Thomas Dean Willeford V (born October 29, 1964) is a

steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the Victorian ...

writer, artist and maker. He is known for his work appearing on television and for his book ''Steampunk Gear, Gadgets, and Gizmos''. He lives and works in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in ...

, doing business as Brute Force Studios. His steampunk subculture persona is Lord Archibald "Feathers" Featherstone.

Early life and education

Brought up in a Victorian house with a "mad scientist" grandfather who worked for

DuPont DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...

, Willeford was educated at

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...

Shenandoah University Shenandoah University is a private university in Winchester, Virginia. It has an enrollment of approximately 4,000 students across more than 200 areas of study in six schools: College of Arts & Sciences (including the Division of Education and ...

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 ma ...

and the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

Work

In 1988, Willeford became interested in steampunk and began working on creating pieces combining his love of engineering and art. He created the steampunk arm worn by

Nathan Fillion Nathan Fillion (; born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian-American actor. He played the leading roles of Captain Malcolm Reynolds, Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds on ''Firefly (TV series), Firefly'' and its film continuation ''Serenity (2005 film), Serenity'', ...

in episode 3.4 of the television series ''

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

''. His work has been displayed at the University of Oxford's Museum of the History of Science, at the Steampunk Bizarre Experiment, the Penn State Berks Freyberger Gallery, at Nemo's Steampunk Art & Invention Gallery and at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation, and has been featured in ''Popular Mechanics''. He is a contributor to ''Bruce Boxleitner's Lantern City'' and was a judge on

Game Show Network Game Show Network (GSN) is an American basic cable channel owned by Sony Pictures Television. The channel's programming is primarily dedicated to game shows, including reruns of acquired game shows, along with new, first-run original and revive ...

's ''

Steampunk'd ''Steampunk'd'' is an American reality television series broadcast by Game Show Network. The series, hosted by Jeannie Mai, premiered August 19, 2015. The contestants (called "makers") are crafters and designers who specialize in the steampunk ...

''. Willeford was a guest curator for the Steampunk U exhibit at the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Awards and recognition

* Airship Awards 2013 – Community Contributor – Nominee * Balticon 19 Masquerade – Best Marvel Comic Re-Creation (Nightcrawler) * Balticon 20 Masquerade – Journeyman Costumer – Honorable Mention * Balticon 29 Masquerade – Best in Class: Novice * Balticon 48 Masquerade – Best in Show * Comic Con International 2014: Costume Contest on the Marvel Stage – One of a Kind: Iron Man 1889 * Darkover VIII Masquerade – Best Presentation (X-Men) * Eeriecon Masquerade 2002 – Master Class: Best Leatherwork ("Gargoyle Knight") * EveCon 5 Masquerade – Most Dramatic * NYClone 1986 Masquerade – Chairman's Appreciation: Re-Creation * Philcon 50 Masquerade – Craftsman: Most Humorous * Rovacon 10 Masquerade – Best Comic Book Character * Starburner 2011 Award for Contributions to Steampunk * Steampunk Chronicle Readers Choice Awards 2012: ** Best Maker – Individual ** Best Mod Weaponry for Lady Clankington's Little Death Ray ** Best Dressed Male ** Best Non-Goggle Accessory for Superior Replacement Arm ** Best Costume – Individual Original for the Clockwork Girl Outfit ** Best Non-Fiction – Nominee * Steampunk Chronicle Readers Choice Awards 2013: ** Best Maker – Individual – Nominee ** Most Influential or Inspirational – Nominee ** Steam-Hunk – Nominee ** Steampunk Person to Watch in 2013 – Nominee * Technicon IV Masquerade – Best In Show * Unicon 84 Masquerade – Best Recreation * Numerous International Costumers Guild (ICG) Awards

Bibliography

* *

Filmography

Television

References

External links

*
Brute Force Studios
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willeford, Thomas 1964 births Living people People from Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Writers from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania University of Maryland, College Park alumni Shenandoah University alumni University of Delaware alumni Alumni of the University of Oxford Steampunk writers