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| Idha Lindhag for Svenskt Tenn |
Allen Wissner has been collecting antique brass microscopes for three decades. 
His site -- where he shares his extensive collection with the hope that readers will discover him and support his habit by selling him more -- is filled with many different models and uses.
There are articles about antique microscopes...an index by country of origin...he even branches out in microspectroscopes.
The most fabulous corkscrew in the world by Rob Higgs. (Way better than any other steampunk wine accoutrements.)
via Alrededor del Mundo Steampunk.
I was browsing through Rare Victorian, a great blog dedicated to Victorian furniture, and ran into a comment by Zeke on collecting Victorian brass.
Sniffing around in antique shops, flea markets etc. can reveal a variety of Victorian brass and iron objects that can add interest when placed on your Victorian furniture.
Here’s a few that we have arrayed on a dresser in our bedroom:
Brass Eastlake thermometer - $60 - Ebay
Iron Eastlake inkwell - $65 - Grist Mill antiques New jersey
Modern gothic dresser mirror, brass or copper over iron - $28 Garage flea Market, New York
Brass victorian blotter - $10 - Lambertville NJ flea Market
Eastlake oil lamp converted to electric - $28 Milford PA antique shop
Aesthetic bird shade on lamp - $10 garage flea market New York.
These were all under $100 and are fun to search for. They make great little gifts for the Victorian enthusiast
Zeke's Photobucket account with lots of shots of his home and fabulous furniture.
Lee sent me a link to these instructions on how to make old appliances look "new." The new they are referring to here is faux stainless steel, but the same type of contact paper is also available in brass....
In fact, I think brass contact paper could have a multitude of uses in a steampunk home. (Or copper, if you prefer.) Covering a boring side table? Papering a wall in a bathroom? Adding interest to the interior of a bookshelf? Any other ideas?
Now, if only someone can come up with a way to antique it.
Radio-guy Steve Erenberg is the real thing. Before I even knew what steampunk was, I had stumbled across his website and spent hours pouring over his wild and wonderful collection. Although I mentioned him recently in the post on scissor lamps, I thought he and his collection deserved a post all to themselves.
What does this collection entail? "Oddball and scary scientific stuff, globes, industrial masks and helmets, motors, contraptions, classroom demonstration models, tools, nautical, medical, lighting, early advertising, electrostatic devices, telephones, telegraphs, planeteria, patent and design models, steam engines, microscopes, salesman samples, anatomical, x-ray tubes, artist mannequins, microphones, and early radio equipment." Whew -- a little bit of everything, all of it different and wonderful.
Here's three of my favorites, but you should definitely visit his entire site and waste an enjoyable hour of your day exploring it.
A static electricity generator (could it be from the 1700s, as the filename implies?)
A granite and brass reostat.
And a microscope lamp:
Housewise, most of these are great collections, accessories, etc., if you could find similar things through eBay or antiques dealers. The lighting section, however, is full of great ideas for functional antique industrial lights for your home.
p.s. The masks and mortician models in the museum section are not to be missed if you have a taste for the slightly macabre.
Conant Custom Brass is a custom brass fabricator in Vermont. Their online shop is chock full of steampunk styled items -- you just have to poke around a bit to find them. There are lovely clocks and rain gauges -- like the float and level rain gauge (of their own design) shown above. They have brass table fans and an adjustable brass draftsman table lamp.
They do a lot of historical commisions and custom work.
If any of you steampunk engineers need some inspiration, I suggest reverse engineering their illuminated signs: When an image is etched into the smooth surface of plate glass that's illuminated from the side, it glows magically. Letters and graphics give the impression they're generating their own light
And, just in case you were doubting their steampunk cred, they even make rayguns.
Tip of the Hat to Apartment Therapy
