DIY: Steampunk Computer
A Steampunk computer is one that has been modified to resemble something out of the Victorian Age, roughly 1880 to 1910. Typically, this involves adding a lot of brass to your computer’s casing, but you may also use wood or any other material that was available during the Age of Steam. You can opt to just paint your computer’s casing, or go all out and encase the monitor, mouse and keyboard so that no plastic shows. Typically, you won’t need to touch the inside of your computer.
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Things You'll Need
- Spray paint for plastic
- Spray paint for metal
- Fine sand paper
- Assorted washers and gears
- Cling film
- Cloth
- Plastic tarp
- Glue or epoxy
- Drill
- 1/8-inch drill bit
Instructions
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Decide if you want to modify your desktop computer’s monitor casing, your computer’s housing, your keyboard and mouse, or all the components. You don’t have to do them all at once. The easiest modification you can make is to paint the plastic and metal components on your system. Steampunk generally means brass, so choose a paint color that resembles brass, copper or bronze. Avoid shiny gold and silver or neon colors. Other nonmetallic colors that go well with brass include dark emerald green and burgundy. Assemble all your materials before you start your project.
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Take the outer casing off your desktop computer. This typically involves only removing a few screws. Put the screws somewhere where they won’t get lost. Monitor casings are more difficult to remove, so the easiest thing may be to just paint over the plastic frame around the screen and the back of the monitor. Completely cover the monitor’s screen with cling film. Make sure you use something that can be removed without leaving a sticky mess behind, such as the window cling paper that you can buy in the hardware store. Remove the monitor from any stand or legs. Paint these pieces separately.
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Take all the pieces that you are going to paint outside or to a work area away from your computer. Sand any metal pieces lightly with fine sandpaper to prepare them for painting. Make sure you have spray paint designed for plastics if that’s what you will be painting. You may need more than one type of paint. Read the preparation instructions on the paint cans to see how you need to prep the plastic surfaces. Wipe all parts clean to ensure that no grit remains on them, and clean up the work area to avoid getting grit stuck in the paint.
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Put your prepared items on a clean plastic tarp. Work in a location where you will be out of the wind. Shake the paint cans to mix the paint thoroughly. Spray the paint onto the casing using short bursts. Use long, sweeping strokes that begin and end before the paint touches the case. Allow all painted pieces to dry thoroughly according to your paint’s instructions.
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Drill any holes into the case that you will need for mounting accessories or adding cogs or other decorations to the cover. The 1/8-inch drill bit is a good starting point, but you may need other drill bit sizes, depending on what you’re adding to your computer. Assemble your washers, cogs, gears and any other ephemera that you want to mount to the computer monitor case or computer box. Use the glue or epoxy to attach them to your computer where desired.
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Clean up any debris and replace the casing on the computer. Reassemble the monitor if you had to remove any stands or other pieces. Ensure that all your cables and cords are completely plugged back into the computer and monitor. Turn on your system and make sure everything works. Sit down at your computer and enjoy your new Steampunk creation.
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Tips & Warnings
Make a sketch of your design before you begin.
Take pictures of any hardware before you take it apart.
Put any hardware into resealable plastic bags.
Mark the plastic bags’ contents so you know where the pieces belong.
Don’t take the computer apart while it is plugged in.
Don’t paint over any exhaust grills on your computer or monitor.
Don’t smoke when using spray paint.
Paint takes longer to dry in humid weather.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
