Steampunk a Motorola RAZR

by TechNerd1012 in Circuits > Mobile

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Steampunk a Motorola RAZR

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I have been into steampunk for a while now, and I have a ton of things that are steampunk. But I noticed a severe lack of steampunked phones on here, and thought one was needed. So I decided to steampunk my RAZR cover.

By the way, this is my first instructable, so please dont come complaining.

Gather Your Materials

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I had a few of these things on hand, so it didn't cost me much to do this.

Heres what I used:
- Plastic RAZR cover (got it in a two pack on clearance at Wal-Mart -- $12)
- Spray paint -- I used a hammered brass and metallic gold paint for this ($3-4)
- Brass Sheet ($2)
- 4 medium screws, and 4 small srews (had on hand, but about a dollar to buy)
- All-purpose super glue (I got this from Jo-Anns, for about $4)
- A length of copper wire, about a foot or so (9 cents)

I also used these tools:
- Metal cutters
- Dremel tool
- Vice (I'm not sure if thats what its really called)
- Utility knife

Paint the Cover

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I started this with a little sanding. I used a fine grit sandpaper.

The way I painted it was, I put a coat of the hammered bronze on the cover, then immediately sprayed a very thin mist of the metallic gold on top, while it was still wet. This made the colors blend together a little.

Cut the Brass

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I had to cut two pieces of brass for this. One is for the back, the other for on the front.

For the back, I found that a piece 1 1/2" x ~3" was just about right. The edges were raised up after cutting, so I had to pound them back down with a hammer. With this piece, I decided to lightly paint it, so that it wouldnt be as shiny. I coated it with the hammered bronze, let it sit for 20 - 30 sec, then I dabbed it off with a rag. It turned out well.

For the front, a piece 1" x 1 1/4" was perfect. I left it shiny. I had to round it out at the bottom, because thats the shape of the raised part its going on. I also rounded the corners at this point, since they were sharp.

I then glued the front and back pieces of brass down, and let them dry overnight. For the front, I let the glue dry, and then I cut out the window in the middle. I found this to be easier than cutting the window, and then trying to glue it to match.

Screw Effect

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I had some medium-sized screws laying around, so I broke out my Dremel tool with a cut-off wheel, and my vice. I clamped the screws in the vice, and cut the heads off of them. I then painted these heads gold, and glued them onto the back like so.

I noticed after I did this, that I had some smaller brass screws, which would be perfect for the front. Luckily, I didnt have to paint them.

A Little More

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I thought this was missing something, which made it look unfinished. I found out that this thing was some proper copper (terrible rhyme, I know....) on it.

I went to the hardware store, and got a foot of coated copper wire, which cost me only 9 cents. I stripped this wire with a utility knife, and bent it to form around the front brass plate. I glued it down with more of my super glue, which held it nicely. I also noticed that the copper wire covered the rough, cut edges of the brass, giving it a much more finished and polished look.

Finished!

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The cover is now complete! It fit on my phone well, and looks great!

I would recommend investing in a can of varnish of some sort, and spraying a moderate coat on this after its done. I found this out the hard way on another cover I made. Otherwise, the paint will start to chip within a day.

Happy building!

If you find or see anything that I may have missed in this, please let me know!