Man's Best Friend by Sophie Catherine Naylor

Here's a funny automaton from Sophie Catherine Naylor title Man's Best Friend. Indeed.

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Arthur Ganson on the first tenet of Buddhism

I attended the opening reception of the Move Me exhibit last night. I had the great pleasure of seeing this piece in person and hearing Arthur Ganson speak about it.

The piece features a motorized cam spinning slowly. A cam follower rests on the cam and rides its contours. Attached to the follower is a long arm which reaches across the piece, its end right next to the head of a plush, human figure. The contours of the cam cause the arm to sporadically poke the poor figure in the the back of the head. The figure can do little about. As the artist explained, the piece represents The First Noble Truth of Buddhism, which basically boils down to "there is suffering in the world". The entire thing -- not counting the hand-sewn figure -- is constructed in that inimitable Ganson style: blackened metal, whirring motor, springs, wire-formed worm and screw gears, spoked wheels, tiny spot welds, and a hint of oil. Delightful: a machine demonstrating one of the most human of concepts.

Arthur Ganson hinted we may be seeing more pieces in this theme, perhaps dealing with the other three Noble Truths. Having recently adopted a mediation practice, I for one, can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

I also had the chance to see sculptures by several other talented artist currently showing at AXIOM. I will feature more of them in the days to come.

See more about The First Noble Truth by Arthur Ganson at the Cabaret mechanical Theatre web site.

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Neil Hardy automaton with changing scenes!

Check out this exceptional multi-scene automaton by Neil Hardy entitled Survival of the Fittest. The ebay seller bought it directly from the artist some 12 years ago and has to let it go.

From the ebay description:

It has recently been restored to full working order by Neil in his workshop, but unfortunately I can no longer keep it. There is no reserve and the starting price is less than I paid for it more than ten years ago.

It is 16" high, 14" wide (including handle) and 12" deep - a large piece!

See the video for how it works - the piece is run from a large geneva wheel which steps through the four endangered species before opening the double doors in the body of the piece to reveal a rather less endangered one.

It's a brilliant piece - effectively 5 works in one - and as cunning and delightful as any contemporary automata.

Here is the full ebay listing for this Neil Hardy automaton with changing scenes.

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Move Me - kinetic sculpture exhibit now in Boston

Move Me is a exhibit featuring the kinetic sculpture of Chris Fitch, Arthur Ganson, Tom Haney, Steve Hollinger and Erica von Schilgen. The exhibit is located at AXIOM Center for New and Experimental Media outside of Boston, Massachusetts and runs from April 28th to May 28th, 2011.

From the AXIOM web site:

The works explore the intimate, poetic drama created as electricity, clockworks or human interaction physically "moves" kinetic sculpture but also emotionally "moves" an observer. Ranging from the clandestine use of mechanics and electronics to the intentionally obvious revelation of the inner workings, the show explores the relationship created between artwork and viewer when moving sculpture's narratives unfold in real time.

Where:
AXIOM
141 Green Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

When:
April 28th to May 28th, 2011
Opening Reception and Artist’s Talk
Thursday, April 28, 2011 6-8 pm

Here is a link to the AXIOM web site for more information on the Move Me exhibit.

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Me...and a bunch of little wooden monster heads

I don't tend to share a lot of what I (Dug North) do in my own workshop on this blog. When I started The Automaton / Automaton Blog in 2006, I just posted about things that fascinated me: antique automata, contemporary automata, mechanical toys, kinetic sculpture, books, and tools. After a while, it felt strange to post about my own projects.

I guess the time has come to start to include more of my own work on the blog now and then. Writing about yourself and what you are up to is sort of what blogs are all about. That's what I've been told, anyway. And so, this is my first tentative step in that direction. Here we go...

While working on a new automaton this year, I got stuck. Very badly stuck. This was a new and frustrating experience for me. When it comes to creative projects, I generally know what I want to do and then do it. Sure, I make changes along the way, but I've never really hit a dead end. This project was different. The situation became so bad that I found myself avoiding the workshop more and more. Not good.

I struggled to think of a way to break out of the vicious cycle I found myself in. But, the more I thought, the worse things became. Thinking hard about something -- historically something I've used to my advantage -- became a big part of the problem. I needed to use my hands again. Get out of my own head. Make something.

I once heard that writers with writer's block should just sit down and force themselves to write. Write anything at all. Just keep writing. No editing, no planning, no rereading what was written, just write until the block is cleared. This process may take minutes, hours, days, or weeks. Maybe even longer.

I wondered if I could apply a similar technique. Making a stream-of-consciousness automaton (while perhaps possible for some) seemed far too daunting. So, I resolved to make little wooden monster heads. Does that sound odd? Well, I like monsters -- at least small wooden ones. I figured that the task would get me to use my hands and tools again. I chose carving because, for me, it is the most right-brained aspect of making an automaton. I can lose all track of time while doing it. Perhaps I would come up with a few characters that I could use in a future automaton.

I chose as my starting point either a 1 inch wooden sphere or a 1 inch wooden cube. The idea was to go into the workshop and just start carving until something happened. No sketches, no pictures, no modeling clay. Gluing things on, I decided, was permissible. My task was to add and remove wood until a little monster head was formed. I'd come out of the workshop when it was done.

So, how did it go? While it certainly wasn't the answer to all of life's problems, the technique worked to a large extent. Over the course of a few weeks, I started to enjoy the process. I never knew exactly what would come of each session. I like some of the monsters better others, but I've come to appreciate them all for helping me to get unstuck. Without further ado, let me introduce you to Monster Head Study No. 1:

Dug North's Monster Head Study No. 1, 2011

The head is basswood, carved with hand tools and a Dremel. The horns are made of 1/8 inch thick Baltic birch plywood that I stained with a wood-stain marker. I drilled holes for the eyes and did a tiny bit of wood-burning to define the eyebrows and nostrils. I don't recall how long this took me to make, but it was less than an hour. This creature doesn't have a name (in fact, none of them do), but I am open to suggestions! I'll share more of these in the weeks to come.

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UPDATE: April 27, 2011 - Reader Les submitted this digitally enhanced version of Monster Head Study No. 1 (below). Check out the red cat eyes! Thanks Les!

Dug North's Monster Head Study No. 1 with red cat eyes

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Wood clock driven by hand-wound electromagnet

Yesterday, we took a look at some gears made out of shapes other than circles created by Adrian Iredale. He has been up to some great stuff lately, which includes building this electric clock based on a Clayton Boyer clock design. This is unlike most of the wooden clocks he makes, in that it is powered by electricity rather than a weight or a spring. The project scores huge DIY points for the hand-made electromagnet that is used to drive the pendulum. Check it out in the video! So cool. I am wondering what triggers the magnet to turn on at precisely the right moment, though...

Here is where you can see more wooden clocks designed by Clayton Boyer.

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More very strangely shaped wooden gears

Some time ago, clock-designer Clayton Boyer rocked my world with a video showing how to make some wooden gears with some very unconventional shapes. Adrian Iredale expands on the theme in this video showing gears in the shape of a pentagon, square, and triangle all meshing together and turning. It is hard to believe that these things would work together when you look at them at rest!

See more great wooden projects by Adrian Iredale on his YouTube channel.

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Robots are taking over! Very small robots.

Check out these stylish little remote-controlled robots called Zibits. There are 12 different models with something to suit every taste -- from clunky-retro to sleek-modern. The robots have a super-simple control device that basically just puts them into a spin. Once you let go, the robot continues forward. Based on what I've read, this means that pretty much anyone can figure out how move these little bots.

It seems like they are more fun in numbers, so they offer a bunch of different Zibit 2-packs so you can race them, battle each other, or work together in this crazy track environment for designed Zibits (one Zibit robot included).

Here's where you can see all the various Zibits and associated periphenalia.

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Rude wall-mounted animated paper moose model

Here is a paper-craft from model from cool4cats that you can build and hang on your wall. When you pull the tab, the moose sticks out its tongue and rolls it eyes. Very rude.

Once you purchase and receive the kit, the only things you need to put it together are white glue, scissors, a hobby knife, and some time.

Here is where you can order the Rude Moose animated paper model.

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Instrument playing bear automaton from Austria

Here is a vintage automaton bear that knows how to rock. Apparently, the bear is is original, but is missing whatever instrument it originally played. The bells -- taken from another antique toy -- were added later. The bear's maker and original instrument remain a mystery to the current sellers.

From the bear's description on ebay:

We are guessing he was made in the latter part of the 19th or very early part of the 20th century. The bear did not have an instrument when it came to us, only the metal drum sticks in his hands and a hole in the base where an instrument would have been mounted. Considering that he is holding metal drum sticks, whatever he was originally pounding on would have to have been metal or very durable at the least. After doing exhaustive research to find another like him and coming up empty, we chose to give him a set of antique nickel plated bells from an early push toy and mounted them to an appropriately sized tree stump...

Here is where you can see a bunch of photographs of this Instrument playing bear automaton made in Austria.

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Decoy automaton by Kazu Harada

Check out this lovely and clever automaton by Kazu Harada. Now how, exactly, does the wooden duck hold and drop that egg? It's fun to ponder!

See more automata by Kazu Harada on his web site.

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Video footage of magician clock by Robert-Houdin

Here is some footage of a clock with an automaton attributed to the great clock-maker and magician, Robert-Houdin (not to be confused with Houdini). The clock depicts a magician performing a cup routine in which different objects appear and disappear below the cups. I am not sure how many of these exist in the world, but at least one makes its home in David Copperfield's Museum of Magic.

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Wooden Clocks: 31 Favorite Projects & Patterns

If you've been looking for a nice set of plans to make your own working wooden gear clock, one place you might want to consider is this book, Wooden Clocks: 31 Favorite Projects & Patterns. The Wooden Gear clock project begins on page 120 of the book. The Wooden Gear Clock project is covered in detail over the course of 14 pages. The author, clock-maker Mark Tovar, shows step-by-step how to make this elegant and functional piece of kinetic sculpture. The book has clear, annotated templates for each part that tell you exactly at what percentage to enlarge them on a photocopier. Most of the plans are printed need only to be copied at their original size.

The gear clock plans alone are easily worth the price of the book. If you happen to like scroll saw projects, the book is full of the other clock-related project culled from the pages of Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts magazine.

Here is where you can get Wooden Clocks: 31 Favorite Projects & Patterns.

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The Flying Bull sculpture by Eduard Bersudsky

Check out this large, whirring, flapping, nodding, cranking, spinning, swinging, flashing automaton by Eduard Bersudsky. Wild!

See more sculptures by Eduard Bersudsky at the Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre web site.

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Remote controlled bald eagle with 9 foot wingspan

Take a look at this awesome remote controlled eagle. This thing is huge -- over 9 feet, actually. In addition to soaring, the eagle can also fly in loops and hover in place against the wind. This has to be the most impressive bird-like flying toy I've seen so far.

From the RC eagle description:

This is the remote controlled bald eagle with a 9 1/2' wingspan that catches the wind for broad, soaring turns. It is powered by a gimbal-mounted engine and propeller that provides nimble, multi-directional vector movement which replicates the bird of prey's agile turns and dives. The natural curvature of the nylon/polyester wings creates an airfoil that provides lift for the carbon fiber frame and wing struts. The transmitter controls the eagle up to 500' away; trim controls allow fine adjustment to left, right, up, and down thrust of the propeller.

Want to see some video? Yeah, you do! Here's where you can learn more and see video of this 9 1/2 foot remote controlled bald eagle.

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Monkey Man in Pieces automaton assembly

Here's an eye-grabbing automaton by Cecilia Schiller. There is a nice little video montage of the piece being assembled. There are some really neat artistic details in this one. Enjoy!

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Monkey See, Monkey Do automaton

A few days ago, we saw a clever automaton using a free figure by Deane Benninghoven. If you dislike clowns that you will LOVE this next one!

Though the artist studied watchmaking, he deliberately tries to avoid mechanical repetition, preferring to use a simple mechanism to bring detailed figures to life. I would say he has succeeded.

Measuring 16.75 x 16 x 5 inches, the Monkey See, Monkey Do automaton is made of wood, polyurethane, polymer clay, epoxy, brass, silk, felt, steel wire, pigments, and pennies.

See more art by Deane Benninghoven on his web site.

[ Thanks Julia! ]

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Kinetic Sculpture at the BMW Museum, Munich

You may have seen this one, but if not: behold the kinetic ingenuity and elegance on display at the BMW museum in Germany.

From the sculpture description:

714 metal spheres, hanging from thin steel wires attached to individually-controlled stepper motors and covering the area of six square meters, animate a seven minute long mechatronic narrative. In the beginning, moving chaotically, then evolving to several competing forms that eventually resolve to the finished object, the kinetic sculpture creates an artistic visualisation of the process of form-finding in different variations.

You can see more photos of the Kinetische Skulptur at http://www.artcom.de web site.

[ Thanks Dave! ]

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Fantastic Silver Swan automaton from 1773

This video shows the famous Silver Swan automaton. Attributed -- at least its mechanism -- to John Joseph Merlin, this amazing automaton dates back to the 1773.

The life-size bird is driven by clockwork. The swan floats on a pool cleverly made of glass rods which rotate to give the illusion of moving water. When sent in motion, a music box plays, the swan turns its head, snatches a silver fish from the pool, and swallows it.

The Silver Swan is now located the Bowes Museum in Teesdale, England where it is still operated once each day. Here's a link to The Silver Swan page on the Bowes Museum web site.

[ Thanks Joe! ]

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Classic jeweller's hand vise for holding small work

Our good friend Charles Mak wrote in to suggest that the hand vise shown here might be a useful addition to the automaton-maker's toolbox. Funny, I was looking through the Lee Valley Tool catalog just two days ago and thought the same thing!

Based on the design of a tool more common in the 1900s, this little hand vise is helpful for holding all manner of small objects. Because there is a hole in the handle, wire can be threaded through and then worked above the jaws -- a nice feature. The handle can also be clamped into a larger vise allowing you to hold smaller items than normally possible.

While Amazon offers a variety of small hand vises, none look as appropriate or as cost-effective as the Jeweller's Hand Vise at Lee Valley Tools.

[ Thanks Charles! ]

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Retroscope 180 - gear driven mechanical flip book

Perhaps you recall the Retroscope I posted about a few years ago. Retroscopes are hand-cranked looped animation flip books. Meet its big brother: The Retroscope 180 -- also by the folks at LEAFpdx.

From the YouTube video description:

The Retroscope 180 is a table top mutoscope with 180 pictures to each reel. The reels are interchangeable and a 'make your own kit' allows users to create their own reels. It extends on our previous Retroscope which had 36 flips.

While I am not sure this one is available yet, the smaller Retroscope is available at www.leafpdx.com for $45.

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Sewing Machines Orchestra by Martin Messier

Check out this creative use for a gang of those robust old sewing machines.

Sewing Machine Orchestra is entirely orchestrated with the acoustic noises produced by 1940's sewing machines amplified by means of microcontacts and process by computer, tackles the listener imagination primarily through the evocative power of those old industrial marvels. Whether they remind of specific incidents or recall the relationship to such objects, few people remain indifferent when they see them.

You can learn more about the project on Martin Messier's web site.

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Desktop steam boiler made with common materials

Here is a video of a attractive and effective little steam boiler built with a hand drill, a rotary tool, and some easy-to-find materials. A small soup can is used for the boiler itself. Various hardware store fittings complete the assembly.

If you would like to make this project, here is a link to the well-written instructable on how to build a desktop steam boiler.

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Wrexham Museum automaton by Carlos Zapata

Check out this awesome automaton by Carlos Zapata. This kinetic sculpture made as a collection box for the Wrexham County Museum in Wales. When visitors donate a coin, they are treated to a lot of interesting activity!

You can get a more compete description of the action by reading this post on Carlos Zapata's blog

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Mechanics and puppetry of full-size horse puppets

Some time ago I posted about the most life-like animal puppet I've ever seen: the horses from the play War Horse.

In this TED talk, creators Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler of Handspring Puppet Company explain how they created these astonishing full-sized horse puppets. They also provide a demonstration of how the puppets and puppeteers work together.

[ Thanks Jason! ]

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Del Short's wooden peg and cage gear contraption

Though there hasn't been a post about him a while, I can't get enough of the inimitable Del Short and his wooden contraptions. Here's a machine that he made back in 1984, which features wooden peg and cage gears. The gears run on a 6 to 1 ratio and can be hand-cranked from either end.

See more wooden machines by Del Short on his YouTube channel.

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Elenco Scarab Robot - kit for soldering practice

I have an affinity for small robots based on insects. This Scarab robot kit by Elenco features two touch sensors which detect obstacles in its path. Once it detects an obstacle, the beetle will execute a two-step maneuver to bypass it. The robot is capable of moving left, right, and in reverse. This kit is rated at an intermediate skill level, so if you want to hone your soldering skills this is a fun and affordable way to do it.

Here's a link to Elenco Scarab Robot Kit (soldering required).

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Eitech’s product line of steel construction sets

Eitech is a German company that makes steel construction toys along the lines of the classic Erector sets. The Eitech product line was new to me, so I decided to do a quick search on Amazon.com to see how much they offer. As it turns out, they have an entire store dedicated to Eitech toys!
Eitech makes a range of sets to accommodate different skill levels. The largest of their sets can have up to a 1,000 pieces. Shown here is their massive Deluxe Motorized Crane Construction Set.

The also sell an assortment of different accessory packs featuring spare parts, motors, gears, and solar panels. These could be useful in their own right for making prototypes or gizmos of your own. And...if you are into construction toys, this looks like quality stuff.

Here a link to the dedicated Eitech store.

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Comic about the chess-playing automaton is back!

As of yesterday, Clockwork Game has returned from hiatus! For those who don't know, Clockwork Game is an online comic written and illustrated by Jane Irwin. The story centers around the (in)famous automaton known as The Turk. The Turk amazed audiences for decades, on several continents, by playing human competitors at chess.

A new installment of Clockwork Game will be available every Thursday. For now, the story is starting from the beginning so that we can all get caught up.

Here's where you can check out Clockwork Game online graphic novel about The Turk.

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Red rocket tin toy with Wilesco steam engine

Check out this awesome tin toy powered by a Wilesco steam engine! Manufactured in the famous toy producing area around Nuremburg, Germany, this Red Steam Rocket tin toy is limited to only 250 pieces worldwide. While they say it is perfect for mechanically curious kids, the price tag suggests that this gem might really be for collectors. I'm not a collector, but man...do I want one!

Here's where you can read a bit more and see additional images oftin toy rocket powered by a Wilesco steam engine.

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