Different engines - Steampunk modding

Posted at: Wednesday 2nd April 2008 by Amanda Jeffrey

For some modders, breaking free of the 21st century's fascination with brushed aluminium and factory-issue beige means travelling back in time to be inspired by Victorian science fiction. Amanda Jeffrey takes a look at the old kid on the block, Steampunk, complete with brass mice, typewriter keyboards and cog-filled laptops.

Methods: mod an antique

Find an old, beautiful or unusual-looking object and then replace the innards with the PC of your choice. This is frequently seen in mini-ITX mods, for which people use anything from cigar humidors to gutted typewriters. You can think of it as finding an aged and once-loved case that's ready to be given a new lease of life. Old phonographs and medicine boxes are good examples, and can be very attractive to those who prefer working with wood than with metal. Check out eBay, second-hand shops and grandparents' lofts for potential modding projects.

Methods: low-impact modification

If your DIY skills are less accomplished than you'd like them to be, you can adopt a less labour-intensive approach. Some people use online vinyl printing companies that specialise in laptop skins to give their computer a new 'old' look. You'll need some design skill to create an image of your own, of course, but there's a wealth of out-of-copyright resources available. With some clever use of your favourite image editing software, you can give onlookers the impression that you're pulling a leather-bound typewriter-laptop hybrid from your messenger bag, instead of yet another grey, black or white slab of plastic.

Methods: water-cooling

If you plan to build a water-cooled PC, why not make a feature of the pipes, and take advantage of the multitude of materials available in your local DIY emporium. Copper pipe is simple to acquire, relatively cheap and easy to bend to the desired shape. Take care when grounding such materials, though, as copper is, of course, a magnificent conductor. It also takes a patina marvellously; you can varnish the copper to retain the shine, wait for it to wear in of its own accord or accelerate the process with chemicals. Alternatively, you could fake the effect with paint. If you fancy adding some glowing water, forgo the traditional blue and consider mad-scientist green, plasmic red or bilious yellow to give the feel of antiquated pestilence and old diseases such as the clap, gout and dropsy.

Methods: typewriter overhaul

If you're brave enough to try to modify a typewriter, there are a couple of ways to go about it. The simplest method is to place the PC in the body of the typewriter, and replace the typewriter keys with a keyboard. This can look impressive from a distance, but it lacks the impact of having actual typewriter keys to press. This latter method is possible, though, and there are tutorials to help, but be prepared for a lot of very fiddly soldering. A third alternative is the route taken by famed Steampunk modders such as Von Slatt and Datamancer of heavily modifying a computer keyboard and replacing its keys with typewriter keys. This can result in a very beautiful, unique and practical keyboard.

Methods: screen modification

Monitors are frequently forgotten when modding, but they can benefit from an overhaul just as much as a tower case. After all, it's the part of the PC that you look at 99 per cent of the time, and just as visible as the main PC case. TFTs may be newer than CRTs, but they're more suited to modding thanks to their slim shape. You could take inspiration from Terry Gilliam's film 'Brazil' and use flip-down lenticular lenses mounted on great brass hinges, or you might prefer to follow Jake Von Slatt's path and embed your LCD in an ornate gold-leaf picture frame with a marble base.