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fangrrl_squees(feel free to insert your own smutty follow-up to the subject line)
I think I'm going to have a go at making a repro of Jack Harkness' wristband/computer thingy. Clearly, a void has been left since I completed the MPWP.
I sat down with my two hides last night and have decided to go with the chocolate-brown shiny-finished hide, not the distressed one. The distressed one is a little too distressed, and isn't even close in terms of shade. The other one, I wish it was a *little* darker (more like baker's chocolate than milk chocolate) but, oh well.
I've beaten up a small section of the chosen leather, and it seems that a combination of "worrying" it by hand and some medium-grit sandpaper will do the trick to take the shine off the finish and make it look suitably battered. Excellent.
I'm going to tackle both the item from the concept drawing and the thing that Barrowman actually wears, as both of them present some interesting challenges. I've enough leather to try making both so, what the hell. I clearly have some need to aggravate myself on a regular basis
Concept drawing
The electronics are exposed, so one can't get away with a half-assed job in that regard. Current thinking leans towards some spray-painted sheet plastic (several sheets, stacked for depth), with sanded edges and probably a touch of Bondo to smooth things out or making a mold out of clay and making a resin cast, with some printed acetate on top for the graphic. No, I'm not seriously considering building an LED into the thing. Well, it crossed my mind, but only for about half a second. I wouldn't know where to start about how to build the thing, how to wire it, where to put the battery, etc. However, I won't rule out researching it for future reference...
Otherwise, construction on that will be dead simple. I think the bitchiest bit will be finding a buckle I like. I'm dead picky about that sort of thing, I am. Alas, Tandy Leather doesn't have anything in the online store that suits, so I've have to rummage around the craft store, or even the thrift store. The buckles for the gorget on my Commodore Franky Cook costume came from a pair of shoes from the Salvation Army.
The Prop As Seen On The Show
(I need a much better pic of that, btw)
Man, oh man, that flap is going to make me stay up at night, I can tell. It's going to be fiddly to sew the "pocket" that fits over the computer - ensuring the flap lies smooth on the arm - and the closure for same has me scratching my head. At this point, I'm thinking magnets. I used to swear by velcro but a) that would be really visible and b) velcro picks up fluff and dust at a horrifying rate, and I live in a very fuzzy household. Snaps could work too, if they were available in brown, but judging by how quickly (and quietly) the thing opens and closes, I think the designer used magnets.
Where can I get some small, strong-but-not-TOO strong magnets? They're going to have to be able to attract each other through a couple of layers of leather and keep it closed, but I don't want something that's going to leach the iron out of the wearer's blood, y'know?
The design for the final version of the cuff makes sense. The flap protects the electronics from dings and scratches and keeps it away from prying eyes. After all, not everyone is going to assume that Jack just has a thing for wearing an MP3 player on his wrist1, and they might take too close a look...
Either way, the design cues are very WWII altimeter-ish - often confused with the addicted to International Male catalogs look, which also makes sense, given that it's Jack - so rivets and wear are the way to go. This should be fun.
My husband thinks I'm mad.
Further bulletins as events warrant.
1 - Tell me that's not what it looks like. Go on...
I think I'm going to have a go at making a repro of Jack Harkness' wristband/computer thingy. Clearly, a void has been left since I completed the MPWP.
I sat down with my two hides last night and have decided to go with the chocolate-brown shiny-finished hide, not the distressed one. The distressed one is a little too distressed, and isn't even close in terms of shade. The other one, I wish it was a *little* darker (more like baker's chocolate than milk chocolate) but, oh well.
I've beaten up a small section of the chosen leather, and it seems that a combination of "worrying" it by hand and some medium-grit sandpaper will do the trick to take the shine off the finish and make it look suitably battered. Excellent.
I'm going to tackle both the item from the concept drawing and the thing that Barrowman actually wears, as both of them present some interesting challenges. I've enough leather to try making both so, what the hell. I clearly have some need to aggravate myself on a regular basis
Concept drawing
The electronics are exposed, so one can't get away with a half-assed job in that regard. Current thinking leans towards some spray-painted sheet plastic (several sheets, stacked for depth), with sanded edges and probably a touch of Bondo to smooth things out or making a mold out of clay and making a resin cast, with some printed acetate on top for the graphic. No, I'm not seriously considering building an LED into the thing. Well, it crossed my mind, but only for about half a second. I wouldn't know where to start about how to build the thing, how to wire it, where to put the battery, etc. However, I won't rule out researching it for future reference...
Otherwise, construction on that will be dead simple. I think the bitchiest bit will be finding a buckle I like. I'm dead picky about that sort of thing, I am. Alas, Tandy Leather doesn't have anything in the online store that suits, so I've have to rummage around the craft store, or even the thrift store. The buckles for the gorget on my Commodore Franky Cook costume came from a pair of shoes from the Salvation Army.
The Prop As Seen On The Show
(I need a much better pic of that, btw)
Man, oh man, that flap is going to make me stay up at night, I can tell. It's going to be fiddly to sew the "pocket" that fits over the computer - ensuring the flap lies smooth on the arm - and the closure for same has me scratching my head. At this point, I'm thinking magnets. I used to swear by velcro but a) that would be really visible and b) velcro picks up fluff and dust at a horrifying rate, and I live in a very fuzzy household. Snaps could work too, if they were available in brown, but judging by how quickly (and quietly) the thing opens and closes, I think the designer used magnets.
Where can I get some small, strong-but-not-TOO strong magnets? They're going to have to be able to attract each other through a couple of layers of leather and keep it closed, but I don't want something that's going to leach the iron out of the wearer's blood, y'know?
The design for the final version of the cuff makes sense. The flap protects the electronics from dings and scratches and keeps it away from prying eyes. After all, not everyone is going to assume that Jack just has a thing for wearing an MP3 player on his wrist1, and they might take too close a look...
Either way, the design cues are very WWII altimeter-ish - often confused with the addicted to International Male catalogs look, which also makes sense, given that it's Jack - so rivets and wear are the way to go. This should be fun.
My husband thinks I'm mad.
Further bulletins as events warrant.
1 - Tell me that's not what it looks like. Go on...
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no subject
Date: 2006-12-01 09:46 pm (UTC)He may have a point you know...
Says the girl who wants to make a Sharpe style jacket for a six year old...
But I don't have anyone to call me out on this...
*grin*
no subject
Date: 2006-12-01 10:40 pm (UTC)...but I would want something that is actually useful (so, accuracy for me is not as important as utility) for everyday wear -- I'd construct it out of two watches or a watch and a teeny calculator. It's like how I've been wearing my converses a lot lately. I'm making a fashion statement referencing Doctor Who and they are functional. :D
no subject
Date: 2006-12-01 10:47 pm (UTC)Or figure out how to make the straps adjustable so that one could fit one's cellphone into it. With the super-skinny cels that are becoming popular (if not affordable, hm) a wrist-mounted carrier might be a viable idea. ;)
no subject
Date: 2006-12-01 10:48 pm (UTC)