Walter - a tinplate robot automaton by Marc Horovitz

Check out this awesome new automaton by Marc Horovitz of Sidestreet Bannerworks!

The automaton features an aging robot named Walter. When the crank is turned, Walter bends down to pick up the glasses he seems to have dropped. Sadly, he can't accomplish this task. Having knees certainly would help.

The robot figure is made of tinplate, using techniques found on the outstanding Tinplate Girl website. If you haven't checked it out yet, the site has a wealth of information about how to fabricate cool stuff with thin metal sheets.

Like many of us, Horovitz started making automata after being inspired by the work of Paul Spooner and other automaton makers associated with Cabaret Mechanical Theatre. His mechanisms are compact, elegant, and often elaborate -- not unlike Spooner's. The long cycle, subtle motions, compelling character, and witty storyline show that Horovitz has mastered the craft of contemporary automata making.

You can see more automata by Marc Horovitz on the Sidestreet Bannerworks website.

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Which Card Says 'I Love You' as Much as I Really Do? - Video of Valentine Automaton

As you may have heard by now, I will be exhibiting at the World Maker Faire in New York City this weekend, September 29 and 30, 2012. I know not all of you can make it, but that doesn't mean you can't see some of my pieces in action! I am pleased to announce that I'll be posting videos of some of my own automata over the next several days while I am getting ready for and participating in Maker Faire.

Presenting for the first time online, video of my piece titled Which Card Says 'I Love You' as Much as I Really Do?

I made this one quickly compared to most of my others. I like the general idea because I've been the poor fellow depicted in the scene. No commercial greeting card product seems to hit the nail on the head. Maybe this automaton does? The hundreds of miniature greeting cards took me nearly as long to make as the automaton itself. Here's a close-up shot of the cards in the display shelf:

The mechanism for the automaton is straightforward. The bouncing heart advertising display is driven by a two-lobed cam. The figure's head is turned from side-to-side by two offset cams hitting opposite edges of a circular driving plate. The rotating card carousel is driven by a small belt twisted 90 degrees from the rotation of the main axle.

The figure and the method of constructing it inspired my Tips, Techniques, and Tricks article #5 about a how to make a basic wooden head from simple shapes.

There appears to be a tradition among automaton-makers to make a piece related to Valentine's Day. This would be my contribution to the genre. Here's a round up of Valentine's Day pieces by other artists including Keith Newstead, Per Helldorff, Marc Horovitz, Rob Ives, Haruki Nakamura, and Paul Spooner. This list is by no means exhaustive; I know I've neglected many fine artists and examples.

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Would you attend an automata gathering?

Marc Horovitz, the man behind the great automata at Sidestreet Bannerworks, has created an informal questionnaire intended to gauge interest in the idea of a gathering of people who are currently making or who are interested in hand-cranked automata.

While the gathering would be open to anyone involved in or interested in mechanics, motion, kinetic sculpture, etc., the main emphasis would be on automata. The event, if it happens, might take place in Denver, Colorado, but that is not certain at this point.

By filling out his questionnaire, you are in NO WAY committing yourself to ANYTHING -- he is just trying to get an idea of interest and feasibility at this point. Personally, I think this could be a great event!

If such an gathering would interest you, please take minute or two to answer the questions on the survey. If you would like to add anything or comment further, you can email Marc Horovitz directly: handcrank at comcast dot net.

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Learn how to make cools things with tin can metal

Ever wonder what you could do with all those tin cans other than put them in the recycling bin? The answer to this question can now be found at a new site called Tinplate Girl. The welcome video shown above is just the start. The site features tons of free instructional videos about how to work with the tinplate. This alone is an amazing resource.

Tinplate Girl also offers a variety of nifty projects you can download as PDFs. The image shown above is a steam-powered toy boat you can learn to make. The project PDFs feature step-by-step instructions for a variety of skill-levels. There are tinplate projects for beginners and advanced tinplate artisans.

Check out this great new web site all about working with tinplate!

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Kinetic sculpture by Marc and Adriane Horovitz

Here is a video of a charming kinetic sculpture made by Marc Horovitz and his daughter Adriane. I love the eccentric cams, gears, pinwheels, collars, set-screws, and colors. Lovely construction overall. The piece is composed of wood, brass, tinplate, paper, and oil-based paint. The sculpture will be part of a "Craft as Art" show in Denver, starting Saturday, October 1st and running for two weeks.

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