~~Ever so slowly the first tiny screw is loosened from the watch, then the second and the third; each screw gently placed into its storage compartment with a delicate *plink*. Soon the back is removed to reveal the hunters prize. A myriad of cogs and gears all shades of bronze, gold and silver glinting merrily in the lamplight. With a giddy grin of delight the gear hunter slowly and carefully starts to remove the gears. Gear by precious gear they are lifted out and sorted by size and color in to a special box. Once the watch is empty of its invaluable contents the happy gear hunter packs away their tinkering tools and magnifying glasses into their own special boxes and pouches. With their latest quarry safely tucked away they make their way off in search of the next prize.~~


My life certainly is not so grand as this but I was able to partake in a similar treasure hunt last night. I was walking through Pike Place Market and I came across an antique shop that I had never bothered to go into before. Inside it was huge with a wide selection of antiques all from the Seattle area. I had walked down one side of the shop and I was walking back up another aisle just looking about as a meandered my way out. I had stopped to look at something, I don't even know what anymore, when a tiny container of gears caught my eye. I was so excited! I had never actually found gears before so this was a huge discovery. Unfortunately each itsy-bitsy little gear was $3. But seeing those had now put my brain into a steampunk mindset and just a fe feet from the gears was a box full of watch faces, the glass coverings of watches, and one lovely clock center that was full of gears. It was an amazing discovery that I must attribute to my hunting partner Zack. The most wonderful thing is that this eqcuisite clock/watch center was only $10 and full of wonderful gears and cogs. Needless to say I bought it.

After bringing it home (and eating dinner, and watching a movie, and looking at stuff on the interwebs) I finally decided to go ahead and open the watch. This decision lead me on a hunt around the house for a screwdriver tiny enough to remove the screws. Luckily someone had a glasses repair kit which did the trick. Then began the slow process of carefully removing all the little screws and saving them. Everything, screws/cogs/gears, came out relatively easy. There was only one mishap with a very tightly wound gear the shot out of the clock piece and sent a gear flying across the room as it spun madly on the desk. Now I have a collection of gears and no official plans for them but as I attempt to make myself a costume I know I will find something.