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Steampunk Home Decor - Light Switch Plates

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Mon, 03/05/2012 - 12:17 — Jake von Slatt

brass light switch plates - Steampunk DecorA couple of months ago The Lady and I came to the realization that we had painted the walls and woodwork in every room in our home except for the master bedroom.  Our house was built in the 1970's and this means beige and brown decor.  Thus, our bedroom was just about the most depressing of any of the rooms in our home.

We set about to remedy this post haste!  We began by painting the walls a pleasant sage green and changing the woodwork from a dark brown stained pine to a contrasting French Cream.

When it came time to change out the light switch plates, I thought I'd make a few in the Steampunk style.

More after the cut . . .

Step one was to gather material, so I dumped out my box of small brass bits and fished through them for some likely candidates.  These have been lovingly collected over the years from many sources, but most came from our town dump. 

The chosen bits I intended to solder on to solid brass lightswitch cover plates.

Small brass parts - Steampunk Decor

The brass lightswitch covers came from Home Depot.  Note to self: be sure to look closely at the packaging.  The first batch I bought turned out to be "brass plated" and the "brass" came off when I applied the paint stripper to remove the clear protective varnish.  I set them aside and went back to buy some solid brass replacements.

(The "brass plated" covers appeared to be nickel plated under the yellow varnish,  so I will attempt to electrolytically copper plate those some other time.)

Steampunk Decor - lightswitch plates

I tried a couple of different methods of soldering.  First, I hammered a length of regular electronic solder into a flat ribbon and then snipped a bunch of small pieces off with some scissors.  These I placed under the parts I wanted to attach and then I heated the whole assembly with a torch until the solder flowed.

Soldering cogs - Steampunk Decor

I also tried using a solder paste sold at autoparts stores.  This paste contains a mixture of solder particles and flux and is even easier to use then the cut pieces of solder ribbon.

Soldering Gears - Steampunk Decor

Once my parts were laid out I heated the whole assembly with the torch until the solder flowed.

Soldering brass with a torch - Steampunk Decor

After the plates cooled I cleaned them up with a variety of tools and buffed them to a nice shine.

Finishing the lightswitch plates

I wanted the plate I chose for the bedroom light switch to have more of an aged appearance so I sealed it in a plastic container with a couple of tablespoons of ammonia.

Treating brass with ammonia - Steampunk Decor

After about 6 hours it took on a lovely patina.

ammonia aged brass

I made a variety of different patterns, each suggested to me by the bits of brass scrap I found in my collection.

brass light switch plates

This is the one I ultimately chose for our bedroom.

Steampunk Decor - Lightswitch plate for bedroom

This one is my favorite and now resides in our living room.  The LED candle lights when it's dark allowing you to easily locate the light switch.  This particular switch is located next to The Ladies favorite chair so I incorporated a bell so that she may easily summon a servant to refill her morning espresso.

The Servant's Station - Steampunk Decor

This one stands by the front door and safeguards our key rings.

Steampunk Key holder

The upstairs powder room light.

Bathroom lightswitch

This one was fun to make but proved rather awkward to use so it went back in the box of brass bits to become a donor for future projects.

Steampunk Decor fail

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Comments

Phog Allen - Sun, 04/19/2009 - 21:01.

Wow Jake!!! Now I know why I check this blog regularly. I am a sparktric... errrr electrician by trade and normally my imagination runs to wires and how to make circuits. This is EASILY one of the best DIY steampunk ideas to come along. I do maintenance work at university and we have the gamut of equipment from out of date, 70+ years to brand new. I have oft looked at some of the old stuff we remove and noticed a certain character or charm to it. This article truly inspires me. Thanks.

Marrock - Sun, 04/19/2009 - 22:23.

I love these.

When & where can I place my order?

John19047 - Mon, 04/20/2009 - 12:21.

I love the switchplates 2 ? Can i purchase one and does the pull chain work the switch. I am new to the steampunk scene and your work jumpstarted me into this lovely era of decor which i enjoy alot

Jake von Slatt - Mon, 04/20/2009 - 12:52.

Hi John,

Thanks for the kind words!  I don't actually sell anything I make, I just share the process for those who wish to DIY.

However, all my designs are Creative Commons Licensed so any craftsperson can make one of these for you.

Cheers,

Jake.

patbb - Mon, 04/20/2009 - 23:04.

this is wonderful!

You should work for props for movies. (actually, have you seen the movie "Steamboy"? It is an animated japanese movie you might find interesting)

Thanks for sharing, and thanks for sharing the process as well!

you are awesome and you are an inspiration!

> I dumped out my box of small brass bits

Except the local dump; is there somewhere you would recommand checking out in order to begin to collect these kind of items?
Your collection is inspiring all by itself!

have a great day!

K. Smithington - Mon, 04/20/2009 - 23:06.

100 percent Kick brass, man! Those are awesome. Thank you for posting these, that last one with the chain, in a roundabout way, gives me a great idea for a painting...

Waterbug - Tue, 04/21/2009 - 01:08.

Very nice.

I now carry a magnet on my key chain to tell brass plate from solid.

The Paladin Guild - Sat, 04/25/2009 - 12:28.

Stunning work. Thank you for posting. Like someone above, I am also new to the Steampunk scene. I've always appreciated the Victorian/mechanical aesthetic, but have only recently thought about creating anything myself. Inspiration can be found here in your work.

the_keiser - Sat, 04/25/2009 - 23:29.

I'm so going to make one as soon as I find the time. Does the one with the led candle get powered by the switch or is there a standalone battery in it with a light detector? If powered by a battery, I have a great way to update this a little. In my house we have a switch with a built in light in the knob that turns on when the switch turns off. If they still make them, you could take it apart, rewire the power to the candle and never have to replace a battery again. Looks great. All of them.

Jake von Slatt - Sun, 04/26/2009 - 23:38.

It's battery powered and has a sensor - they were $2.99 after xmas. The battery lasts more than a year.

Baronvonfritz - Fri, 05/01/2009 - 23:38.

Have you tried citric acid to remove the scorch from soldering? I found an old broken brass pocket watch burried in my back yard and was able to remove all the corrosion on the parts with it. Might help reduce the amount of clean up you hafta do after hotwork.

Rowan of Rin - Sun, 05/03/2009 - 23:34.

They look fantastic! This has given me a devious idea that utilises a crank and a dimmer switch...

I must say, the ammonia worked well. A member on the forums recently used Liquid Liver of Sulphur to age copper, and it worked a treat. Perhaps for a future project?

SolarSteam - Wed, 05/06/2009 - 05:26.

These are excellent. I was indulging my obsession with lighting and everything light related (born of my experience discussing efficiency for solar clients) when I came across these switch plates. I just discovered Van Dykes Restorers and Kyle Design (also a good place to get metal wallets) which have the type of push-button light switches my great grandmother had in her house. I'd love to do something gear related with those. I've also been looking for a way to use a machine toggle switch as a light switch. I figure I can have push button lights and toggle switches for wall outlets and household electronics.

DocDharma - Mon, 05/11/2009 - 14:54.

Hi Jake.

Where can I get the corner parts you used on the plate with the key hangers?

Cheers!

paco

Jake von Slatt - Mon, 05/11/2009 - 22:19.

They're lamp finials - any hardware store.

twopackrats - Sun, 06/21/2009 - 13:57.

These are stunning! Thanks for the how-to pictures!

Adam.s - Wed, 07/08/2009 - 12:16.

Well all I can say is wow, these look fantastic and I i think were going to have some of these light switch covers made for our house. But maybe out of copper or copper plate them instead of brass. We are renovating most of the rooms in our house and having new interior doors put in and the finish will look just great with them. We have a great Salt Lake City general contractor who has some artists already doing some murals and are very crafts so we'll have them make them for us

kdhkcs (not verified) - Fri, 08/07/2009 - 09:49.

The work of an interior designer draws upon many disciplines including environmental psychology, architecture, product design, and traditional decoration (aesthetics and cosmetics). They plan the spaces of almost every type of building including: hotels, corporate spaces, schools, hospitals, private residences, shopping malls, restaurants, theaters, and airport terminals. Today, interior designers must be attuned to architectural detailing including floor plans, home renovations, and construction codes. Some interior designers are architects as well. window shades.

Lenscapper1 - Tue, 08/11/2009 - 01:12.

While a fan of steampunk for some time now, I'm new to the DYI design element, but looking at what you've done with the ligtplates has inspired me to do something a bit similar with my new Blackberry Curve 8320.

Since I live in an apartment and don't have access to the machining (Or chemicals for etching) I think I might have hit upon a solution: Using some basic scrapbooking supplies and paints that I can get the same look and feel that you've accomplaished, but, without too much additional weight (Or, risking ruining a brand new smartphone).

Of course, if you think this is folly, please feel free to say so, I've come to this site because I totally admire the craftmanship put into the items displyed here and could really use some ideas-That is, once you men all stop laughing.

vexin101 - Sun, 08/30/2009 - 15:49.

wow i realy like them and i think i will start to make some my self for my house

Dr.Gee - Sun, 10/25/2009 - 08:33.

ever consider these flickering bulbs?

http://www.bulbtown.com/Flicker_Flame_s/708.htm

I'm a complete SP noob,but aside from emergency flashlights I cant stand the light produced by leds.especially when the're on AC.I assume the candle is DC,so I understand the utility.Just a thought.

Big fan of your work.

G

malcolmorkney - Thu, 12/31/2009 - 12:40.

Superb work. Inspiring. I do a little silversmithing but had never thought to do light-switches.

My one question is this: where can I start looking for cogs and watch mechanisms? (Living in Canada, antique shops are far fewer and farther between!)

Malcolm

clock doc - Thu, 03/08/2012 - 18:17.

I have them

jacobsdm - Thu, 12/31/2009 - 13:33.

I have been lurking around a few steampunk sites for a while now, but seeing this project finally inspired me to do something. I have started doing all of our switch plates like this. Afterwards I plan on moving on to a keyboard for my Lady.

Malcolm, I just purchased a bunch of these cogs and such on eBay. Like you my town does not have a lot to offer in terms of parts like this. And with our garbage dump closed to the public for salvage I had to resort to somewhat less than ideal methods!

xGremlinx - Fri, 01/22/2010 - 01:53.

First off, I would like to say these pieces are beautiful!
They truly are amazing.

But I also would like to ask a question.
I'm just starting to make steampunk themed items, And I was looking at the first one you did. (The one in the tutorial) And I was wondering if the end product had a lacquer of some sort on it?

Cause it seems very shiny like it would. Or it might be the solder seeping out from underneath.

Cheers

~Gremlin

Cordelaine - Thu, 10/14/2010 - 17:03.

Wow! I am going to have to make some of these! I especially like the one with the key-hangers--very functional.

I think I am going to try it with this:

http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Accents-Polished-Single-Switchplate/dp/B0006HJIJG/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1287090034&sr=8-11

I've been wanting to change the study over to a push button switch. Perfect excuse. :)

TheUndertow - Fri, 09/02/2011 - 12:45.

Long time SP fan and working on a music studio build out to start. We have an 1800s Cape and I'm thinking the theme would go well there as well.

The Switch Plates and Lamp Holder are awesome.

With that said, I wish you sold these! I have no choice but to try my hand but they look so good, I have no choice but to try! Inspirational.

RagBagArtist - Wed, 10/12/2011 - 13:41.

Thank you so much for this wonderful post, it inspired me to create my own and now I am running out of switches!

valerie smith - Fri, 10/14/2011 - 18:18.

Hi

I read a lot about them but... where can I buy them???

clock doc - Thu, 03/08/2012 - 18:15.

I have a lot of these gears & clock parts

Devans00 - Mon, 03/12/2012 - 12:21.

I really like the look of most of these light plates. Especially after they go through the aging process.

Some don't seem very functional because the decorations stick out enough to interfere with using the switch. I'm surprised the key ring one is working out for you. Personally, I think I'd constantly be knocking my keys on the floor as I slapped the light switch. Or keep jabbing myself on the top knobbly things as I forget they are there.

But I'm just clumsy like that.