So, all you costume veterans (and all my fellow costume novices)...

does anyone know where to get or make some gears for a steampunk prop?

And... question 2... any ideas as to how to make someone look like an android?

Thanks!

How big?
I bought a cheap windup alarm clock at Goodwill, but the gears inside were only about the size of a quarter at the largest. And many were plastic, I'll need to paint them metallic when I use them for whatever it is that I'm going to use them for (still working that out).

A steampunk android?
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3002/282 ... 62.jpg?v=0
She's from the "Airship Vertigo" costuming group.

That's a cool outfit. Thanks for the warning, I was about to do the same. It looks like all the clocks out there are run on the same small plastic mechanism these days.

Now on to more questions. Anyone know a good sand-able gap filler for plastic?

I hit Goodwills and Habitat for Humanity stores for older clocks. I also found a gear alarm clock at Ikea for $7 - a bit more than I usually spend, but it has a lot of little gears.

All smaller alarm clocks are going to have small gears and it's hard to find the bigger clock outside of an antique store (and they charge a lot for them). You can sometimes find "lots" of gears on eBay or Etsy - but be careful of the size. Most "lots" are watch parts and are TINY. Make sure you note the size on anything you intend to buy.

Bondo would be a good choice...

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=p ... lpage=none

Now I have a question. I assume that con staff members are not allowed to participate in the costume contest?

At this point we don't restrict entry to non-staff, mainly because if we did we'd have to keep out people from the dealer's room/artists alley/etc. It hasn't been an issue in the past, so until it is I see no reason why we can't let everyone enter. ^_^

Ok, I missed participating this year because I was doing a security shift at the Con Suite. I'd like to try and enter next year.

We're going to be changing the judging process for that very reason. I was disappointed that you couldn't enter. You have such a great costume!

Thank you...

If you want to make your own gears, you might want to look into something called Model Magic. You can find the stuff at AC Moore or Hobby Lobby. It's pretty much bottled liquid foam that hardens into a stiff rubbery texture. I can't vouch for it personally, but I've seen some guys make some pretty impressive Hollow masks from Bleach with it.

Now I've actually done a Steampunk android before, and it didn't take much. A gold plastic mask meant for painting from Micheal's, drywall stilts from ebay, long rubber chemical gloves from ebay, a brown trench coat from goodwill, and some piece of brown burlap to hide the stilts and look like pants. But quite honestly, as striking as it was, I don't think it won anything it I hadn't gotten a group the enter the competition with me.

The question is how elaborate you want to make it. My mask was simple and expressionless, which actually kind of helped the effect. I added goggles only to hide my glasses, and picked those up in the dealter room. One of the guys who entered with me made his mask out of a spraypainted hockey mask, which gave it a lot more of an interesting design.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e136/ ... as_054.jpg
(I'm the tall one.) Sorry I can't remember how he did the mouth cover.

There are other things you can toy with too though. Maybe a clear plastic 'window' into your insides revealing just a mess of gears and LEDs. If you want to go with lights too, surf around online for something called "EL sheets/paper/tape". It's really thin sheets of some kind of material that glows like a light bulb, even after it's been cut into whatever shape you want. Personally though, I'd go easy on lights, as it doesn't really fit the genre. Just putting the thought out there.

Cardboard armor or exo-skepeton on the other hand... I haven't tested this myself. But I've heard from a few people that if you soak cardboard in water and form it while it's still soggy, it'll harden in that shape when it drys. Then all you have to do is paint it.

Super Soakers and Nerf guns make excellent Steampunk weapons when painted brass and silver. For an android, I'd recommend something that actually looks like it's attached to you, maybe in place of a hand, or attached to an eyepiece. For part of my costume, I actually have a rig involving dry ice and water to simulate steam. (Make sure to check convention rules on that one if you use that idea.)

You might also consider something that accents the transition between organic and technological. If you've seen Wild Wild West, remember the steampunk cyborg Will Smith faught, and how his face was pretty much just riveted on to a metal skull? Fake tan leather or makeup meant to simulate burns or dead flesh could come in handy there.

Random tubes and pressure meters are always good. I'd hit up the plumbing, gardening, and electrical section of a Home Deopt for inspiration. You can find some flexible metal tubes there that you could just like, wrap around one of your arms.

And to you or anyone else into the genre who'd like to join me in a group entry at next year's cosplay contest, feel free to email me. kevin_tm@yahoo.com. Hope that helps. Good luck.