Tag: Steampunk

Steampunk-inspired Art and crafts handmade by the HipNonster’s team. Se everything from strange contraction to working robots!

Monster: Lin the Dragon

Lutin
steampunk, monster, woodcraft
Lin the Dragon

Born from one of our favorite bushes and a failed costume, Lin the dragon was our most complex monster at that time. Lin is made from wood from our own garden, making her unique.

Steampunk wooden monster
Flying free!

Lin has posable legs, tail and wings. The legs can barely support her so we decided to hang her from the ceiling to watch over us as we craft.

Steampunk wooden monster
Side view
Close up of wooden wing
Close up of a wing joint

The wings are from a dragon costume we were building that proved to be too heavy. The tail is made by repeatedly cutting the log and threading a steal wire through them to secure it.

Happy crafting!

Monster: Hummingbird

Lutin
steampunk, monster, woodcraft
The Hummingbird Monster

The hummingbird monster was made from a branch too weak to be used for other projects. We decided to make it into a hummingbird because it already had a long beak, and the body was already shaped like a bird. After lots of trimming, sanding, and bees wax, we added felt and wire wings.

steampunk, monster, woodcraft
Bottom view

Hung from the ceiling, the humming bird monster comes to life.

Wooden Monster, Kid-made, bird

Happy Creating!

Monster: Anteater

Lutin
steampunk, monster, woodcraft
Coming through your window!

We call this monster the Anteater.  The Anteater monster was a wonderful branch that was too split to make a good wand or use in other projects. After we stabilized the splitting and cut out all the rotted wood, we sanded her and coated her heavily in bees wax.

steampunk, monster, woodcraft
Side view

At first we thought of mounting Anteater on the wall as if she was a trophy, but then the Sister’s team thought of having her appear to climb out of the wall.  We then used a picture frame we were working on and created a fake window using the picture frame, paint, and plexiglass for her to climb out of. With a window as a mount, she made a great addition to our living room.

Wooden Monster on table
Side view

Wooden Monster on a table

Happy Creating!

Sun-Moon-Earth Orrery

Dryad and Harpy

Getting started

Need to track the moon phases for that perfect time to cast a spell? Worried about when you are due to change into a werewolf?

The following instructions are for a quick DIY Sun, Earth, Moon Orrery we did for a school project.  This is suitable for ages 6 to 12 but may need adult supervision.  We were inspired by this article in instructables.com but needed a much simpler design.

This project was also the start of HipMonsters, and we still use some of the same skills for our robots and woodworking projects.

Please note, this material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guide on how to create the designs.  Please read our disclaimer.Equipment

Equipment:

  • Drill
  • Pliers
  • Wire Cutters

Parts:

  • Plywood (10 X 10 inches)
  • 4 inch bolt with 3 nuts and 3 washers
  • 2 inch bolt with 3 nuts and 3 washers
  • 3 foam balls of different sizes
  • 9 inches of thick wire (may use coat hangers)
  • 5 inches of thin wire (may use pipe cleaner)
  • Foam padding
Step 1

First, measure the center hole for the main screw.  This screw will support the Sun, Earth, and Moon.

Step 2

Next, drill the hole and push the large screw through the hole and secure it with a washer and bolt.

Step 3

Turn over the base and stick four foam pads on the bottom. We used one large foam pad for furniture and cut it into four pieces. These foam padding will prevent the center bolt from scratching the table when placed upright.

Step 4

Turn the base back over and make sure the foam padding is tall enough to prevent the bolt from scratching the table. If not, then add another layer of foam. Next, screw another a nut to the halfway point on the bolt and then put a washer on top.

Step 5

Now we need to make the support wire for the Earth. Take the larger wire and bend both ends using a screwdriver as shown. The goal is the make the loops tight enough so the bolts are secure when threaded through them.

Step 6

Here, both ends are ready to secure the Earth to the center shaft. Notice one loop is smaller than the other.  The larger loop is for the center bolt; the smaller one is for Earth’s bolt.

Step 7

Now, thread the smaller bolt through the smaller loop.

Step 8

Secure the bolt to the arm with a washer and nut.  Then screw a nut halfway up the bolt. This bolt will serve as support for the Moon’s arm.

Step 9

Next, create the Moon’s arm.  Bend the thinner wire similar to the Earth’s arm but only put a loop on one end. Bend the other end up to support the Moon.

Step 10

Now connect the thin wire to the screw on Earth’s arm and secure with a bolt.

Step 11

And we are nearly there! Just connect the thick wire to the screw and put a washer and bolt on top. Make sure to screw on tightly, the weight of the arm can make it droop.

Step 12

And finally we are ready to add the Sun, Earth, and Moon. The smallest ball is the Moon and goes on the smallest arm.  The Earth is the mid-sized ball and put onto the outer bolt. The largest ball is the Sun and placed on the center bolts. You can paint the balls as the final step if you want to.Putting it all together

The Sun, Earth, Moon orrery is almost complete, we just need to assemble! Here are all the pieces laid out. We substitute the foam balls in one build with a ping pong ball for the Sun and felt balls for the Earth and Moon.Enjoy

You now have your own Sun, Earth, Moon Orrery and predict the next eclipse or start planning for the next full moon! Keep a watch out for werewolves!

Happy creating!

Wooden Monster: Allie

Lutin

The HipMonsters team does not like trees going to waste, so whenever we stumble upon a piece of wood too rotten or misshapen to be used for our projects, we create a wooden monster!

steampunk, monster, woodcraft
Allie!

Born from a dead branch of a juniper bush, this monster is built to protect a child’s room. It is very possessive and will only allow one monster in the room at a time. Perfect for making sure human children have a restful nighttime sleep.

Wooden Monster, kid-made, front view
Allie from the front.

We made Allie’s eyes out of two styrofoam balls.

Wooden monster kid-made- rearview
Allie from the rear.

Allie was one of our first monsters and is at the front of our house very Halloween!

Happy Creating!