Just Like Clockwork: Part 1

DIY Design update. I've decided to swap around the order that I'm making my projects this summer so that I make my steampunk goggles first. Why? FanExpo, that's why! After seeing all the awesomeness that I missed at Anime North and remembering the great weekend of Con-G, I'm getting extremely pumped for this summer's FanExpo.

I've decided to get together a steampunk costume for the occasion. For those of you who remember, I went a little steampunk for South Formal, dressing all gentlemanly-like. I'm thinking of going in the opposite direction, and making a sort of mechanic/ engineer/ greasemonkey outfit. I'm going to be making a new set of goggles for this. Goggles that won't fall apart if they aren't sitting on a hat. Goggles that actually fit on my face. Goggles that I can actually see out of. Exciting, no?

I started the project today, so here's what I've got going on so far.

I can see the final product already. :D

I remember catching a glimpse of these "Colour Mixing Glasses" during one of my shifts at work. For $7, they'll do nicely as the base of the eyepieces.

Perfect fit.

I cut out paper templates to fit in the eyesockets. To get the right length, measure the diameter of the eyepiece, multiply by Pi, and add about half of an inch. Mine happened to come out to 20.3cm (8").

Time for some fucking Cosine graphs. Awww yeah.

For the shape, measure about 3cm (1.18") out from the midpoint. draw out a sinusoidal curve connecting the middle to both ends, and cut out.

The "Colour Mixing Glasses" came with 4 types of lenses. Blue, yellow, red, and clear. Since you can fit two lenses in each eyesocket at a time, I also tried out green, orange and purple, and green seemed to be the nicest looking. I just need to shave of those damn tabs at the top of the lenses...



 
As much as I would love walking around at FanEpo with bright blue goggles, I'm going to spray paint them black then drybrush them to look like beaten copper, just like my first pair of goggles. Now, onto the fabricwork!

A leather belt to be used as the headband, and a buttload of vinyl for everything else that needs to look like leather. I might end up using vinyl for the headband since its thin, light and a bit stretchy.

I also have buckles (which are now drybrushed copper) and lots of vinyl cut out. Unfortunately it's late and I'm too lazy to whip out my camera, so I'll be posting up pictures of all that shizz tomorrow along with tomorrow's progress.

Tomorrow, I continue with steampunking and listening to my Woods of Ypres heavy playlist.

What, you don't listen to Black Metal during Arts & Crafts time?

That's all for now, folks.

Keep being Awesome.