Steam Punk Pics

[Ransom]

Sweet!

[Pirate Petee]

Um..... what is steam punk?

[Guest]

Um..... what is steam punk?

Well... that's a kinda tricky one to answer, because there are all kinds of definitions....

It's kinda sorta... Imagine a World where Jules Vern or the Wild Wild West are history, not just stories....

A kinda sorta Victorian Age Fantasy.... but with more Airships, steam powered computers, ray guns and other cool looking stuff (the brass. leather or wood parts are optional... but brass, leather and wood does looks so cool..........

So you get to choose whichever parts sound like the most fun for you.....

With Pyrate reenacting, there are the Play/Hollywood/Fantasy Pyrates and the more "authentic" Pyrates....But with Steampunk... it never really existed... so you can do whatever looks/sounds/feels righish for you.....instead of wondering if something is "period" you only have to make it look "cool"....

I could re-do my 1720's Pyrate stuff and make it even closer to Period....and I'm going to be working on 1669 Buccaneer stuff for PiP next year.... But I don't want to "burn-out" on Pyracy, so Steampunk gives me a creative outlet to have another kinda fun.... I will be going to the San Mateo Makers Fair not this next weekend...but the one after that.... and Hopefully I will remember to take some pictures of my Airship Pyrate stuff.......

[Dorian Lasseter]

Seems I'm finding steampunk type stuff everywhere...

Here's an awesome computer robot controller with a copper heat sink and lighted fan.

I love it when the guts of stuff are exposed...

[Cascabel]

Um..... what is steam punk?

Well...... Think Victorian technology, steam powered everything, primitive electrical stuff, lots of brass, polished wood, Victorian era clothing styles, mad scientist stuff, even time travel......

Let your imagination and creativity run wild !!

>>>> Cascabel

[Pirate Petee]

Cool, thanks for clearing that up for me fellas. When I first saw the thread I thought like Sex Pistols meets a sona.

[Cpt. Alva]

I have to get back to working on my trike....

I started it last year for Burning Man, but had some slight problems that I will fix this year .... well that, and I want to add a small motor to it....

This is a picture of it before I added a seat and painted it Hunter Green.

The peddling is weird, and that is also part of the problem, The peddles tend to come undone (Bicycles tighten when you peddle them, with everything flipped backwards, it tends to loosen....) I could fix that... or I'm just going to add some more sprockets and lots of bicycle chains, (and a lawn mower engine) and make it rear-wheel driven. fix the seat, and maybe add brakes.....

word of warning from someone who once made the mistake of trying to build a go-kart.

create two hand brakes, one to actually brake the wheel, and the other to disengage the drive train.

otherwise when you brake, if you aren't stronger than the motor, it will throw you, and keep going.

[Cpt. Alva]

Um..... what is steam punk?

Victorian style, with anachronistic elements (Cables, wires, electrodes, vacuum tubes, gears, brass, wood, etc.) all combined to create something familiar but also different.

the 'air pirates' comes from the notion that dirigible travel is still prominent, and the pirates of the steampunk era board those, instead of sea piracy. If you've ever seen the cartoon "Tale Spin" Think Don Karnage.

[hellfirehannah]

What I have so far...the pants are a definate, the shirt is a maybe, depends on how long it takes for me to get the other one back, the hat is staying I just need to dress it up and I know I'm missing a few things. But all feedback is welcome, please let me know what you think.

[Northwest Jack]

I still don't get it. I loved the film Ember and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and the Golden Compass books, but I STILL don't see what any of this has to do with pirates.

[Cpt. Alva]

well, look at Captain Nemo's Nautilus...

Nemo was a pirate, plain and simple, and his submarine didn't (and couldn't) exist in reality.

you're looking at it from the wrong POV. In the context of historicity, Steampunk has very little to do with anything.....at all....except the Victorian era.

and only for setting and fashion.

it's a fancy, much in the same fashion the Disney/Hollywood pirate is. It's a romance.

why do we dress up as pirates in the first place?, because it's fun. Same thing here.

Edited June 7, 2009 by Cpt. Alva

[CaptainSatan]

but I STILL don't see what any of this has to do with pirates.

Airship piracy is a big hulking branch on the steam punk family tree.

Edited June 7, 2009 by CaptainSatan

[Guest]

but I STILL don't see what any of this has to do with pirates.

Well kinda.... Steampunk is a kinda semi-Victorian time that never really was......

So clock-work driven computers, steampowered robots, 20.000 leagues under the sea, all that can kind of work...(it's a fantacy...)

And Airships fly the sky-lanes.... with any form of commerce there are those that want to take the goodies... so with airships carrying goods , of course there are going to be Airship Pyrates to take said goods/loot.....

One of the things that makes it fun for many of us, is that we get to make-up a time period that never was, but we throw in stuff that was interesting from a time that really was (the Golden Age of Pyracy) Mix-and-match.... but you don't have to worry if it was/is "period" ... It's a fun diversion....

If Airships flew/fly the sky what and how would Airship Pyrates operate ?

[Cpt. Alva]

parachutes, biplanes, skyhooks....

[Cpt. Alva]

still waiting on my goggles, and my ray gun is only in the planning stages, but:

I am wearing my pirate waistcoat (which needs replaced for both Steampunk, AND GAoP), until I can find one in deep crimson, canary yellow, or a nice blue, since I plan on wearing a dark overcoat with this outfit.

[Guest]

Northwest Jack, Still don't know if I can argue this right.....

but basically... it's a fun diversion....

When I went Steampunk, some people wondered.... Hey..... are you still a Pyrate...

Yeah... sure.... I still do hard-core .... Authentic Pyrate reenacting... and for PiP next year, I will do my favorite period.... Buccaneer.... as authentic as I can make it.....

Wot does Steampunk have to do with Pyracy?..... well in the play world.... we rob airships... not just water bound ships.....8)

More places to play..... (do you really rob ships... or play like the rest of us?)

<I can get snotty... but I ain't going there.... (ie.. I edited th. rest...)

[Ransom]

As Patrick has stated, airship pyrates are a fantasy, pure and simple. They have nothing to do with GAoP PC pyrates, non-PC pyrates, etc. It's a fun, no-rules way to play, without having to worry if your garb/weapon is authentic, because this world never existed in the first place = Think...Jules Verne X The Jetsons X The Victorian Era.

Airship pyrates are a sub-genre of the Steampunk movement, and instead of plying the seas, we ply the air, basically doing what pyrates do, helping ourselves to other people's goods.

But, we ARE pyrates, and therefore have a home here on the Pub.

BTW, the movie Stardust has some great airship pyrates in it, with Robert Dinero (?) as their captain.

[Ransom]

This weekend, Chain Shot and I did a run through of our Airship Pyrate garb, which we'll be wearing on Sunday at Nor Cal.

Here is Chain Shot and his African Big Game Hunter look (think Sean Connery in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Still to go is a better neck scarf (we added that one just to get a feel for some color), and an animal print hat band.

And here's me, pretty much good to go. Only change is, the pistol is now mandarin red. Oh, and I need earrings! LOL I also just put an old key on a leather cord, which I will wear around my neck — key to the bomb locker, doncha know.

[Brig]

You guys look great! I loooove that coat, Ransom.

[Red-Handed Jill]

You definitely have that Alan Quartermaine je ne sais quoi! Good job!

[hellfirehannah]

Don't mind the messy face but this is my lovely daughter showing off momma's very un-modded(so far) goggles and the top half of her Steampunk attire(having a bit of a time finding a long skirt made for that very tall and lanky 3 year old).

[Cuisto Mako]

Don't mind the messy face but this is my lovely daughter showing off momma's very un-modded(so far) goggles and the top half of her Steampunk attire(having a bit of a time finding a long skirt made for that very tall and lanky 3 year old).

She's super cute! I hope my 12 weeks old toddler will too eventually join me in all my geeky adventures! :)

[hellfirehannah]

Thank you I think she's a doll too. Funnily enough she's easier to buy for when it comes to steampunk, all I have for the boy is a vest, no luck on shirts(yet) and don't even get me started on finding stuff for my husband that's almost impossible.

She went with me to her first renaissance festival when she was just a little over 1 and has been to one a year since(mostly the Minnesota fest), so I'm getting her started early. Heck she loves running around in the goggles, I think whan she goes to school all her class mates are gonna call her wierd, should be fun.*grin*

As for the 12 week old(btw congrats) start off slow then go from there and see how they like it, that is what I would reccomend.

[Cuisto Mako]

"Heck she loves running around in the goggles," Who wouldn't?

Actually, steampunk might be a good way to sell them to wear protective gear:

"Common sweaty, you know you can not go skateboarding without your goggles, golden spiked helmet and your anti-plasma gloves !"

[Ransom]

You guys look great! I loooove that coat, Ransom.

Thanks, Brig. Gosh, I've had that coat for over 25 years! It's a WWII British Women's Land Army coat. Still has the label inside. I think I payed $12 for it, through the Banana Republic catalog back in the day when they actually sold military surplus from all over the world.