SciFi/SteamPunk Binoculars Prop

This is an Instructable about a SciFi/SteamPunk style binoculars prop. KEEP IN MIND! THESE AREN"T ACTUAL BINOCULARS THEY ARE A PROP! I got the idea from Indy Mogul. The design for this was completely random, to a point. I mostly got together different materials and put it on to my liking.

For the materials I mostly collected things I thought would "fit." Here is a list of what I used. Just remember! You don't have to use the exact things I did.

Parts:
I 3/8 inch PVC pipe
2 inch PVC pipe
Metal Strapping
Nuts & Bolts
Wire Nuts
Old Clock parts
Leather (2 3/8 in by 4 5/8 in)
Leather Strap
Clear Plastic (from packaging)
Random Parts (anything that looks cool)
Glue (Glue Sticks or Gorilla Glue)
Black Spray Paint
Metallic Colored Spray Paint
Acrylic Paint

Tools:
Saw
Wire Cutters
Tape Measure
File
Hot Glue Gun (if using glue sticks)
X-Acto Knife
Scissors
Black Marker
Paint Brush
...And the greatest tool of all, Your Creativity!

The first step in actually making the binoculars is cutting out the body, using PVC pipe.
-I cut the 1 3/8 inch piece to be about 6 inches long.
-I cut the 2 inch piece to about 4 3/8 inches long.
-In order to make the handle/decoration I took the 2 inch piece of PVC and cut down to 2 inches in length. Next I cut that in half lengthwise. Use the picture for reference.
-I took the other half and cut a thin strip off. I then cut than into four equal pieces.
-File down the edges to remove any excess PVC, and to make the edges smoother.

I used hot glue to glue these pieces together. It is quicker but not as powerful as Gorilla glue. Use what you want, as long as it works.
-I placed the supports on the handle at an angle that would work with the 1 3/8 inch piece. See picture.
-I then glued the complete handle/support together, placed 1 inch from the end.
-I took a bolt and placed a nut on one end. See Picture. Next I hot glued the two PVC pipes to either side of the bolt/nut combination.

This step you add the paintable decorations (meaning: items that will be painted, not leather straps or the lens. Unless you want them to be painted) to the PVC. This is also when your binoculars will start to look different from mine, if you chose to design yours differently.
-For extra support I took the metal straps and cut 4 pieces into 2 long strips. I bent them into a curved shape so they fit snug in between the to PVC pieces, and glued them down.
-With the decor. I just added things until I felt it look finished.

For this step I used my spray paint in 3 layers.
1st Layer: Black
2nd Layer: Metallic Color of Choice (for me: antigue bronze)
3rd Layer (aging coat): Black
DO NOT COMPLETELY COVER THE BINOCULARS WITH THE "AGING COAT"! (see illustration)
-I sprayed the 3rd Layer on 2 feet from the binoculars (see illustration) to add shadow and an aged look to it.

This painting step is about painting the details.
-I painted the wire nuts like they were knobs.
-I also painted some of the gears a gold color.
Painting the details on your pair of binoculars mostly depends on the look you want to go for.

To put the lens on, you need to take the clear piece of plastic and trace an oultine of the PVC on it. You want to cut the plastic shape a little larger than the actual hole, so you can cut it down to fit just right. To glue the lens on you should use hot glue, it is see through, and isn't as noticeable if you screw up.

For extra details, that I didn't want to paint on, I took some metal wire and wrapped around different parts of the binoculars, and also took the leather strip and wrapped it around the longer PVC piece to add a grip effect.

I put this on so I didn't have the PVC right up against my face, or a kind of padding. I wish now I wouldn't have put it on the binoculars (doesn't look too good), but you can still put it on if you want.

Basically you do the same thing you did for the lens...
-Get your piece of 2 3/8 by 4 5/8 in. leather and trace the outline of the PVC pipes on it.
-In the traced circles, draw some tabs, for attaching to the PVC, and cut out (see picture).
-Place glue on the tabs and glue to inside of the PVC.

Now you're finished!
Below are some pictures of my binoculars at different angles.

Remember.... Your greatest tool is your creativity!