Reddit reviews AMACO Rub 'n Buff Wax Metallic Finish, Antique Gold, 0.5-Fluid Ounce

Sorry, but I didn't take any pictures of that process! Mostly, it was just me spending a few hours here and there kitbashing it together...here's a general overview though. I kind of just put together what I thought looked best at the time

Hull: I picked up a cheap, appropriately sized ship as the base. I knew I was going to be heavily modifying it, so it just needed to have the right shape, I could remove and add pieces as I went. Here's where I started http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005F0N6CE/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Artillery/Weapons: Someone in the /r/steampunk sub-reddit correctly guessed the weapons on the ship. I went to Hobby Lobby and sitting on the clearance rack was a model of the U.S.S. Maine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Maine_(BB-10)). I took various pieces of it's artillery, mounting them as I saw fit. As it stands, there are 5 weapons on board. The 2 you can see that are on a swivel, one on the very front of the ship (visible in this picture) and then two that are mounted on the left-side, one being barely visible in this picture

Propeller/lower copper assembly: A few items I got mostly locally from hardware stores and hobby shops

1. Copper toilet float bulb - unused
   
2. PEX Manifold - 4 port, unused :)
   
3. Copper acorn nuts
   
4. R/C Airplane Propeller
   
   Balloon/Envelope:
   
5. I found the copper-ish looking ends at a thrift shop, originally they were joined with 4 other sections to make some crazy sort of lamp/ash-tray. I ran a threaded rod between them and put nuts on the inside, with acorn nuts on the outside (visible) ends.
   
   
6. "wood" strips: Thin balsa wood from a local hobby shop. I got them a bit wet and clamped them down against a curve. Once dry, I trimmed them to length and secured to the copper ends with brass bolts + some nuts on the inside
   
   
7. Balloon fabric: I got some thin burlap-like material from a hobby shop or sewing store. I cut the fabric into 4 rectangles (with a slight convex curve to the long edge) and hot-glued them onto the backside of the wood. In hindsight, I could have mounted them much better, but it worked ok
   
   Engine (mounted on deck) / Pump: Converted the existing ship's captains quarters into the engine with a few pieces from the USS Maine above. Bought some thin copper tubing (doing a bad job of bending it) and attached it from the engine to the envelope.
   
   Lines: Simple hemp twine. I used the original eyelets for the ship's mast, relocating them on the ship's hull and epoxying them in place. I tied very secure knots in all of the lines and reinforced each knot with super glue. This thing is going to be hanging from the ceiling after all. While not directly located over our son's crib, I went overboard on this part.
   
   Paint and Weathering: Rub n buff I used mainly this stuff, in the Grecian gold and Antique gold colors, to apply much of the coloring you see, especially on the ship hull. I did use some copper/brass spray paint on the artillery however. Rub n buff is great to work with if you are looking for a copper/brass/gold sort of finish, and a little goes a long, long, long way. I've used it several times and have barely made a dent in the tiny tubes
   
   Any particular parts of the ship I didn't touch on, let me know and I'll be happy to answer!

While OP replied, I'd also suggest painting black and using Rub & Buff. Adam Savage (from Mythbusters) uses it in many of his projects and seems to swear by it. Follow up with a protective layer and you're good to go!

For small areas, rub-n-buff works really well. finish seems to hold up decently too.