Mod of the Month - March 2008

Steampunk Mouse

by Filimon
Worklog

Chalk this one up on the list also for "things not usually included in Mod of the Month." But honestly, there are very few people (read: nobody that I know) that put so much love into their peripherals as our beloved Filimon.

However, great modding doesn't always lead to great understanding – Filimon speaks solely Russian, and because of that his worklogs are pretty much a string of jaw-dropping pictures. It's this idea that brought us his latest creation, the Steampunk mouse.

One thing is for sure – Filimon is a master of casting and metalworking very, very small parts. In previous mods, he chromed an entire mouse piece by piece to create what could only be considered a work of art. Much like the Optimus keyboard, Filimon takes a standard thing that we fiddle with every day and don't even pay attention to, and turns that into something amazing.


A bog-standard, generic no-name laser mouse and a lot of brass – what good could come of this? Filimon used the old mouse body to help develop the shape of the new mouse. First the curve of the palm rest, then the sides.


A standard pill box gave its shiny brass life to become a "lid" to the internals. Once all of the holes were fitted, it was time to pull it all apart one last time and add a piece of leather that would help age the final mouse and provide contrast.


The mouse was already almost finished at this point, needing only its buttons put back in and the circuitry put in place. The pillbox was given a screen to prevent monkeying around with the actual internals while still making a functional and aesthetically interesting addition.


Notice all the detailed engravings on the final product, as well as the inclusion of the right and left shoulder buttons on the mouse. No detail, no matter how small, is overlooked. Even the cord holder is engraved carefully with lettering and filagree, as are the button sides. There is simply nothing overlooked.

As I said, this mod is short on words and long on awesome pictures, so it's worth checking out all the steps in between here in Filimon's worklog. He may not answer many questions, but damn this guy can mod.

If you think Filimon's latest creation is worthy of a bit more limelight, make sure you go vote for the Steampunk mouse as Mod of the Month for March of 2008! And, uhh, if he wins, I need a volunteer fluent in Russian to tell him!