Musical Machines and Living Dolls: The Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata

Yesterday's post reminded me to remind you about this book I posted about back in 2011. The Morris Museum in Morristown, NJ is home to the Guinness Collection of 750 antique, mechanical musical instruments and automata. It is one of the biggest, best, and most well-managed collections I know of.

The museum has created an illustrated book featuring pieces from its permanent exhibition titled Musical Machines and Living Dolls: The Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata. Written by Ellen M. Snyder-Grenier (former Curator of the Guinness Collection), this 144-page hardcover features 138 photographs and over 20 illustrations on beautiful glossy paper.

Evenly divided between automata and mechanical musical instruments, the book is a wealth of information on the history of both. It is a beautiful and well-written book, which offers a rich view of an extremely important collection. I recommend it. It makes a great gift for those with a serious interest in the subject.

Here is where you can order Musical Machines and Living Dolls.

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Ro-Bow - a robot that plays a real violin

Seth Goldstein dropped me a line to let us know about a machine he created which plays tunes on a real a violin. This mechanical wonder was recently featured in the New York Times. Here is a link to the article on Seth Goldstein's RO-BOW. In the video, Goldstein explains the basic components of the machine and how they work together make the machine perform musical magic.

Machines that play the violin are not new -- some may be seen at The Morris Museum in New Jersey. Check out the wonderful book on the collection called Musical Machines and Living Dolls. Still, Goldstein's robot is of a differnet, more modern variety, capable of replicating any tune that can play on a keyboard. It works on some very unique and ingenious principles. Truly amazing.

You can find out more about Seth Goldstein on his web site, which has information and video showing his other pieces Why Knot? and Cram Guy.

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Tour of a paper automaton shop in Bremin, Germany

Here's a fun little tour of a paper automaton shop in Bremin, Germany. Many of the kits were made by the father of the young man giving the demonstrations.

If you are interested in making your own, check out some of these paper automaton kits and books. In the same order, you can get your tools such as a hobby knife, self-healing cutting mat, a good pair of scissors, and some white glue.

[ Thanks Karin! ]

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Zoltar Speaks replica fortune teller - How it was made

Roger Hess wrote to say that he has created a long "how it's made" article detailing the build process of the Zoltar Speaks fortune teller we featured on this blog back in 2010. The video shown above is a new compilation of video clips which shows the mechanism in operation.

This article is a fascinating in-depth look at the process. If you have any interest in old coin-operated machines (or are perhaps thinking of making one) this article is full of useful stuff.  It has a little bit of everything: cam timers, casting eyeballs, paint techniques, jewelry-making, and advanced woodworking methods. And, that's just a taste!  The article serves also to demonstrate the amount of skill and dedication required for a project of this magnitude. My hat is off to Roger Hess. Incredible.

Here's a link to the full-length article on The Making of the Zoltar Speaks Fortune Teller Replica.

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Scriblo - a hand-cranked handwriting automaton kit

Check out the latest creation for Shasa Bolton: a handwriting automaton called "Sciblo". Scriblo is designed to sketch simple words and pictures when you turn the handle.

Scriblo is sold as a flat-pack kit. The pieces slot together without glue. The piece can be mounted on a wall or sit on a table. The kit comes with the cams to spell "yes".

Here is where you can learn more about Scriblo, the handwriting automaton.

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Warhol's Cat - a contemporary automaton from Fourteen Balls Toy Co.

Check out the latest automaton designed by Matt Smith over at Fourteen Balls Toy Co.! Look at all the mechanisms inside the box!

From the automaton's description:

This is 'Warhol's Cat' the new edition from the Fourteen Balls Toy Company. Designed and made by Matt Smith. The automaton is 150 mm x 100 mm x 230 mm (6" x 4" x 9"). The box is Douglas fir with the mechanism being made of Stainless steel, brass, birch plywood, maple, phosphor bronze and a small amount of Delrin. The cat himself is carved from lime wood and the eyes made from Delrin balls. The mechanism inside the head is made from brass, phosphor bronze and spring steel.The Campbell’s soup tin is a solid piece of steel with a label printed from a hand painted original by Sarah Smith ). The mechanism comprises two brass ratchets and three camshafts, with a fairly complex sequence .

Here is where you can see more detailed photos of the Warhol's Cat automaton.

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