Tom Hardwidge’s Arthrobots are robotic insects — steampunk creations made from upcycled gears, nuts, bolts… and bullets!
All images courtesy of Tom Hardwidge.
English artist Tom Hardwidge has an unusual specialty: creating steampunk insects from old, inactive ammunition and pieces of clockwork. Each piece is so delicately and masterfully crafted that it is sometimes hard to even imagine what the recycled components might once have been, or to decipher where one part ends and where the next begins.
Even harder to believe is that Hardwidge creates steampunk insects only as a hobby; he is a digital designer by day and gets time to work as a creative insect maker only at night. Apart from old bullets, discarded pocket watch parts make up the bulk of his little insects.
Most of the pieces are supplied by local company, The Watch Lab, who sift through their rubbish bins to find parts for Hardwidge.
All the insects start with a set of preliminary sketches in Hardwidge’s steampunk sketchbook, inspired by nature of course. While some insect parts may turn out exactly the way he envisioned them, others may not work in real life and need to be scrapped or adapted. Every new project is a learning experience.
As far as recycling goes, Hardwidge repurposes as many parts as he can, and the basis for the insects showcased here is always a piece of inactive ammunition.
Hardwidge says, “Although the cogs and gears are recycled from old, broken pocket watches and the bullets are deactivated rounds, a lot of my other materials aren’t recycled. There’s no reason why I can’t source more recycled metals in the future and I intend to do so.” A good resolution that we fully support!
Hardwidge created the main part of the dragonfly’s body (above and top) from a piece of inactive ammunition. Its thorax, or upper body, is made of sheet copper, and so is the second set of wings. The first set of wings are made of aluminum. The whole sculpture is only 2.9 inches long. And in case you were wondering, it belongs to the class of machinsecta in the order of mechanisoptera.
This golden grasshopper (Roborthoptera aurum duo) has long legs, curly antennae and no wings. Its mantis-like appearance inspired the mantis that Hardwidge created soon after. As we can see below and further up, the mantis is a true beauty in silver and gold that’s a proud 7.8 inches long.
The steampunk bee above and below measures only 2.5 inches from the tip of its stinger to the end of its tongue — a creation that was “strangely satisfying to twang,” according to Hardwidge. Together, bullet, cog wheel and pointy stinger make for the most lovable, rotund little insect.
Here are some of Hardwidge‘s designs for his masterpieces
Hardwidge studied law, psychology, English and fine art at West Herts College in Watford, England, and from 1999 to 2002, animation and multimedia at Wrexham University in Wales. After working for digital design agencies in London and Manchester, he and his wife, Emma, started their own boutique digital marketing agency in 2010, called Considered Creative.
… and here are some of his raw materials
Do make sure to check out Hardwidge’s website and blog to find out more about his amazing steampunk insects — and he’s started working on arachnids, too! Most all of them are for sale and come in wooden boxes that are not only functional, but also cute. For each sculpture, Hardwidge adds some of the preliminary sketches plus a leaflet detailing the name, phylum, class and order of your purchase.
Special thanks to Tom Hardwidge for sharing information and images for this article.
Steampunk bugs made from deactivated ammunition | Daringminds
March 9th, 2011
[...] Steampunk Insects Created from Bullets [...]
Steampunk bugs made from deactivated ammunition - - Home
March 9th, 2011
[...] Steampunk Insects Created from Bullets [...]
Arnaud H
March 9th, 2011
Very nice. But the word that should be used here is ammunition, not “bullets.” A bullet is only one part of the ammunition – the projectile. In those projects, it’s not just the bullet that is used, but the case as well. I know, I may sound anal, but those beautiful works of art and craft require precision, and should be more accurately described. To people who know about ammunition, this is like a luddite talking about a “monitor” to describe a computer.
Arthrobots | NEWS Gate
March 9th, 2011
[...] Link | Artist’s site -Thanks, John! If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! Tags: ammunition, artist tom, artworks, insect, recycled materials, sculptures, thanks john, uk artist, watch parts Share this post! [...]
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[...] Link | Artist’s site -Thanks, John! [...]
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March 10th, 2011
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March 10th, 2011
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March 10th, 2011
[...] about now, you might want to grap it while you still can.Images courtesy of Arthrobots. Story via 1800recycling. Follow ZME ScienceSubscribe to ZME ScienceBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe for free via [...]
Steampunk Insects Made From Bullets | UniqueDaily.com
March 11th, 2011
[...] “English artist Tom Hardwidge has an unusual specialty: creating steampunk insects from old, inactive…. Each piece is so delicately and masterfully crafted that it is sometimes hard to even imagine what the recycled components might once have been, or to decipher where one part ends and where the next begins. Even harder to believe is that Hardwidge creates steampunk insects only as a hobby; he is a digital designer by day and gets time to work as a creative insect maker only at night. Apart from old bullets, discarded pocket watch parts make up the bulk of his little insects. Most of the pieces are supplied by local company, The Watch Lab, who sift through their rubbish bins to find parts for Hardwidge.” w/ photos [...]
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March 11th, 2011
[...] general ladybugs are not too bad of an insect to have a problem with, however, sometimes they will bite and then there is something else – they [...]
Robert Salmon
March 14th, 2011
These are really neat, have you ever used disposable lighter parts? They have some cool little wheels and springs and such, just a thought.
James
March 14th, 2011
are any of these items for sale (bullet insects)
James
Arina
March 14th, 2011
That is sooo beautiful! What would make it awesome is if they could fly!
Mental Transfer Relay » Brass Blasters: Steampunk Bullet Insects
March 14th, 2011
[...] Website (with a ton some-more cinema and info) viaSteampunk Insects Created from Bullets [1800recycling] (yes, [...]
Solo
March 14th, 2011
Miguelito J. Loveless would be proud.
Bumble-Bina
March 15th, 2011
I spend a lot of my time studying insects. And I am so impressed with the way tom hardwidge
has managed to capture their shape with recycled scrap
Abraham
March 15th, 2011
I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS KIND OF ART.IT IS TOO INTERESTING!!!
chrisnoway
March 15th, 2011
considering this artists background these creations could be prototypes for robots and other scifi stuff, replicators, nano technology ect. keep on recycling…….
Carol (artmusedog)
March 15th, 2011
Very professional, creative and quality craftsman ship ~ Wow! ^_^
Rue The Day! » Tom Hardwidge’s Steampunk Bugs
March 15th, 2011
[...] insects use bullets and sheet metal to create fascinating and beautiful works of art. Be sure to click the link to check out more of his great pieces. Related Posts:Steampunk Etch-a-SketchSteampunk Computer [...]
Suzy
March 15th, 2011
Fantastic work of art. Congratulations!
Steampunk Insects, Lego Landmarks and More - fashion & celebrity | fashion & celebrity
March 16th, 2011
[...] Steampunk Insects Created from Bullets [1800Recycling] [...]
John
March 16th, 2011
So freaking cool ! This creative imagination in perfect vibration. Thanks Tom and Simone.
Simon Yotsuya
March 16th, 2011
Really interesting approach to take a deadly item and change into a representation of live insect. Creative!
Michael
March 16th, 2011
Very cool..
MarySew » Steampunk Sunday.. earm, Monday
March 21st, 2011
[...] (via) [...]
George West Tinnifrest III
April 2nd, 2011
Yeah these would be cool if they had mechanical, moving parts. but
“Hardwidge studied law, psychology, English and fine art ”
so he dont know how to science
Tinnifrest OUT
The List Ninja
April 26th, 2011
Very cool! My friend purchased a pin made from an old watch that was a firefly. Love these!
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May 1st, 2011
[...] Hat tip Simone Preuss. [...]
fajas colombianas
May 6th, 2011
Im a fan of steampunk art and I must say that these are very impressive works. Actually, I too have a different steampunk accessory, I created a steampunk watch out of stuff lying around the house and I would gladly share it with you if you want.
balers
June 14th, 2011
Those are very awesome! I want to have one just for decoration.
I think bullets are better made to these than to kill living things.
Now We’re Playing with Fire | Steampunk Jewelry
July 31st, 2011
[...] insects made out of bullets. Posted in Miscellaneous | Leave a [...]
chris
August 1st, 2011
These things are cool! I would personally like to start developing some steam punk gadgets that work and some for aesthetics.
Steampunk Costume » Blog Archive » Steampunk Insects Made from Bullets
October 7th, 2011
[...] via 1800recycling] This entry was posted on Friday, October 7th, 2011 at 10:32 am and is filed under [...]