#watch gears

Automata X

Another steampunk goddess made with a range of watch parts, brass bits and pieces, electrical probes and two part resin.  She can look very intimidating from one angle yet strangely zen from another.  She’s in my Etsy shop.

Photonic Angel

I’ve had another go at these resin heads - this time ramping up the complexity and symmetry.  On top of my original inspiration, the movies Ex Machina and the Fritz Lang masterpiece, Metropolis, I’ve been watching a ton of science documentaries on youtube. Photonic computing is equal parts of terrifying (possibly undermining e-commerce security and privacy) and exciting with life changing possibilities.  It could grant us immortality - digital immortality with our consciousness being uploaded.

Resin is never simple to work with.  Lots of trial and error, testing different resins, a pile of rejects.  Every pour runs the risk of not setting if I botch the ratio. The parts are placed and fixed layer by layer with a 16 to 24 hour drying time between each pour.  With 5 layers the “brain” has depth and complexity.  Due to the convex curve of the forehead there is some distortion/refraction when viewed from the front.  I didn’t use any trick lighting in photos - the shape and material tends to capture light in unusual ways.  There are some occasional air bubbles - something I’ve got to learn to live with when working with resin without spending a fortune of a vacuum chamber.  I’ve bought a lot of watch parts over the past 10 years to create a complex “brain”.  Many are NOS - new old stock - parts never used - perfect for the pristine look I’m going for.

Due to the original being a clay model. the mold produced a frosted appearance and texture even using crystal clear resin.  Each face must go through levels of sanding and polishing.  It takes a long time and a lot of elbow grease to get a glass like polish.  I like to keep the frosted texture around the eyes, nose and mouth.  Her features would just disappear without it.  Her eyes are half spheres attached with UV resin.

After five or six days it’s always exciting to see how she looks coming out of the mold.  Once I’ve finished polishing I start working on her exterior features.  For this piece I’ve combined electrical glass fuses on either side of her head, two half drilled bead posts as antenna and laser cut arc slice attached with screws on the back of the head.  There are two three hole bars also screwed into the head for hanging holes.  Two hanging points mean the pendant won’t flip around.  

The head is 2 inches high, 1.5 inches wide and 0.75 deep. It is designed to be worn mid length on the chest but I’m happy to change the length or put it on a cord for a masculine piece.  The chain is silver tone ball link with larger ball stations.  I’ve ended each chain length (10 inches each - so a total 20 inch chain) with finished cord caps.  If you would like to wear it higher or lower - I’m happy to alter the chain to any length you want.

Orrery Locket

I wasn’t sure why I bought the ball locket from one of my regular suppliers but I’m glad I did. I really wanted to attempt putting an orrery model in something that small. It was far too small for arms or any rotation so it’s fixed - no movement at all. The gears are there to imply movement - nothing more. I created the black round ½ ball base in black resin. It is held there by a screw through the base of the locket and into the resin. The next challenge was finding ball head pins to represent all the planets within our solar system. Sorry to Pluto but there was no room left.

Perfect to add the wow factor to your Victorian and/or Steampunk costume but versatile (and symbolic) enough to be worn with contemporary fashion. It’s on a very long (Gatsby length) chain so it sits low on the body. This will be a great length so it’s easier to show friends and family without getting yanked or strangled.

Components:
Bought filigree textured highed ball locket
Black resin ½ ball
Assorted ball pins
Thin hollow pipes
Screw
Vintage gears
Brass washer wing
Brass tone rolo chain
Assorted rings
Lobster claw clasp

Build time: 7 hours

The pendant is just under 1 inches (2.4cm) wide and 2 inches (4cm) long including two large hanging links. The chain is brass gold tone rollo link, 36 inches long with a copper tone lobster claw clasp. It is designed to be worn low but can be altered if required.

Thanks for looking!

I ordered some amazing brass stamps over Christmas and here is one put to use in the latest mechabug.  Watch parts feature heavily in this guy with layers of parts on his face, head and along his top “backbone”.  His “legs” are repurposed lever action earrings - cut and adapted for this use, with watch winder stems at the end.  Flat semicircle brass stamps form the main skeleton all threaded on a brass rod with sleeves and springs between them.  Threading the gears and minute pinions on the “top” backbone was very tricky - a lot of swearing at inanimate objects.  

He is 2 inches long, 1.5 inches wide and stands 1 inch high.  He’s designed to just sit on your desk or shelf, keep you company and impress guests. He has a hanging loop so it would look like he’s walking down your wall.

When I was researching anatomical bugs for this project I accidentally found myself looking at the Russian spy cockroach - very interesting. So here is the steampunk version.  Love to see him come to life…

I’ve been drawing on two inspirations - the movies Ex Machina and the Fritz Lang masterpiece Metropolis. Both have amazing android/robots in lead parts.  I was disappointed with the LED embedded head experiment but this direction may change that.  These pieces don’t have the LED light just layers of resin with watch parts embedded.  The silver head is  symmetrical - the gold just random parts.  The “eyes” are gold tone pin heads.  I’ve used mixture of jewellery findings.

I wanted it to look like the heads are “crowned” - with slight religiosity mixed with technology and biomechanics. They are designed to be worn mid length on the chest but I’m happy to change the length or put it on a cord for a masculine piece.  

So I’ll start working on the other resin heads to see where this tangent leads me….

Silver wing heart - my latest winged mechanical heart with gears, gauges and glow in the dark grill.  Lots of tiny details.  Can be worn as a pendant, unique fob or just displayed.  I can create a display box if required.  

Available in my Etsy shop

Steampunk clockwork “brain” pendant necklace.   Mech head 1, 2 and 3.

These look really simple but like anything with resin - it wasn’t simple. Lots of trial and error, testing different resins, a pile of rejects but I really like the final piece. The face has a zen quality to me - it reminds me of the automata dolls from the 19th century or the robot in Metropolis. The brain being represented as a clock work mechanism is an old trope but I really wanted to attempt it using epoxy resin. It’s opened up a thousand ideas that I’ll be exploring more.

There was a “happy accident” early on. Due to the original being a clay model. the mold produced a frosted appearance and texture even using crystal clear resin - that was great, I love the frosted look, but how to reveal the gears and mechanics - that took awhile to work out. The gears are laid layer by layer with a 16 to 24 hour drying time between each pour. With 5 layers the gear and cog “brain” has depth and complexity. 

Due to the curve of the forehead there is some distortion/refraction when viewed from the front. As you can see in the photos, when viewed from the back the gears don’t distort. I didn’t use any trick lighting in photos - the shape tends to capture light. There is the occasional air bubble - something I’ve got to learn to live with when working with resin without spending a fortune of a vacuum chamber. 

The gears are all vintage or antique from an array of watches and pocket watches. The head is 1.5 inches high, 1.1 inches wide and 0.5 deep. I’ve put it on a really long necklace, Gatsby length - 38 inches long. Due to the length I haven’t included a clasp as it’s not really needed. The chain is black with faceted cut brass cable link - it really sparkles as it moves. If you would like to wear it higher - I’m happy to alter the chain to any length you want. I can also put it on a different chain or cord.

“Solaris” and “Venus Orbit”

I don’t want to be repetitive listing these solar system globes here but I’ve just listed two more smaller versions - “Solaris” and “Venus Orbit” in my Etsy shop.  I’m selling them for US$145 plus US$7 tracked shipping.  

  https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/606053102/orrery-miniature-solar-system-glass

Mercury Drone

There is a local art competition coming up in August and I have an idea - three or four “flying” insects mounted on posts mid flight and presented in a diorama under a glass dome. The insects will all be straight out of my imagination and the grass and flowers will also be biomech steampunk. So I’m working on my insects at the moment. The legs and head are the sticking points. I want the legs to look like pistons or micro hydraulics - but they get too big so I’m starting from wire/pins and work from there. Fortunately I’m never short on ideas to attempt.

The main feature on this guy are the great silver tone mechanical clock parts I’ve used as over wings. I wanted a lot more mech on his thorax but there are tiny details in there. He comes with his very own glass and brass display case with a mirrored base to see “under the hood”. He would be a great low maintenance pet for the office desk or a quirky ornament that will catch everyone by surprise. The drop of mercury in his abdomen does move around the sealed glass nodule.

I like to imagine him as a drone used in spycraft espionage sending back images of the secret base, blueprints or a compromised official. He could also take a nefarious payload or just plug himself in to an unattended server port causing havoc.  

So if you like my insect creations keep an eye on my new items as I lead up to the main competition piece. I also had the idea of replicating the framed specimen insect collections that the Victorian era loved so much. Join me for the journey!