Steampunk - Where To Buy The Steamy Supplies

A few days ago before falling ill to what I am now calling the flu, I sought out to find watch, clock parts. gears, wheels, cogs, barrels, plates, screws, balance wheels, springs, clutches, crowns, jewels and clicks. Yes these are all actual clock/watch part terminology used to name the parts they represent. I found some as well as so many things that had been made using some of these brass and copper mostly very tiny parts. To my surprise they were not all that hard to find and I am sure with a more lengthy search I might have come up with so much more information, suppliers and inspiring eye candy than I have which I am posting here tonight.

Now I as a multimedia artist create Antique, Vintage, Steampunk, altered art, Goth, Neo Victorian, Upcycled, Recycled and Repurposed jewelry, sculptures and other art. I have been for many years creating my own art with cogs, gears, screws, springs and jewels but never before thought it was something that would one day become as big as its getting the attention it seems to be gathering now that its adopted the term Steampunk (1987). Time to bring out those pieces I had not given away I guess if I can ever find them.

So here is what I found in case you to would like to jump on the steam-machine era here in this one. These are just a few of the places I found online to purchase such needed materials for your next Steampunk style attempts. *Please note that these items may only be small enough for small projects and larger watch or even clock parts may be more suited to what you wish to create, thus I am sure you will find what you need the same way I have in searching eBay for Steampunk, Clock Parts, Watch Parts, Brass Filigree, Copper Parts.

1) My Wycked Ways Now known as the OOAK Artist Emporium
Sells 100+ (100 or more) of the above named parts in a small tin for under $5, you get the parts and the nice reusable tin. Additionally you can find them on eBay just search Steampunk or watch parts and see what you come up with. Also look for filigree charms and dangles. Many of these stamped brass, bronze and silver items go great with the look.

2) Watch Parts A HOROLOGIST'S SOURCE -Vintage Watch Parts and Movements
An eBay store (Seller) who sells lots of vintage watch faces, watch dials, watch movements, and other vintage and or antique items and larger watch parts like pocket watches etc.


3) Alicias Artwork on EBay A nice assortment of gears and watch parts sold in lots at Buy It Now prices also in the nice reusable tin and FREE SHIPPING.

4) Arrow Sarah on EBay Another seller who sells a nice assortment of gears and watch parts selling in large lots with auction and buy it now prices, I think the reusable tins and also offers FREE SHIPPING.

Additionally you should look for items made of brass, copper, bronze, magnifying lenses and or just anything that looks vintage that will fit in with the SP style. I am sure you may already have some things around your house now that you need not even look to purchase them anywhere else. Old phones, transistor radios, mechanical appliances...just open them up and take a peak inside, what you find may not only surprise you but may certainly inspire you to create something of this genre.

Think of the day when earlier things were invented and how little those things may have changed over the years that may now today reside inside the mechanical toys we now know of and might easily be able to get our cre8ive hands on.

Now this post was not meant to discuss varied prices, quality or quantity of the parts you can get from any of the above sellers I make mention of, and I am not a sponsor, paid advertiser and or even a current customer of any of them (not yet anyway ). However "My Wycked Ways" has been a listed site linked from my website http://www.tinycrafts.com/ for some time now, and I have never heard anything bad of her products or her art. She herself is an artist and knows the value and quality us artists desire to use in our crafts. While her prices may not be the best as she herself admits, she does promote the quality she carries in most of the items she sells, and I for one respect that.

What I am saying above is do look around and see what you find. I believe there are possibly people on EBay who are selling off the lots (grosses) of parts they purchase after they remove what they used, need, or just preferred. Leaving who knows what for your use in the lot being sold. You perhaps could spend a little more time as I just had (in trying to retrieve the links for your convenience), and find many more people or stores on EBay perhaps through their own online stores selling these types of parts as well. I would myself want to look to a large dealer who sells nothing but the parts, and who has a good feedback rating or reputation from others who create with them.

I have noted that some of these stores are not taking images of the individual containers or lots you will actually receive rather they will state that similar parts will be included in excess of the number of parts being sold in that listing/auction. Example "vintage WATCH parts STEAMPUNK altered ART Gears 500+lot". The 500+ indicates you will receive well over 500 parts, or just over 500 parts.

I am sure they do not wish to count those tiny little parts, they are so small in many of the lots and not until you see them up against a USA Dime (10 cents piece) can you see just how tiny. (See Image on Right) They do seem to weigh out a number of grams for your purchase and some will promise you will be very happy with what you get. You may not want many of those parts yourself and thus may look for auctions and or listings which only sell the gears, or wheels, dials, etc., you think you will need for your project(s).

Also in my search for the above I managed to stumble upon an eBay artist who makes watch movement wearable art and I bid on and won a ring with shipping included for just $1.75. I will be happy to post a picture of me wearing it as soon as it arrives. I will also at that time post who it was I purchased it from in case you would like to buy or fashion one of your very own. I first wish to be sure its worth the mention. It looks great and is adjustable, I can not wait to receive it so now I have been guarding my mailbox like a hungry hawk. More like a hungry artist happy to get her very 1st Steampunk art item from a fellow artist other than myself.

Cre8ively Yours
Andrea "Cre8"