Here is another little Steampunk project I've put together to compliment my first Instructable.

This is the delicate little sister of the Admiral's Sidearm I posted a couple of weeks ago. Very similar in style, and construction, this is a dainty little prop for the lady in your life.

As you'll see from the photos this is a tiny piece, designed to be concealed on the leg in a Garter.

I wanted this to be a very feminine design, to appeal to the Steampunk Time Travelling Adventuress!

The name "The Bunny" comes from the twin "hammers" and adds to the "cutsie" nature of the project.

I hope you enjoy,

Pete.

Step 1: Planning

It's a tricky thing to try and plan a project that's made from, on the whole, found objects. To try and find continuity between elements and the right sense of scale and style can take a very long time, sometimes however, the whole thing fits together first time.

This little project was planned mainly around the brass vase I used as the barrels. I found a little image of an old "Garter" pistol, and used this to try and scale the pistol to fit with the candlestick trigger and barrel. The photo shows my quick concept sketch and the main pieces before I started construction.

The upper barrel as it's layed out in the photo wasn't used in the end. It's important to be flexible with ideas, designs need to be able to evolve.

Step 2: Initial Construction

I started by trimming off the flared base of the slim vase, I then cut it in half to make the two barrels.

I then cut the basic shape of the wooden body from Walnut. The next thing to do was to drill out the two holes into which the twin barrels would fit. Once this was done, it was a case of finishing the shaping of the body, then polishing it.

Step 3: The Handle and Grip

Again, the construction of the handle and the grip is very similar to my last instructable.

I shaped the handle from more Walnut, then cut smaller shapes from some cork sheet. These were then covered with thin garment leather. I then cut/chiseled/dremeled a recess into the handle which I then sank the grips into.

The small brass buttons that I've set into the middle of the grip have a tiny rendering of the British Royal coat of arms. I came across these just as I was designing this little pistol and knew they would work perfectly.

I'll be honest, I can't really think of a reason why a steampunk garter pistol would every have our Royal coat of arms on it, but that's the beauty of making things that fit into a history that never was or a present that can never be!

Once the handle and grip were completed I gave it a polish and a coat of wax then attached it to the main body with a dowel.

Step 4: "Trigger"

The trigger is the piece of a carrying candlestick that your thumb goes through. Most of the candle holders I find like this are mass produced, ugly pieces, this one was a particularly cheap and nasty one that looked like it had been thrown through a production line. As a consequence the trigger looked pretty dreadful, a sharp contrast to the high shine of the barrels. So I spent a little time polishing it so it looked more appropriate to the piece.

Once it was ready, I secured it into the body of the pistol. This trigger is stationary, it does not move like the last pistol did. The main reason for this was the current lack of a suitable spring!

Step 5: "Hammers" and a Few Extras..

The next thing to do was fit the "hammers" I guessed that two barrels required two hammers. I'm not certain that is accurate (!), but either way, the theory fits the design and I think that the twin "bunny ear" hammers are a pretty important part of the look.

The next stage is when the pistol gets a little further embellishment, a decorative brass arrow, and adjustment knob and a little sight etc.