Steampunk Katamari Quill and Ink Stand

Finally...the Instructable to address the very common problem of quill and ink storage for Steampunky Katamari fans!

Okay, perhaps not so common, but if you make one of these for a person to whom this is an issue, you are pretty much guaranteed a pretty awesome thank you note on old-timey parchment in a wax-sealed envelope.

Materials

• Wooden sphere 3" diameter
• 1/4" Paduck  7" x 4 1/2"
• 1/4" Purple heartwood 6 1/2" x 4"
• Various Metallic Clay
• Thin sheets of metal (brass, aluminum)
• Random clockwork pieces (gears)
• Jewelry eye pins
• 2" Wood Screw
• Wood Glue
• Crazy Glue
• Shellac
• tack cloth/Microcloth
• 1/2" marble
• Vise (Large)
• Paintbrush
• Pliers
• Clamps
• Screwdriver
• Drill with countersink bit
• Dremel with tiny bit (diameter to match gears)
• Quill and Inkwell (or pen or your choosing)

Optional Decorations

• Beads
• Copper wire
• Thread
• Vise (Small - more like one for electronics to hold small clay pieces)

The base is a logical place to start.  It is just gluing the heartwood and paduck to have a bit of a raised platform.  Center the smaller piece carefully before clamping.  Allow to dry for a few hours.

You'll need to drill out a hole for the quill and one for the screw to affix the ball to the base.
Drill pen and bottom hole in the wooden ball.  Mark one on the bottom and a hole (1/8") for the pen (1/4").

Sand and wipe with tack cloth, or otherwise remove all dust.

Prepare shellac and set ball up on a dowel so you can cover the most surface.
Give the Katamari 3 -5 coats, allowing time to dry in between each.

This was my solution to making even 'nubs' for the Katamari...

• I made a mold with clay and a small marble.  Baked the clay as directed.
• Cut thin metal circles and pressed them into the mold
• Filled in with more clay
• Removed piece from the mold and bake whole piece (clay and metal)

Make 12 in total

Use crazy glue to affix ends around ball - one on each and and two circles of five, evenly distributed.  Make sure to leave some room around the two holes drilled out in Step 3.

On the bottom of the base, make a mark 1/3 in lengthwise and centered width wise.  Use countersink bit to drill at that mark through the base.

Attach katamari to the base with the wood screw.

It wouldn't be steampunk without gears!

Use your drill or Dremel with a tiny bit that corresponds to your gears. Drill tiny holes around the Katamari...it is hard to have too many.  Dab a bit of glue on the post and press gear/clockwork pieces into place. 

There is no end to what can be found rolled into this Katamari.  The next steps contain a few detailed examples.

To make a victrola...

• Press tiny black ball of clay onto brown clay cube
• Flatten gold ball and attach to straight piece
• Form horn out of thin circle of gold clay
• Place victrola body in vice
• Use crazy glue to affix arm and horn
• If making super small, tweezers make be necessary

Even balloons can't escape this Katamari...

• Roll a 1/2" ball of the gold clay
• Roll out two thin strands of silver clay
• Press onto ball and roll out until silver is incorporated
• Wrap thread around ball 5 times
• Remove thread carefully
• Roll out brown clay ball for basket, hollowing out the middle
• Bake both pieces
• Once baked and cooled, re-wrap thread into existing grooves and tie off, forming a large knot
• Glue knot into basket
• Drill small hole into back of the balloon and glue in a head pin
• Drill corresponding hole into Katamari
• Attach to Katamari by the pin

And nothing says 'Steampunk' like a crazy golden octopus!

• Roll out a cylindrical piece of gold clay
• Cut the bottom half into eight equal pieces and round edges
• Form tiny balls of silver clay to create suckers and eyes
• Insert headpin in back
• Attach to Katamari with headpin and glue

Here are some other simple additions to the mix...

• Copper wire curls
• Beads/stones
• Clay kite
• Old timey rocket
• A teeny, tiny robot
• Metallic flowers

Now that the katamari is in place, someone needs to roll it...

• Form The Prince out of silver and gold clay and bake pieces separately
• Insert metal wire into arm sockets
• Place a little crazy glue on the wire and press arms into place
• Glue a couple small gears onto a 1" piece of wire
• When dry, press into top of head, forming the antenna

Now you're done....so you can just pour yourself a tall glass of absinthe, put on your monocle and catch up on your correspondence.