UpCycle Inspiration/Progress

The post that I made last week spoke a little about my progress in decision making, but more about my inspiration. Referencing my previous post, my inspiration spurred from a steampunk aesthetic. Being a mechanical engineer, gears and mechanical components as a form of interior design seems fascinating. As a result, I decided to incorporate this aesthetic into my life in the form of book ends.

The options I listed in my previous post for progress included..

1. Etch a design in double layered acrylic and attach the design to the back of the metal.
2. Use multi-colored solder to create a design on the steel L brackets.
3. Design a sticker using polyvinyl chloride and create the necessary shapes of the sticker with the sand blaster located in the Idea Forge.
4. Tack weld mechanical parts such as gears onto the L-shape in order to make the holes seem like they are purposeful.
5. Create a Papier-mâché design on the steel using the spine and pages from old books.

After thinking about these options, I viewed a few more photos such as the ones shown below.

Ultimately, I decided upon option 4. The execution remained simple yet tasteful. Additionally, I wanted to include more than just the outline of gears or sprockets in order to maintain a realistic look.

So far, I have die grinded my steel, sandblasted the steel and sprockets, welded on the sprockets, sandblasted again, inserted bolts into the steel, and added colored electrical wire around the sprockets in order to add color to the punk aesthetic. I am still in the process of deciding if I want to add a rust colored paint onto the exterior of the book ends.

Citation: https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/industrial/part/steampunk-gear-10