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Steampunk Couture: CNC Goggles by gianteye is licensed under the Attribution - Non-Commercial - Share Alike license.
© 2010 by gianteye
Instructions
Cutting
First you need some leather. I got mine laser cut from ponoko ( ponoko.com/showroom/gianteye/steampunk-couture-goggle-leather-pattern-4567 ). They use a 2.5mm thick natural leather that was perfect for this project. If you cut your own out, make sure to cut your leather suede side down with something adhered to it to keep the leather from shifting due to the heat. I will often use a piece of printer paper stuck on with a light coat of spray adhesive. Transfer paper also works well for this purpose. The laser cutting leaves a decent amount of soot around the edges, so I cleaned everything off with rubbing alcohol before dyeing and conditioning the leather.
Dyeing
The black parts of the leather were dyed with a water based leather dye, and the white parts were actually painted with an odd little container of tennis shoe whitener I found at a pharmacy. I softened the leather with Neatsfoot Compound, but almost any leather conditioner/softener/oil will do. I left everything to dry overnight so there would be less of a chance of dye rubbing off on my thread as I stitched everything together.
Fastenings
Refer to the PDF I have included ( thingiverse.com/download:10190 ) for details on where your fastenings shall go. The snaps are pretty simple to figure out and should not cause mutch of a fuss. The buckles and Dee rings are also fairly self explanatory.
Sewing
I felt like I went through miles of embroidery floss. My fingers ached and I was covered in tiny needle inflicted holes by the end of the process. The hardest part is keeping the feeling in your fingertips long enough to stitch up the whole thing. It is important to remember to stitch the eye cups (the circular parts that attach to the goggle hardware) together before attaching them to the mask.
Hardware
If you own a CNC machine you will know what to do with the stls. Otherwise, you might consider getting your own set of goggle hardware printed here shapeways.com/shops/gianteye (the gold plated stainless steel seems like a pretty excellent option). Print out a Left Hand Body, a Right Hand Body, two Front Plates, and a Nose Bridge. You will need to assemble your 3d print with the 6-32 self tapping screws I have specd.
Lenses
Be sure to remember to cut yourself out a set of lenses. They're simply 1.6" dia circles cut out of .11" acrylic. You can also find a set of patterns here ponoko.com/showroom/gianteye/eyepieces-for-steampunk-couture-goggles-4568 I used 2 way mirror stock from Tap Plastics. It worked out great, but it is incredibly easy to scratch off the thin mirror layer. Be careful when handling it.
Good luck. I hope this helps you in drafting out your own digital fab projects. I've tried to include everything I can to help people through making their own goggles, but this is by no means a complete tutorial. I am, however, hoping it provides a strong framework for you to experiment with your own digital designs and maybe even your own kickass steampunk styles.
Thank you.
