Make it look Steampunk!

how to make plastic look like aged brass

Our family loves the Pixar movie “Inside Out”. so we dressed up as the emotion characters for Halloween, but with a twist. We made them steampunk: our favorite cosplay theme. My daughter dressed as Joy, and wanted an accessory that really highlighted Joy’s personality. She chose a bubble gun in the shape of a horse to add the fun and whimsy she was looking for. Watch the video to see how she made it look steampunk.

This post has links to products I used to do this project. If you click on those links, I may earn a small commission at no extra charge to you. Thanks for your support.

How-to Video

We used spray paint, foam, and wire to make a plastic toy look like a metal steampunk accessory

Supplies used in the video

This is the stuff we used, but most of these we already had around our house. Try to use supplies you already have, even if they aren’t exactly the same as ours. Imperfection will make it look better. Each of the products on the list has a link to that product on Amazon. Some of them aren’t exactly the same brand as we used because they don’t sell them anymore, but they are what I would buy if I needed to replace what we have.

 

The bubble gun started as a tacky pick and purple plastic toy. It just needed a little help to turn it into a cool steampunk cosplay accessory.

Plastic steampunk gun with a brass look

Several coats of paint later, the bubble gun looked completely different. I love how the texture and details all stand out now. It looks almost like a sculpture instead of molded plastic.

A steampunk costume with a DIY accessory

My daughter used the bubble gun as a fun accessory to her Halloween costume: Inside Out Joy, steampunk-style. You can see more about here whole costume here.

Share it on Pinterest!

See how to turn a cheap, plastic toy gun into a steampunk costume accessory that looks like aged brass with this diy steampunk painting technique

See all the Inside Out Steampunk costumes

Other DIY Projects

Dinosaur Birthday Party

Dinosaur Birthday Party

A dinosaur birthday party with DIY dinosaur fossils, a volcano cake, a scavenger hunt, and lots more prehistoric fun for your future paleontologist

read more