Wapsi Square Forum

As you guys know, last year I made my son a Sherlock Holmes costume.

He's debating on either reimagining this one with some Steampunk flourishes ala Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century, only more Steampunk and less cheese(hides from little sister, as that is her fave old school cartoon), or going modern with the new Sherlock(not that any but the most die-hard fans will recognise his costume) making a mock Belstaff long coat and making the scarf.

Most folks did not even know his outfit last year(only because most of them were kids--as in 20 somethings). He is hesistant to ask me to do much sewing, as the last project I made him has my hands already in knots(blanket with edging).

Any ideas or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Except a Monocle. He said they were uncomfortable. He has that adventurers ring(linked in another thread here), that gives him his magnifier with a Steam Punk twist.

Ok.. How about Seniõr Sherlocke del la Holmesa, the famous Mexican consulting detective, whose magical instruments of investigation solved many a mystery!

Sombrero, but roll up the sides and pin/trim to resemble a deerstalker hat.

Pancho with bandelero -- with multiple pockets/attachments for various instruments (modified salt shakers, tube things with pipe cleaner antennae, goofy flashlights, etc). Think Batman Utility Belt, but out in the open. Pliers, adjustable wrench, also.

Big, big moustache, and maybe wire rim glasses with lens on swinging arm type thing (jeweler's loupe).

Baggy white shirt (think swasbuckling fencer/pirate) with jodpur/riding pants and big boots.

This makes an easy build with only the hat and bandelero gadets being as complex as you want.

Well, Holmes was a master of disguise, so perhaps he can be a disguised Holmes. Then you can make creative use of whatever you already have available. "Yes, I'm Sherlock Holmes disguised as a Dalek disguised as Viracocha. Can't you tell?"

If he's up for it, have him pick a favorite Holmes bad guy and go as a villain - just to shake the little grey cells - oops, that's Poirot....

NOTDilbert wrote:If he's up for it, have him pick a favorite Holmes bad guy and go as a villain - just to shake the little grey cells - oops, that's Poirot....

He's also thinking of going as Detective Conan and using his holmes outfit along with. I just need to get him some costume glasses and a bowtie, along with a modified watch so he can play detective...

So, Murphy(That little !@#$%^ Bastard will get his as soon as I catch him!) plagued this Halloween. We went to three Halloween events which totally reduced my son's morale. First event he lost the eyepiece and the telescope ring. Second event, he lost the Meerschaum. Third event, he lost his temper.

I have no pictures from before because he erased them in a fit of upset. He's most upset about losing the pipe(which was a loaner from someone very dear to him). I honestly have no idea how to console him. Even after everyone told him it was okay and things were replaceable, he's still in a black mood. He feels like a failure, and The EPIC haul he aquired(after the massive trade session was all of his and my faves) was not enough.
He says he is not sure he likes Halloween right now. Two days in a row I've had very little sleep, as he has had very little sleep.
This year is being rather bad to my son, and I'd like to beat everything to an unrecognizable lump for him, but A) that is not the proper way to go about things, and B) it would be sending the wrong message, and C) I do not want him to ever think that violence is EVER the right way.
I just want to make everything perfect for him, but sometimes what is right and perfect has the hardest life lessons.

I'm gonna go hide in a corner where he cannot see me and cry until my frustration is gone.

So sorry to hear all that DinkyInky -- consider yourself hugged!

Give you son and yourself a HUGE hug from me! I'm sorry to hear that this year's Halloween was unenjoyable for him. I understand where he's coming from. I used to be very sensitive about making mistakes like that. Actually, I went through a massive personality shift when I was five because I "made a mistake" in a performance of my daycare's Kindergarten Circus (I was the Ringleader, and I took my leadership role very seriously...and watching the video of the performance, it's actually pretty obvious that the mistake wasn't mine). You can actually see me go from outgoing kid who is enjoying being in front of the crowd to meeker child who is unsure of herself and wants to hide behind the notecards that have her lines written on them. People tried to console me and explain that I didn't do anything wrong and even if I had it wasn't a big deal, but it mattered to me.

Kids can take things very seriously when adults aren't expecting it. I think you should just be proud that your son has such great respect for other people's property (and also how they view him in light of his treatment of said property). A lot of kids don't grasp the importance of that attitude and behavior until they are much older, and it very clearly shows how mature and wonderful he is. If you haven't already told him, let him know that person who loaned the pipe appreciates how seriously he took the responsibility of keeping an eye on a cherished possession. Let him know that the response he's had to this unfortunate event will only lead this friend to trust him even more...because being this upset just shows that he cared enough about the responsibility that it truly was an accident and not an act of carelessness...and accidents happen all the time even when you try to avoid them. Maybe telling him that will get through where the "it's okay" kind of talk won't. He's certainly mature enough that I'd think he'd understand how the differences between "I lost it because I was careless. Oops! Oh well! It's not my problem" and "I lost it by accident and I went back to find it, but it's gone and I feel awful" would result in a different response from his friend.

Hugs were given, and one new telescope ring ordered. He says, "Thank you Miss Julie," and thanks to Atomic as well(He says you have an interesting nickname).
The Monocle will have to wait, as I am particular with ocular devices(as in, they need to have blank glass in them), and we are looking for a Calabash meerschaum pipe(he is looking, I have found it...), so things are moving. He wants me to try new pictures once these things are acquired, as his temper resulted in pictures disappearing.

I ended up finding a Jeremy Brett Holmes style pipe(Briar Wax Berry Porcelain Calabash) and a Churchwarden that while not a Peterson Dublin(Yeah, I know a wee bit too much about Holmes and the actors that have protrayed him), is a nice likeness(Why Yes, I am crazy for buying real pipes as props), and also a replacement for the one borrowed that may even be better than the original. I am actually tempted to have them broken in by family so that they have that real feel of being used by the Great Detective.

This should be interesting. I'm also shopping around for a lightweight quilted lining material to finally finish that Houndstooth Inverness before I tackle making a Caviar Wool longcoat for the Jeremy Brett Holmes outfit(right down to either making or buying a tophat, Lord help me!).

For the top hat - Silk, or beaver?

Sorry to hear that things didn't go as well as hoped, glad to hear that he's bouncing back (and that presumably you are, too). Young'uns are often more resilient than many adults give them credit for.

When I used to do leather-working, I once made a leather tophat for somebody. It worked rather well, and she wore it around often (more often than the chainmail bikini that I also made for her. . .as far as I know).

NOTDilbert wrote:For the top hat - Silk, or beaver?

Probably silk. I'm going to research Brett's costumes a bit so they look proper, then go from there.
If I could afford to do so, I'd also find a Naval Peacoat that looks like the Belstaff Cumberbatch is wearing in Sherlock, and knit a scarf. The Belstaff would be practical, as would the Black Caviar Longcoat that Brett wore.

He loves the Inverness, but the practicality of it is my main concern...not to mention I'd probably tan any kids hides who'd mess with it, seeing as how it took me quite some time to piece it together.

Got the new Telescope ring in.
I lucked out and got a fairly decent Churchwarden(Nice smooth smoke and not a lot of heat in the bowl, so it's been broken in nicely).
A really cute B&W deerstalker that he can goof about in, and has actually been out and about in.

Got a faker than fake heavy, "I can't believe anyone could use it" "Meerschaum ""Briar" "Waxberry" "Calabash" pipe.

When I talk about this meerschaum(really porcelain, not meerschaum) calabash pipe(smells piney, so very not gourd, nor briar, nor myrtle), It's so badly made that I am finding myself putting in more work than is probably worth it for a cheap pipe for a prop. It is so very heavy that I expect the first shot I set up with it will break it to bits.

Thus far, I've popped out the porcelain bowl, to an overwhelming solvent smell. Inside there was pools of glue sort of securing a very thin band of cork and hiding a nightmarish splintery rough-hewn bowl.
The bowl was so very splintery and rough inside. I hand removed as much of the glue puddle as possible, then used a stone Dremel tool to grind out the rest.
I had to use some solvent to remove the glue on the bottom of the porcelain bowl(which has a very thin hole in the bottom, and a very small bowl for the tobacco, about a thumb sized opening). This sucker is heavy!
I then got some very fine finishing emery paper(what I had on hand) and smoothed out the clean up work. I then tried again to mate the bowl to the porcelain piece, and noticed a very large gap.
I got out my coarse sanding block and ran it a few times on the bowl to even it out, laying two glass slides on it to check for level.
Once that was done, I checked the fitting, and saw it met to my standard of fit, then carefully removed the cork and Oh God the Glue...these Morons used too much glue under the cork!
Once again I got out the stone Dremel tool and carefully ground the glue down, then sanded the rough bits. Once I am over the plague I acquired from my son's friends passing it around to him a few times and it sticking to me, I am going to go buy a cork roll for the bulletin board my son wanted, and snag a small piece for the pipe, and properly cement that in place.
I've been shopping about for a bent stem for it, but the smoke shoppes all say it's such a craptacular piece that I should ream the bowl for a larger sturdier stem if I truly want to "fix" it.

When done, it will hopefully look something like this:



From this:



It obviously won't have the graceful curves of the Peterson pipe, but it's gonna be a site better than the nightmare that shipped to me.

For those curious, the Churchwarden is a F.E.S.S. Natural Churchwarden long. For a cheapie, it's charming.

This sounds like an amazing labor of love, DinkyInky! Applause!

Yeah, sometimes, you need to treat the "finished" commercial products you buy as a starting point... in effect a collection of raw materials. Sad, but mass-production isn't guaranteed to turn out either quality of consistency.

Is the pipe body's finish acceptable, or do you think you'll want to sand it down and re-finish it?

In my own hobby wood-working, I've started using "traditional" finishes on the more interesting pieces I do. For penetration and to bring out the "fire" in the grain, I use pure tung oil (well thinned with naptha or mineral spirits so that it penetrates well). Two or three light coats, a few days apart, seals the wood nicely. It's the same idea as using boiled linseed oil but it has less tendency to turn dark with age. Watco "Danish oil" finish is a commercial blend along the same lines (linseed-based I believe) which works OK.

I've then surface-finished a few pieces with hand-wiped shellac ("French polishing") which gives a lovely soft sheen and a smooth-but-not-slick feel.

Modern polyurethanes are quick, convenient, tough, and some are quite "green" but I really prefer the look of the older (and more labor-intensive) finishes.

After I get a new cork for the porcelain bowl, I'm probably gonna refinish the finish.

I like a more natural look to woods, and the aging quality boiled linseed oil has is a bonus.

Been a bit Frustrated with these pipes of late. The one my son decided he was honour bound to get as a replacement for my friends that was lost(gave me his allowance to pay for it too) does not in any way, shape, or form match the one in the photograph.

Not even a "slightly different colour variation", but not even close. Not even wooden. I've been trying to communicate with the vendor to have them send the correct one(after I offered to ship at cost the wrong one back), and the replies are bad Engrish.
Dear Lord, I just wanna go and buy one now, as I feel for my son getting cheated out of his allowance, but with the repairs and whatnot with the "calabash", I really don't want to deal with them. I already contacted the proper channels to get them to try to make the vendor respond to them.

*sigh*

THink I'm gonna break in the Churchwarden(which other than needing a fitted gasket{that I have a ton of} between bowl and stem, has not needed any work at all) and blow smoke rings while I ponder this.

DinkyInky wrote:Been a bit Frustrated with these pipes of late. The one my son decided he was honour bound to get as a replacement for my friends that was lost(gave me his allowance to pay for it too) does not in any way, shape, or form match the one in the photograph.

Not even a "slightly different colour variation", but not even close. Not even wooden. I've been trying to communicate with the vendor to have them send the correct one(after I offered to ship at cost the wrong one back), and the replies are bad Engrish.
Dear Lord, I just wanna go and buy one now, as I feel for my son getting cheated out of his allowance, but with the repairs and whatnot with the "calabash", I really don't want to deal with them. I already contacted the proper channels to get them to try to make the vendor respond to them.

*sigh*

THink I'm gonna break in the Churchwarden(which other than needing a fitted gasket{that I have a ton of} between bowl and stem, has not needed any work at all) and blow smoke rings while I ponder this.

Ugh! The perils of online shopping sometimes make me wonder why people avoid big box stores and local specialty shops. Then again, I often dislike people, so not dealing with them has its allure.

Good luck with this!!

Julie wrote:Ugh! The perils of online shopping sometimes make me wonder why people avoid big box stores and local specialty shops. Then again, I often dislike people, so not dealing with them has its allure.

Good luck with this!!

My personal issue with smoke shops is that unless I go when my son is not there(not possible since he is the one that wants to replace the pipe), getting in with a child is not possible(nor health, nor legal).
Couple that with the fact that most pipes are EXPENSIVE, going to specialty shops makes them even moreso.
I used to goto Tinder Box for my pipe supplies for family, but even though smoking is not allowed on mall premises, they still rightfully decline someone like my eight year old coming in and looking at them for me to get a pipe for a family member. It's strictly against the law. I do not blame them.

This is the reason I had my son look online with me for one. It's just sad that some folks ruin it by being dishonest.

DinkyInky wrote:

Julie wrote:Ugh! The perils of online shopping sometimes make me wonder why people avoid big box stores and local specialty shops. Then again, I often dislike people, so not dealing with them has its allure.

Good luck with this!!

My personal issue with smoke shops is that unless I go when my son is not there(not possible since he is the one that wants to replace the pipe), getting in with a child is not possible(nor health, nor legal).
Couple that with the fact that most pipes are EXPENSIVE, going to specialty shops makes them even moreso.
I used to goto Tinder Box for my pipe supplies for family, but even though smoking is not allowed on mall premises, they still rightfully decline someone like my eight year old coming in and looking at them for me to get a pipe for a family member. It's strictly against the law. I do not blame them.

This is the reason I had my son look online with me for one. It's just sad that some folks ruin it by being dishonest.

Huh...I'd have assumed that some of the tobacco shops that carry high quality pipes would be okay with a kid coming into the store if accompanied by a parent. Goodness knows I wandered into a lot of those shops without a parent as a kid (I've always loved the smell of pipe tobacco) and never got kicked out. Sad times that we can't decide when our kids are allowed to accompany us in stores. It's not like your son was going in there alone asking to buy something.

Julie wrote: Sad times that we can't decide when our kids are allowed to accompany us in stores. It's not like your son was going in there alone asking to buy something.

This is what happens when a few (as compared to the entire demographic) bad parents get on the news and all of a sudden no one is supposedly capable of being a good parent without the help of the state. (That and the politicians want to run certain businesses out of town just because another one is similar with unwanted (by their morality) merchandise (yes I mean Head Shops))