Steampunk IPod Classic Stand

After creating my Steampunk iPod Classic case, I decided it deserved an appropriate stand. I looked at some creative designs on Instructables, and saw a few nice (yet expensive) stands on Etsy.com, and then decided to make my own.

After searching around my apartment a bit, I found the perfect device to transform into a Steampunk iPod Classic stand: a "Tostonera."

For those of you not familiar with Caribean food, a tostonera (also known in English as a plantain press), is a device for making tostones, a delicious fried green banana (or plantain) dish. It consists of two pieces of wood, attached with two hinges. One piece has a handle, and the other has a round impression, where you would place a plantain slice for pressing.

I happened to have had one of these collecting dust in my kitchen for many years, which I bought at a local 99 cent store. (You can also find them for a few dollars online). I had the best of intentions of actually frying my own plantains, but as this device has never even looked at a green banana, let alone pressed one, I decided it was time to make this thing useful.

What makes this tostonera perfect for an iPod stand is that apparently the diameter of an average tostone is also the width of an iPod Classic;-)

Here's how I turned my banana press into a Steampunk iPod Classic stand.

Supplies

Materials:

• Tostonera

• Upholstery nails (x4)

• A few inches of brass chain

• Scrap of leather

• Colonial-style Brass hook

• Wood stain

• Black nail polish

• Polyurethane

• Parchment paper (optional)

• Brass label holder

Stain "tostonera"

If your tostonera is a bit rough around the edges, you may want to give it a light sanding. If not, just go ahead a stain the wood with the wood stain of your preference.

Nail Polish Edges

If you have some black enamel paint available, you might want to use that to paint around the edges. I didn't, so I decided to go with the next best thing; nail polish! This worked remarkably well for giving the edges a nice black finish.

When the first coat dries, give it a second or third coat, until you get a nice lacquer-like appearance.

I chose to add this black lacquer detail to make the stand match the black gloss vents on the vintage radio I used for my Decopunk iPod rig.

Prepare Leather

I used a scrap of black leather I salvaged from a discarded couch to fill in the round area where the iPod will rest.

First get a precise measurement of the round area, and then trace this dimension onto the leather.
(I used a cheap compass from the 99 cent store to get a precise measurement).

When you have the proper dimension circle traced onto the leather, cut out the circle with a scissor or exacto blade.

Glue Leather Patch

When you have the leather patch cut to the proper dimension, apply wood glue to the round area in the base of the tostonera, and press the leather patch onto the glue. I chose to go with suede side up.

Apply Polyurethane

This wasn't part of my original plan, but I decided the final product would look better with a coat of polyurethane. If I had this to do over again, I would have done this before applying the leather.

This gives the device I nice professional looking shine!

Name Your Stand

I chose to give my stand a name label, which is of course purely decorative and optional. I printed out the name on a piece of parchment paper, and stuck it in place while the polyurethane was still wet, then gave it another coat.

Down to the Brass Tacks

Once your polyurethane has dried, it time to add the brass hardware. (What would a steampunk iPod stand be without some brass fixtures?;-)

First I added a brass finish name plate holder, (which I scavenged from a piece of discarded furniture) to cover the name tag. I used a length of brass chain from my local hardware store (about 2 bucks), and a few antique finish brass upholstery nails to hold the chain in place. And the final touch is a brass hook tack, which will hold the cable in place.

Finished!

If you like this Instructable, please consider voting for it in the Woodworking Challenge, and also take a look at my Steampunk iPod Classic case, and my Decopunk iPod rig.

Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Your price is the same, but I get a small commission to help me build more cool stuff!;-)