SteamPunk Pendant with Round PCB

Made another Steampunk pendant necklace using upcycled parts scavenged from broken items around the house. This one uses a repurposed PCB. That's not very unusual in my projects, but this PCB is round with a hole in the center, which is very unusual.

The round PCB had a pretty green color, and I added some broken bling to it along with some scavenged bits from old jewelry and a faux gear from the craft store just to validate the Steampunk theme/ When it's all put together I think it works as a pendant quite well.

I don't remember where the board came from, maybe an old mouse or an old radio knob assembly. But I do remember having it sitting in the collection and taunting me for a long time until I finally decided to use it whether the project turned out nice or not.

See, I have a hard time using unusual parts because I'm always afraid I will fail and waste the one unique chance to ever use such a part. If it's a common, standard part then I'll take chances and use it quickly because I can always get another chance with another copy. But this is the first round PCB I had ever found and I waited and waited and waited.





Then inspiration struck, and after a year or more of hesitation, the entire piece came together in a matter of minutes - and I like it. I even found a way to decorate the back side so that it's at least not ugly or distracting if it spins around while being worn..

I even decorated the back of the pendant because necklaces tend to flip around when they are being worn. The back of the PCB was a dull brown, so I covered it with a large fake gear for the steampunk look and even added an oh-so-popular wing to complete the composition. It's not pretty enough for the featured front, but I think it's good enough for the hidden back.

But I waited a while to post it. I wanted to see if I still liked the final product after a few days, or maybe I was just so relieved to be rid of the teasing piece of electronic scrap that I had convinced myself it was attractive.

Well, it's been a few days and I still kind of like it so I decided to post it.

Unfortunately, in the same burst of creation, I also made a really ugly project from a unique part. I kept adding pieces and colors and sparkly things to that project hoping it would "come together" as a composition - and it remained ugly with every added part - at least to me.










I'll also give this failed project a few days and see if it grows on me. Or maybe I will decide that some people might actually like the large clunky thing. Or, I might just keep adding things to it until I can pretend that I had always intended for it to be one of those monstrous accretions you sometimes see in vintage stores.

Meanwhile. I'm working on another project that seems to be holding together as I add the parts. If I don't blow it, I might have a completely different style of PCB jewelry to share in a few days.

Also find me on: FACEBOOK 

Follow @tangoofthegeeks

Well... So My Jewlery is For Sale

Some of my jewelry pieces are now officially for sale in a friend's online shop: Vintage Viewpoints. Check it out, and be sure to visit their Facebook page to see their newest pieces.


You all know that I don't normally sell my personal projects - for a variety of reasons.

Washer with dark blue and reddish purple enamel paints and metal filigree applied. Center is a lavender rose and traditional bells hung from beneath.

Usually, my projects are total experiments, really only meant to solve a specific problem or learn a technique that I can use in commercial projects. The jewelry pieces were simply proof-of-concept experiments for a totally different type of project.

However, when I shared them with a friend, they claimed to like them - and even offered to put them in their shop. Luckily, the shop owner creates in almost as many styles as I do. They understood that there will probably never be anything similar coming out of my studio ever again. and were okay with that. They finally convinced me to put some of these oddball pieces into their shop.

Another piece with a washer base. Tis one has a gradient spray painted undersurface of rose and new stem colors. I used a Silhouette Cameo craft cutter to make some rings out of Victorian scrapbook paper. A turquoise lozenge is applied to the back and peeks out from the center. A narrow metal decoration caps the piece. 

Wanted a tribal boho look for this, so I tried a few new items and techniques. The enamel paint is applied in raised dots. The filigree is bent and only present on the lower half to give it a little visual interest. The cross is upcycled from and old computer drive. But it still didn't look finished, so I added some scruffed multi-hue twine for a dramatic tail.

Since I don't do jewelry design commercially, I figured there would be no harm in letting these trinkets out into the wild.



And now that I've moved on to new problems, I'm can see them as standalone objects. I'm still somewhat underwhelmed, but there are certainly a variety of styles in this batch.

Got to have some Steampunk in your life. This is a mix of store-bought Tim Holts style gears with parts actually scavenged from old electronics for the authentic upcycled look. I popped a couple jewels and metallic shafts to add a little texture. All of it applied to a 70s era belt buckle.

I had solved the design problems I was addressing, and I had no more real use for the projects. They sort of worked for their intended purpose, and I understood how to change them to make them more effective the next time.





And I have to admit, having another creator say they like your work enough to sell it - well it was a real ego boost. I still see the projects as experiments, works in progress - but to hear that someone who creates objects that I admire actually likes the projects just as they are, well that was even better than solving an abstract problem.

Another semi-Steampunk piece featuring copper parts upcycled from an old electric motor. The jewels were mostly from various sets of broken earrings. The wings were bought new, failed at their original purpose, but found a new home in this project.

While it's unlikely I will put more projects up for sale, it's always nice when a fellow creator asks to feature some of my work. So support your local makers and crafters and artists, especially if you also create something.

And don't forget to visit the Vintage Viewpoints shop for all kinds of beautiful jewelry from a real crafter - the shop owner.

Follow @tangoofthegeeks

3D Printed Mesh on Green Clutch

Printed out some large chainmail mesh. Liked the design - not enough to print an entire garment from it, but I still wanted to experiment with it some more. So I headed to the thrift store to look for colorful backgrounds to work with. Here's the first try...

Liked the simple, graphic design of this bag. Thought it could hold up visually to the huge links in the 3d printed mesh. And the bright green showed up well through the mesh.

Yes, these links are almost an inch wide - and vey flexible.

I even picked up a nice retro dress that  mimicked the colors and shapes from the modified bag - pretty cool haul.

The 3d printed mesh was created with circles interlinked with a rod-and-knob joining hub. The links are big enough that there is lots of play between the links. It isn't "fabric like," but it is pretty flexible for a PLA print.

Got some more ideas for this design, including a red clutch and polka-dot dress. And I want to add some bling to the knobbies.