Introduction: Steampunk Wrist Watch - the Cloudy Comrade

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About: The liquid gear firm is a really new French factory which works on the development of eco-aware and strong products for all steampunk lovers. All our products are hand-made with common and fair materials. Let…

Who today would dare set off in search of adventure without a good watch on him? For those who dream of misty hills, peaks unexplored, we present the Cloudy Comrade, a wristwatch robust and practical.


Dear customers,

The liquid gears firm* presents you today its new product, the awesome Cloudy Comrade!

Strong and precise, the Cloudy Comrade should be favoured for all mountainers.

Through the sky with the Cloudy Comrade; it will never betray you!


*(The liquid gear firm is a really new French factory which works on the development of eco-aware and strong products for all steampunk lovers. All our products are hand-made with common and fair materials. Please pardon our English mispellings.)

Step 1: Tools and Materials

What you will need might be find in all drugstores, secondhand trades and the leather by gently talking with your favourite cobbler.


Materials:

# common leather (400x100x2mm) (free if the cobbler is nice)
# watch pocket (in France, secondhand trade, almost 10€ if working)
# small rivets
# buckle
# copper wire (1,5 mm)
# small bolts
# threaded head + matching screw
# russet filament
# bee wax & polish


Tools:

# hammer & rivet gun
# file
# graduated rule ~ tape measure (less convenient)
# textil chalk
# cutter
# awl
# compass
# soldering iron
# universal pliers + stripper
# thick needle


Price:

depending on what you already have, almost 20€/30$

Step 2: Prepare the Watch

Most of watches pocket are made of one part, but others, like the example, have a protection valve.
You need to get free of this valve to continue the job.

(Obviously, if there is no valve on your watch go forward.)


1. File down the hinge taking care of the watch's shape. Later, the leather will cover the edges of the watch so don't be too zealous.

Step 3: Cut of the Body

The leather will be the most important part of the wrist watch that is why the cut should be made really neatly.
(For a nice cut, use the cutter softly and lightly tilt the blade on its side. And cut on a hard-surface). Train yourselves few times before cutting the whole piece of leather.

1. The lenght of the leather strip must be adapted to your own wrist. In this example we work on a 6x27cm band.
Mark the shape of the body with a drawing chalk (greasy so not harmful for the leather).
Then draw the straps (it must fit with the buckle): keep one rectangular and customize the other for it will be the pierced one.

2. The hard time is now: cut a smaller rectangle which will be the "pocket" countaining the watch. It should be larger than the watch by 2 cm minimum in the length. You can make a try with a tissue and add the watch to check if it will suit.

3. Measure the dimensions of you watch's face then cut a lightly smaller round within the pocket. When it will be joint with the body the watch will be clearly visible.


You can have a rest now, the hardest is over.


Step 4: Feed the Beast

From now, and after each step, you will have to take care of the leather.
That's quite simple and will take no time.

1. Use the bee wax to protect the edges of your leather pieces. It will dry and harden the fibre. Make 2 or 3 passages each time. (Notice that the bee wax will perhaps darken the leather).

2. Polish just one time your leather with an appropriate cream. This step can be skipped if there is no defect in the leather.

Use this time to think about the final shape of your watch. Which stuff you will perhaps add to transform the simple (but cool) Cloudy Comrade onto your own Steampunk watch? 

Step 5: Buckle and Holes

Now we will allow the watch to wrap your vigorous arm.

1. On the customized strap, use the awl to make 2 or 3 holes (you can make more holes but it will not be usefull). We spaced the holes by 1 cm each. Be sure that at least one hole is alright for your own wrist !
Then use the titted-rivet to remain the holes open (do not seal the rivets !).

2. Well, you can add the buckle to the rectangular strap: pass the leather trhough the space and mark the place where the bucle's point will be (unlike the example). Use the awl to pierce the leather, place the buckle, then, with great care, rivet the exceeding leather (the end of the strip) to the body.

Step 6: The Wire-wound Stabilizer

High pressures and cold weather cause malfunctioning to steam engine, but also to the delicate mechanism within watches. Yet, our special wire-wound stabilizer permits the clock to works properly.

1. Circle a round pen with the copper wire until reach 3/4 cm long. Cut the wire with 3 extra cm at each edge.

2. Pierce 2 holes spaced by 3 cm near the smaller side of the pocket.

3. This part is quite tricky: bend the edges of the stabilizer and pass them through the holes after having added a bolt on each. Bend again then melt an extra piece of wire on the two edges: now the stabilizer can't leave the leather. Finally, Add some tin within the bolt and weld them with the leather (to be fair, it will be welted with the copper below).

4. Use a fork to mark 4 little holes on the edge near the stabilizer.

Step 7: More Fixations

Here we are!
Now all you have to do is to fix each part together. Let's see how to do that:

1. First use the rivet gun to fix only ONE side of the pocket (pierce holes if necessary). Put the rivets on the stabilizer's side for this part, it will be more convenient.

2. Then use a thick needle to stitch the stabilizer part (remember the 4 holes and the fork?). Make as passages as you will need to consider the fixation strong.

3. Pierce a hole in the other side of the pocket and the matching place of the body. A large one for the screw has to get over.

4. Now, take a coffee and start filling down the screw until its lenght fits with the threaded head.

5. WHen its done, take your watch and put it between the body and the pocket. Then screw the threaded head through the two pieces of leather.

6. Almost done: sew some stitches on the edges of the pocket. The watch will not leave the bangle this way.


... and now...

Step 8: Conclusion

The Cloudy Comrade is now assembled, but don't forget to add an extra bee wax and polish.

Notice that the watch will move inside the pocket. If it's too disturbing, sew through the window in the leather to reduce it. That is not perfect but that is the best solution we found.


Please comment, add your opinion, post your own Cloudy Comrade, and if you find the energy to correct some misspelling, send us a post. We will appreciate all of this.



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