My Steampunk Flux Capacitor Pin

I don't want to post any big spoilers for our Dragon*Con costumes quite yet, but here's a fun little jewelry project I put together that I'll be wearing:

I started with this LED flux capacitor pin I received from Team Fox at MegaCon:

I also grabbed an old watch a reader sent me for parts, and...well, took it apart:

I scratched off the tacky "quartz" and brand name from the center of the watch face with a fine blade, and then painstakingly cut and placed tiny watch gears to fit inside the outline. I also used copper foil to accent the edges.

In that photo you can see the small square filigree piece I cut into four sections. I used these to accent the edges of the capacitor pin, which I'd also edged with copper foil:


I enlisted John's help to drill two holes into the metal watch face, and then used some fine gold chain and O-rings to hang the face from the pin itself:

And yes, the watch still works! Pretty handy.

The final accent piece on top is actually a flattened brad with an O-ring on top. John said it reminded him of a propeller. I just think it looks vaguely art deco.

The best part is that exposed gear on the back, though. I added it to the twist-on cap behind the pin which turns the lights on. This allows me to easily turn the pin on and off while wearing it.

To demonstrate, here's a little video I shot with my brand new iPhone (woot!):

That's my first new phone in eight years. Needless to say, it's a pretty dramatic upgrade from my old beat-up Cingular brick phone. (Plus, I sense more videos in my future!)

Oh, and sorry for those yucky night pictures. That's what I get for crafting at 3AM! For that last shot I tried the milk jug technique someone once mentioned for shooting jewelry, though, and I think it turned out pretty well, don't you?

(To try it yourself, just cut out the bottom of an old water or milk gallon. Trim the top back for your camera lens to stick through, set it on a white sheet of paper, and violá! Instant miniature photo studio!)

Stay tuned for more great photos and tutorials! [Hint: My raygun is finished! And she's beeeeaaauuutiful.]