by Pyrene Company of Delaware (Pyrene) and  Merlite Industries (Presto).  The Pyrene fire extinguishers are around 13 to 14 inches.  The Merlite/Presto ones are around 5 1/2 inches.  Both are very cool, but you do have to be careful since the contents could be harmful. 

You can find these on ebay for $20-$100.  My advice is to hit up antique stores for better deals on these, you may get lucky.

Merlite Industries (Presto) - 5 1/2 inches long

 Pyrene Company of Delaware (Pyrene) - 13-14 inches long

Spartan Games, Kingdom of Britannia

Here is a first look at the Kingdom of Britannia for Spartan Games Dystopian Wars.

Sellof, Steam Wars

I came across this very cool website called Sillof that has taken Star Wars and twisted to become Steam Wars.    The work is awesome.  It is a must see for anyone who is into steampunk.

Eggbeater Guns

While looking at Antiques I came across an Egg Beater Drill from Miller Falls.  The drill was probably made in the early 20's or 30's.  It was in great shape and only $14, so I thought what the heck.  It is really cool to piece of history.  It really amazes me how much quality was put into this tool.

When looking for these look for eggbeater drills look for Nos. 2, 2A and 5 made by Millers Falls. All the drills were made to a really high degree of precision.

Here is a cool article on the hand drills.
Here is a great resource for hand drills called Old Tool Heaven. 

Pith Helmet

For those of you that are in the market for a nice Pith Helmet, Tag Safari carries the nicest one I have been able to find.  The pith helmet retails for $71.10 and is much nicer than the typical ones you can find on Ebay for $30-$40.  The helmet come in two colors, Khaki and Stone.  I opted for Stone because it seemed more punk like.  The strap is actually leather and the helmet looks like the real deal.  You definitely will not be disappointed.  Tag Safari has a wide range of other safari items, so check them out.

Cf Originals, Hearts

I found a really great article on creating Steampunk clockwork hearts.  The article comes from Cf Originals where the author Christi Friesen uses polymer clay to create amazing pieces of art.  Christi walks you through step by step on creating inspiring looking art.  This is a must read for any Steampunk gear head.

Here is an example of a Steampunk Rhino

Steampunk, Jewelry

I am starting to see a lot more Steampunk jewelry out there on the market.  Here are some really nice pieces.  Many of the pieces are made from old watch parts.  If you search for "Swiss Watch Parts" or "Swiss Moving" on Ebay, you will find a bunch of stuff.  The following jewelry were made by Steampunk Designs.

Chet Art

Here are some funny cards by Chet Art also known as Chet Phillips.  Each card contains an image of a Steampunk monkey with a picture on the front and a description on the back.

Spartan Games, Dystopian Wars

Here is a first look at the Prussian Empire for Spartan Games Dystopian Wars.

Steampunk, Cards

Everyone needs a deck of cards.  I thought these cards by Tormented Artifacts are especially cool.  The deck sells for $20.

Leather Gauntlett

Leather Gauntlets can really spice up a steampunk outfit.  Here are some gauntlets I thought were really cool.  Love the wrench and leather finger hoops.  Entering keywords such as "Gauntlets", "Bracers",  or "Arm Guards" should bring up a lot of results.

Spartan Games, Dystopian Wars

Spartan Games is working on a new game called Dystopian Wars.  There are currently 4 armies slated for the game.  Kingdom of Britannia, Empire of the Blazing Sun, Prussian Empire and Federated States of America (FSA).  The Kingdom of Britannia was formed in 1801 when the Kingdom of Great Britain invaded and conquered Ireland. The Empire of the Blazing Sun was officially born in 1822 with the coronation of Empress Maya.  The Prussian Empire is probably the strongest nation currently in Europe, controlling much of the mainland, as well as the territories of Sweden and Norway. The Federated States of America (FSA) is a relatively young nation but is quickly establishing itself as a global power. The FSA came about after the end of the Civil War of 1860-64, when the States of the North and South engaged in a fierce conflict.

Catalyst Games, Leviathans

Leviathans is a game in development by Catalyst Game Labs that simulates combat between warships that have taken to the air in an alternate history 1910. The king leviathans, the battleships, are the largest vessels. Maneuvering in support are the smaller ships of light cruisers, destroyers, and others ships.

To find out more check out http://monstersinthesky.com/

Steamcon II, Conventions

Here is an upcoming convention for you Steampunk guys and gals.  It is called Steamcon II and it is in  Seattle, WA. 

Pressure Gauges

One of the cool things people do to Steampunk their gear is often add various gauges to their weapons and gadgets.  Usually looking for the terms "Pressure Gauge" or "Steam Gauge" on Ebay will display a bunch of gauges for sale.  Typically you want one that is around 3.5 inches for kit bashing.

Steampunk, Trench Lighters

I am a big WW1 and WW2 fan when it comes to collecting things from those eras.  A very cool find during those days are the Trench Lighters.  They were extremely well made (Usually Brass) and look very steampunkish.  The trench lighter pictured below was from a company called Bower made in Kalamazoo Michigan.

Lowbrow Customs, Goggles

Lowbrow Customs have created a really cool set of RAF World War II style goggles caled "Halcyon Goggles RAF World War II" SKU: RG-GO-HAL-RAF

These are a faithful replica incorporating a dark brown face mask stitched to the RAF blue-grey painted solid brass frames. Halcyon Aviator and Motorcycle Goggles are Made in England to the highest quality. The frames are manufactured in brass to prevent corrosion, have louvers to prevent misting and are hand-stitched to the vinyl face mask. Featuring easily replaceable, impact-resistant, split polycarbonate lenses that offer 100% UV protection and a sliding nose bridge adjustment.

Steampunk, Lightning Gun

WorldWorks Games has come out with a pretty cool steam punk paper gun known as the Lightning Gun. I haven't done many paper terrain models, but this looked very interesting.

The paper terrain gun retails for $10.  This could be something cool for Halloween.

WorldWorks Games has partnered with New York Times best selling authors Tracy & Laura Hickman (DragonLance, Death Gate and Ravenloft adventure settings), to bring you an exciting new line of gaming products. The Lightning Gun takes inspiration from the upcoming The Lakota Dragons War game setting and book series. This unique re-imagining of the struggle for the American West, pits the technologically superior Airships and Ornithopers of the U.S. Air Cavalry against the dragon-riding native Lakota Warriors.




Download our FREE backstory and instruction manual for the Lightning Gun & The Lakota Dragon Wars for a preview right now:

The Lightning Gun includes all of the following:

* Lightning Gun back story
* Fully illustrated instructions
* Graphic templates
* Certificate of ownership
* Wall mount with optional feet
* Complete GSD compatibility (for automated craft cutters).

Steampunk, Nerf Gun

So I picked up a few Nerf Guns that are going to be converted into some really cool steampunk guns.
The big pistol is called the "Nerf Maverick" and the smaller one is called the "Nerf N-Strike Nite Finder EX-3".  These of course will accompany me on my Halloween adventures.  You can pick the guns up at a lot of toy stores, Ebay, Amazon and many other places.

Here is what I plan on doing.

• Sand off the "NERF" insignia.
• Cut some gouges into it to give it that "battle damage" look
  Take the gun apart for priming and painting.
• Spray Paint it brown
• Drybrush with gold paint.
• Use some other color (metallic aqua, silver or something) for the accent parts
• Seal the parts
• Add clock gears and bits to steampunk it out.

Here are some examples of painted steampunk Nerf guns.