Steampunk Cosplay Gauges

For my Steampunk Ironman costume I needed quite a few gauges and didn't find anything that would fit the bill or be repeatable and uniform throughout the costume. Big shout out for  rdrew5 's $1 Steampunk Pressure Gauge, that sent me down the path that eventually got me what I was looking for. And so pass along the knowledge I made this Instructable to help out the next cosplayer find what they're looking for.

Tools Needed

• A scrap piece of 2mm - 6mm EVA foam. (You can probably get away with cardboard if need be)
• A print out of some gauges face on paper. (Just do some google image searches and you'll be fine. No fancy paper required)
• A compass cutter (You can get away with any sharp blade and a steady hand but I found this to be WAY easier)
• This is the one I found on AMAZON "Mr. Pen - Compass Cutter"
• Small tin makeup/craft jars with a window lid. (I used the .5 ounce size for mine but you can scale up as needed)
• This is the pack of 12 I found on AMAZON "Hulless 0.5 Ounce Tin Jar"
• Scissors
• Superglue

Find some gauge face images that will work with your concept and print them out on regular paper. I just google image searched "steampunk gauges" and got some pretty good results. Play around with your printer settings until you get the size you're looking for. Then just cut it out as close you can. The lid will hide some of the edges so you do have some room for bad cuts, but neater is better.

Next we need to cut out a circle of foam (or a thick medium of your choice) to act as the base. Your going to use this to not only glue the gauge face to, but also to attach the gauge to your costume or prop. I used 6mm EVA foam for my project as it gave me enough space between the face and glass(something to keep in mind) and was easy to glue to my armor.

Two ways to do this:

1. Measure the opening of the jar lid and set you compass cutter to that size. Set the anchor point in the foam and place the blade point into the material just a little.
2. Take the bottom part of the jar and use it to draw a circle on the foam. You can then use a sharp knife and carefully cut it out staying just on the inside of your mark.

Spin the material so the blade cuts little by little until you have a circle of material of the appropriate size. This works better with multiple passes of shallow cuts, so don't punch it all the way through and try to knock it out in one pass.

Now you have your jar lid, a print out of the gauge face, and a circle of foam. Time to glue it all together.

I used super glue, but feel free to use an alternative of your choice.

Test fit everything together to ensure you have the right size and fit for the application. Make sure the gauge face looks good and won't show any of the foam underneath when looking through the glass. Your not looking to smash it all together necessarily, so there should be some space between the glass and the gauge face to give it that realistic three dimensional depth. Mark it so your now how far to glue it when inserting.

Once your satisfied, glue the gauge face to the circle of foam (a few dots will do). Then glue around the inside rim of the jar to glue it the foam.

And now you should have a decent piece to add to your costume or prop. Glue it down or attach it in what ever way you see fit.

Not to waste anything, the bottom of the jars make for cool little metal nodes or accent pieces. Or you know, as just little jars for small bits and pieces.