Need something to keep you busy this weekend? Look no further. The Weekend Workshop is our weekly column where we showcase a badass DIY project that you can complete with minimal skills and expertise. We’ve dug through all the online tutorials on the web, and gone the extra mile to pinpoint projects that are equal parts easy, affordable, and fun. So put on your work pants, grab your tool belt, and head to the garage — it’s time to start building!
Culling inspiration from 19th century steam-powered machinery, the science fiction subgenre of steampunk has long lived in the pages of such esteemed authors as H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. Though the exact term originated sometime in the 1980s as a somewhat humorous alternative to cyberpunk, the subgenre has seen a resurgence of popularity in pop culture over the last decade. Films like or the Guy Ritchie-adapted Sherlock Holmes films embraced the style and essentially built entire stories around it.
Beyond its impact on film and television, steampunk has also been a particularly popular style among DIYers and craftmakers. Typically comprised of a unique blend of digital and handmade, steampunk-themed projects often evoke a sense of futuristic history — think Victorian-era aesthetics adorning modern technology. What does this have to do with Weekend Workshop, you ask? Two words: steampunk goggles.
Thanks to some savvy design work by an Instructables user known as Dreamchronic, anybody with a spare caulking tube, a little spray paint, and some electrical tape can construct their own steampunk goggles in a matter of hours. To help you get started on these Burning Man-approved goggles, we’ve sifted through the Instructables walkthrough to find exactly what’s needed for the build. Most of the items can be found around the house, though a few may require a trip to a hardware store. Here’s what you need to begin:
Tools:
- Needle and thread
- Pencil
- Steel spikes
- Gears
Materials:
- Plastic tubing (i.e. a caulking bottle)
- Electrical tape
- Leather
- Black spray paint
- Plastic wrap
- Silver coloring
After gathering the required tools and materials, it’s now time to start constructing your own pair (or pairs) of steampunk-certified goggles. Simply follow Dreamchronic’s comprehensive step-by-step walk-through and in a matter of hours you’ll look like an extra on the set of Mad Max: Fury Road. Happy building!
The complete guide on building these DIY steampunk goggles can be found here.
