Steampunking

It’s like a little taste of serendipity, when someone you love introduces you to something that captures you too.

I generally have no inclination toward weaponry of any kind, and certainly would never look twice at a Nerf gun if left to my own devices. Yet I am frequently shown the workings and features of the resident cache. I find stray bullets under cushions, in corners, in my shoes. I say, more often than I ever dreamed I would, “Put that gun down!”

And then there’s steampunk. As yet I haven’t taken too much time to explore my inner steampunkiness, but it intrigues me: the gold and black, the cogs and wheels, the Victorian and the futuristic.

Who would think of combining the two? Obviously, people have. One day, the Nerf gun wielder in this house watched this lovely little video, and shared it with me. I too was mesmerised.

And so we began our own Nerf steampunk journey.

The Nerf Jolt, in its near-original state.

First, several light coats of spray paint: a lesson in patience for the two of us. And an exercise for me in not stepping in because I just want to do it too. He’s using Ghiant Hobby Acryl in Pearl Silver.

Although in this photo it looks gold, the base coat really is silver; however, Small Person (as he wants to be known, rather than my choice, ‘Steampunk Kid’) said if doing it over, he would have gone with a gold base.

Adding some touches of gold. We used Polyvine Acrylic Enamel paints in metallic gold and black. If we could have got blue, we would have as well. The gold has a bit of a glittery effect and the paints were easy to work with, and even easier to clean, requiring just water.  A foam Nerf bullet, in the background, got the steampunk effect too.

Small Person followed with touches of black, some of which he partially wiped away.

To further steampunk the gun, he added a copper pipe as a scope, first painting it gold, then giving it a coat of black, which was partially removed with a paper towel, leaving a mottled antique effect.

We attached the pipe with Bostick All Purpose clear glue. And so this steampunk journey is over.

Now we dream of the next one. A whole cache awaits.

Small Person’s advice for any would-be Nerf embellishers: “I would say be patient with it and plan what colour the base will be, and the other parts.” And the best thing about the steampunked gun? The new scope.