The Steampunk Bible contains an article I wrote on etching small candy tins with salt water and electricity. There was limited space in the book so we've provided this expanded compliment article to help you should you be interested in trying this project, enjoy!

 

The Steampunk Bible is out! I helped connect Jeff and S.J. with people doing cool things in the movement and I wrote what I hope is the definitive candy tin etching how-to for this book. Our fashion editor Libby Bulloff also contirbuted articles and LOTS of shiny photography, including the best photo ever take of yours truly. 

The Steampunk Bible is the first compendium about the movement, tracing its roots in the works of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells through its most recent expression in movies such as Sherlock Holmes. Its adherents celebrate the inventor as an artist and hero, re-envisioning and crafting retro technologies including antiquated airships and robots. A burgeoning DIY community has brought a distinctive Victorian-fantasy style to their crafts and art. Steampunk evokes a sense of adventure and discovery, and embraces extinct technologies as a way of talking about the future. This ultimate manual will appeal to aficionados and novices alike as author Jeff VanderMeer takes the reader on a wild ride through the clockwork corridors of Steampunk history.

Get your copy today!

This is my original artwork for the Steampunk Strat - Right click and choose "Save Image As" to download a copy.

 

 

Laurence writes:

Dear Sir:

I think these are just fabulous! There are a couple more after the cut but be sure to click through to Laurence's Flicker and check out the copper plated Fulton's Nautilus tin!

 

I am just speechless.  More here und here via Burnlab

I love it when people write me with pictures of things they done after visiting The Steampunk Workshop. 

Here we have two electrolytic etching projects based on my original posting here.

Click through to read about the details of these two very different but related stories of etched brass plates.

 

It makes me happy when people write me about things they've made, and when they've been inspired or have adopted techniques they've learned from the Steampunk Workshop it makes me very happy indeed!

Peter wrote me a while back with some pictures of his latest project, a Jules Verne inspired analog synthesizer with etched brass control panels.  Now, I cut my teeth on a vinyl copy of Switched-On Bach and I've been a fan of analog synth heroes Tangerine Dream since High School.  So I was very excited to see this.

. . .

OK, I was reckless. I went ahead and etched my iPod without doing extensive tests on electrolytic etching of stainless steel. But you see, I had a deadline - a flight to Los Angeles to be on television and I wanted the iPod done for the show.

With this project I wanted to try a number of new things:

• Magazine pages as cheap toner transfer media
• Copper electroplating
• Etching Altoid tins with a salt water solution

The copper plating met with mixed success, but the other two methods resulted in some nice pieces.

In which your humble proprietor theorizes that; if he can etch into one side of a brass plate he may be able to etch completely through the plate from both sides. A fixture is constructed, current is applied, electrolyte boils and jewelery is made.