Made to a theme
The Steampunk Gentleman
A 30th birthday, a top hat built by hand, and more than sixty brass gears.
against the brick wall
golden hour
The brief
A 30th for a whisky drinker who loves anything Victorian and a bit mad. Something he'd keep on the shelf long after the bottle was empty.
From the message that started it
What I made
Sample story: placeholder copy
A bottle of Jack Daniel's aged in black and rubbed gold, covered in brass gears and clock faces, wearing a top hat I built by hand: rivets, flying goggles, a pocket-watch band, a buckle and an ostrich feather. A red satin bow tie with a clockwork pin finishes him off.
Every gear went on one at a time, and the finish was rubbed back by hand, so no two edges catch the light quite the same way. He was photographed in three places before he went off to his new shelf.
- Hand-built mini top hat with rivets and goggles
- Over sixty brass gears and clock faces
- Aged black and rubbed-gold finish
- Ostrich feather and clockwork bow tie
- Label left showing on the front
The anatomy
How he was built
Five parts, each made or finished by hand. Tap a number to jump to it.
The top hat
Built by hand from scratch, then studded with brass rivets and fitted with flying goggles, a pocket-watch band and a buckle.
The ostrich feather
A cream ostrich feather tucked into the hat band and curled back over the brim.
The clockwork bow tie
Red satin tied by hand, with a clockwork pin of gears and clock hands at the knot.
Gears and clock faces
Over sixty brass gears and clock faces, placed one at a time so he looks as if he might start ticking.
The aged finish
Painted black, then rubbed back with gold so every edge catches the light like old brass. The label stays on show at the front.
On location
Shot in three settings
The same gentleman against a sunny brick wall, in a pile of autumn leaves and in long grass at golden hour.
side on, in the sun
Brick wall
in the leaves
Autumn leaves
face on, golden hour
Golden hour
The full set
All 15 photos
Tap any one to see it big. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Esc to close.
against the brick wall
face on, golden hour
in the autumn leaves
leaning on the old tree
goggles down
the ostrich feather
the clockwork bow tie
clock faces, rubbed gold
gears, up close
a brass emblem in the gears
the clock panel
from behind, in the leaves
the riveted hat band
from above
side on, in the sun
Your theme here
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Tell me what they're into and I'll build the whole world around it: the colours, the little props, the finish. You'll get a sketch and a fixed price before I make anything.
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