hoping to buy steampunk then getting slapped by reality.

[toxickun]

meh..  here i am with actual money in card surfing all around the web hoping to find cheap but vintage steampunk gears and cogs to work with only to discover i have not the slightest idea on how to put together all the gears to mesh against one another on clothing... *sigh* i refuse to glue gears on my outfit.

[Aleister Crow]

Sew them on, or use rivets.

[toxickun]

but i also want them to spin and work. if possible..

[Maets]

You'll need a base plate of some sort to hold the gears rigidly.  Rivet or screw or pin them to the base plate so that they turn and mesh with each other. The first time you try will be the hardest so don't try for perfection  Experiment/play and have fun.  If your not having fun with it, then there is no reason to do it in the first place.  Good luck.

[elShoggotho]

Screw them to a metal plate. You want to be able to disassemble the device for repairs. Make detailed plans.

[toxickun]

oh wow i never thought of it like that. wonderful! maybe i can use a wooden flat bored or something then hammer in some pins and install gears that way...although i fear they may fall off or not work propertly
[bad luck has a way with me apparently and tends to ruin everything i make...]

all i can think off is making a lightweight blank wooden bored and hammering some form of pins within the bored and assembling a place for the motor to be placed at... and i think pretty much all of it will be experimenting...

although as of now im only dreaming about it...

[Argus Fairbrass]

This is a classic example of a simple and practical idea that (imho) would've been way cooler if they'd made it so the gears turned round.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The chain could just as easily be mounted on the central pins either side so as not to impede movement. I'm no expert but from what I gather the amount and size of the teeth on a gear varies depending. This is all key to their function and the ratio.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/gear-ratio.htm

In an actual gear train the calculations have to be really precise. We have the luxury of not having to worry about that in terms of simple jewellery. They just need to mesh together and spin round as opposed to assist in pulling/pushing/lifting etc which is where the complicated science stuff really comes in.

But there are lots of different sizes with varied amounts of different sized teeth so challenge # 1 is finding gears that mesh. Challenge # 2 is to then figure out exactly where your mounting pins should go in relation to each other. Simplest way to start I would imagine is try pinning them to a piece of cardboard and take measurements, unless you're good at calculating these things of course. There is potentially some fantastic stuff that could be made with decorative working gear trains. They will always need to be mounted on something to keep them steady (there is no reason why that mount can't be behind fabric if you wish them to appear more integrated into apparel) but pins broaches badges etc could all be done. It just does take some experimentation and thinking about.

These Gears Really Work?

Best of luck.  

[von Corax]

This is a classic example of a simple and practical idea that (imho) would've been way cooler if they'd made it so the gears turned round.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The chain could just as easily be mounted on the central pins either side so as not to impede movement. I'm no expert but from what I gather the amount and size of the teeth on a gear varies depending. This is all key to their function and the ratio.

Actually, to mesh properly, the teeth on both gears must be exactly the same size and shape; it's the number of teeth on each gear which varies according to the gear ratio. For instance, on Mr. Fairbrass's tie-clip example, the teeth on the left-hand gear are far too wide to fit between the teeth on the centre gear. The right-hand gear appears to have the same problem.

For some help in working this out, go to woodgears.ca and look for the gear designer applet page.

[toxickun]

This is a classic example of a simple and practical idea that (imho) would've been way cooler if they'd made it so the gears turned round.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The chain could just as easily be mounted on the central pins either side so as not to impede movement. I'm no expert but from what I gather the amount and size of the teeth on a gear varies depending. This is all key to their function and the ratio.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/gear-ratio.htm

In an actual gear train the calculations have to be really precise. We have the luxury of not having to worry about that in terms of simple jewellery. They just need to mesh together and spin round as opposed to assist in pulling/pushing/lifting etc which is where the complicated science stuff really comes in.

But there are lots of different sizes with varied amounts of different sized teeth so challenge # 1 is finding gears that mesh. Challenge # 2 is to then figure out exactly where your mounting pins should go in relation to each other. Simplest way to start I would imagine is try pinning them to a piece of cardboard and take measurements, unless you're good at calculating these things of course. There is potentially some fantastic stuff that could be made with decorative working gear trains. They will always need to be mounted on something to keep them steady (there is no reason why that mount can't be behind fabric if you wish them to appear more integrated into apparel) but pins broaches badges etc could all be done. It just does take some experimentation and thinking about.

These Gears Really Work?

Best of luck.  

i thank you very much for your piece of informatiom, the plan im having is something small that can fit on my shoulder or arm and the gears im selecting will be something completely random from ebay. figuring that would be it ide never knew gear meshing requires calucating measurements so i thank you about the cardbored idea in which i belive may be really helpful to pinpoint which pin should be implanted onto the platform.
also heres a question, how do i get such platform to stay on a piece of clothing?

[Mr. Boltneck]

You may want to read up a bit on gears. Gears, which is probably what's under discussion, will only mesh correctly if they are matching in pitch and pressure angle, for starters. So unless you pull them from a single gear train, or have some idea of the specs, they may or may not mesh.
On the other hand, since most people and companies don't start by inventing their own gear-cutting hobs or B&S cutters, the actual range is not infinite, which is why you can prowl around a scrapyard and find several disparate gears that mesh fairly well.

[Captain Shipton Bellinger]

Buy an old* non-working mechanical alarm clock or two and carefully dismantle them. That should get you a collection of wheels that you know will mesh.

*I specify old clocks as new ones are likely to have nasty plastic wheels.

[frances]

Or even ask a freecycle type organisation if anyone has one for free.

[Argus Fairbrass]

Ugh, I installed a flash player update earlier and now I can't actually see Youtube videos, they're just blank. So I trust the one I posted earlier hasn't actually disappeared even though it has for me, and I have no idea if this will be any help at all cus I can't bloomin see it!

SteamPunk top hat!

Anyway I realise that's a clock face not gears, but putting mountings and mechanisms behind fabric can be done using various methods I would imagine. I must confess to remaining surprised that I'm not actually seeing more functional accessories. It may perhaps be the case that the folks with the actual tech savvy to do it maybe aren't that interested. Gears don't even have to lay flat, they can mesh and turn at right angles and various angles in between. I was just looking at my tin opener actually, it features two gears at a slight curved angle to each other. It would be possible to make curved armbands and cuffs, pauldrons, all sorts of things with working gear trains.

If you can get the skills down I'll bet there'd be some money in it.

http://www.selfridges.com/en/Menswear/Categories/Suits-formalwear/Cufflinks/Gear-cufflinks_444-87030810-CL0680/?cm_mmc=PPC-_-Google-_-PlusBox-_-Tateossian&_%24ja%3Dkw%3A{keyword}

[frances]

I just wish that I, or someone I knew, had to skills to do decorative things that actually work.  sigh!  I have no idea how to set about it.

Your hat mechanism is wonderful.  I am dead jealous.  And I just love the bell on the end of the spring.

Any chance that you could do a 'how I did this' tutorial, so that I might have a go?

[Argus Fairbrass]

I didn't make that I'm afraid so can't be certain (I fixed the issue so I can actually see it now though). I'm guessing it's a modern clock motor behind there, probably battery operated and they tend to be quite light weight and often plastic. So it's most likely glued to the inside but I stress I could be wrong.

You can see from all the clocks in that shop of his (and his other videos) he's obviously a pro. I see he's using thin copper plating on leather goods. As he's given his email in the comments it would be best to ask him direct really (do bear in mind not everyone wants to give away their secrets however, and I really don't know this chap) still can't hurt to try. benzod@gmail.com

Steampunk overload!

I have to say finding smaller gears of a pleasing design that do mesh really is a challenge. A lot of them seem to come from China these days. The ones that get used in mini motors are probably too thick and heavy. I think vintage clock parts probably are the way to go. Interesting to note, on that bag all the gears are purely decorative, and he's mounted a copper plate with nothing on it. I've little doubt this chap can design gear trains, so share an idea and he might share some back. 

[frances]

The thinking person's hat with a light-bulb.  Great.

I take your point Argus Fairbrass, but I have nothing to offer in return.  I have no mechanical knowledge at all. 

[Captain Shipton Bellinger]

Sorry if I upset anyone, but for me this chap's work largely comes under the 'glue some gears on it..." heading. There are one or two nice individual touches, but overall there is no cohesion.

Those 'copper plates', by the way, are brass plates from old clock movements. I have a box full of the blessed things kicking around here somewhere.

[Argus Fairbrass]

I fear the gluing on gears syndrome is here to stay, for the time being anyway. I believe the op is trying to address the problem for himself. I'm not into covering myself in gears personally, I do have gear shaped tie pins and cufflinks however, but something like a bag is another matter. So I'm guessing those brass plates or a suitable equivalent could conceivably be used as a base for mounting gear trains on, just to look cool like as I can't really think off hand what useful function they could perform in that context. Well unless one wished to over engineer some amusing clasp or catch mechanism of some description. The truth is on apparel they are pretty much always gratuitous, but obviously that isn't really the point.

[elShoggotho]

[Herbert West]

I do love the steam gauge with protective cap though. Wish I could find something similar for the gadget I'm working on.

[Crescat Scientia]

I have to confess, I have often wondered how one can get working meshing gears on one's outfit without having to worry about hair, fabric, etc. being pulled between the gears.  They seem to me the classic industrial accident waiting to happen.

Flash got kilt on my laptop some long while ago, so I cannot see those videos either.  Do they answer the question?