For our Steampunk fairytales cosplay group, my character was the Big Bad Wolf, portrayed as a denizen of London's seedy underworld. Nothing says 'steampunk' quite like inexplicable gadgets, so I whipped up this retractable claw device.

It's built from umbrella armatures and coyote bones, with the armatures mounted in place through a thin brass mesh. That mesh was sewn down to the glove, with a bit of black rabbit fur sewn on over it as a cover. On top of that, As a reminder of the whole steampunk part, a small power pack. (It may seem familiar to those who liked my first wrench raygun.)


If I wear the costume again at next year's Dragon*con, this baby's going to get some renovations. Namely, having the armatures glued into the mesh (a flash of brilliance that came after I sewed the fur into place), and some form of catch so that the claws will stay retracted even when gravity tries to persuade them otherwise. Both circumstances made this particular device hell on the wrist, but it's not until we learn the problem that we seek a solution.