Getting costume bits ready for the Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition

[kproche]

It occurred to me that by changing the tally on my Able Seaman's uniform and adding a few accessories, I could have a costume appropriate for this weekend's steampunk event.

I work with brass and copper all the time, so I actually have an idea how heavy they are. I decided to create faux brass/copper items to transform my uniform into the Able Airshipman from the LTA Incorrigible:

airshipman's accessories So what does it take to steampunkify an Able Seaman's uniform? Goggles and a high-altitude air supply, obviously. Thanks to a bit of brown leather, an old water bottle, some garden supplies and more than a little talent with really good spray paint, the White Star Line seaman's uniform can be transformed into an Able Airshipman's kit from the LTA Incorrigible!

Airshipman's goggles! would you believe these started out as black plastic? Careful work with Kryolan Mirror Finish Brass spray paint, and replacing the elastic with a buckled leather strap. The black plastic tubing that served for a nose piece was replaced with a stitched tube of the brown leather.

emergency air supply The tank started out as an aluminum water bottle. The "regulator" is a plastic 4-bib drip irrigation manifold. The hose is a plastic drip irrigation "flexi" riser, disassembled, painted and reassembled without the center water hose. The bottle and hose were painted with Kryolan copper Hammered Metal finish spray paint, the end fittings & "regulator" with the mirror finish brass spray paint. The faucet handle was painted first with the brass, then the copper, and secured to an end fitting by drilling and tapping a 10-32 threaded hole into a hose end fitting (and the bellows pierced with an awl to let the screw through). The straps are simply attached via clever slitting and interlacing around the bottle and hose end, so they can be tied to a sleeve or belt.