Wood automaton kits by Keith Newstead and Walter Ruffler

The good folks over at Mechanical Kits let me know that they have a beautiful new web site and some great new offerings. Among the many mechanical kits to choose from is a line from Model Shops which features designs by the well-know automaton-artists Keith Newstead and Walter Ruffler. Some of these look like paper automaton designs that have been given a major upgrade to wood. These kits do not require tools or glue. Best of all, they come with links to incredibly clear video instructions. I don't think they could make it any easier to build your own autoamta!

Here is where you can get Model Shops automata kits by Keith Newstead and Walter Ruffler.

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The Modern Automata Museum to feature works by top automaton artists at a new exhibit in Rome

There is going to be a fantastic exhibition from the collections of The Modern Automata Museum at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome(MACRO) starting next week.

The exhibit will feature works by Malcolm Brooks, Luca De Pascalis, Marina Gigli, Neil Hardy, Marc Horowitz, Rob Ives, Peter Markey, Keith Newstead, Rennie Orsi, Walter Ruffler, Keisuke Saka, Paul Spooner, Susie Stolpe, Carlos Zapata, Eric Williamson, and Guido Accascina.

That is a lineup of some of the top artists in the world of contemporary automata. This is an exhibit you will not want to miss!

What:
Automata Al Macro: Sculture Meccaniche in Movimento

When:
February 16th to March 24th

Where:
Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome (MACRO)

For more information:
Email: info@modernautomatamuseum.com
Visit: www.modernautomatamuseum.com

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Video of the 2012 Cabaret Mechanical Theatre automata exhibit in London

Here is a lovely video showing the current Cabaret Mechanical Theatre exhibit in London. A previous post featured artist and engineer, Tim Hunkin, performing a very unusual "ribbon cutting" ceremony at the exhibit opening. Let's just say it involved a pad lock and angle grinder.

Though the exhibit has only been open a short time, the video starts with a celebration of the exhibit's 5,000 visitor. It just goes to show you how much people love contemporary automata. To a huge extent, we have Cabaret Mechanical Theatre to thank for that.

The video also shows an assortment of automata made from paper, metal, and wood. You will see pieces by many of the artists you might expect from CMT including Peter Markey, Keith Newstead, Paul Spooner, Pierre Mayer, Walter Ruffler, John Lumbus, and others.

The exhibit will be open Tuesday through Sunday until the September 7th, 2012 and is located at:
65 North Cross Road
East Dulwich SE22 9ET

Congratulations to Cabaret Mechanical Theatre on their recent exhibit and ongoing success!

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Mechanical gift idea #6 - Paper Models That Move

As I have said many times, paper automata are a great way -- perhaps even the best way -- to get started with automaton-making. The 14 automata projects in this book are all made from cardstock!

The book contains 24 pages of theory and 14 construction kits in all. Eight of the construction kits teach fundamental mechanical principles in a hands-on, kinetic way. The other six kits are working paper automata. The illustrated instructions and cut-and-assemble components make these ingenious paper sculptures easy to put together.

The book covers the following topics and projects:
1. Crank Slider
2. Oscillating Lever
3. Friction Transfer
4. Meshing Gearwheels
5. Ratchet
6. Cams & Friction wheel
7. Cam & Pushrod
8. Cam & Lever
9. Happy Birthday automaton
10. At the Duck's Pond automaton
11. Pyramid Lifter automaton
12. The Weight of Bureaucracy automaton
13. Pianist automaton
14. Gymnast automaton

The reader will learn the fundamentals of mechanisms and get some great working pieces too! That's not bad for the price of a book, a few common household tools, and a bit of time.

Here is where you can order Paper Models That Move: 14 Ingenious Automata, and More.

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Paper Models That Move by Walter Ruffler

Now available from folks at Cabaret Mechanical Theatre: a new book on paper automata by Walter Ruffler!

From the book description:

The book contains 24 pages of theory and 14 construction kits. 8 of the construction kits are for individual mechanical principles, and 6 of the kits are to make paper automata. Great value, and a wonderful set for teaching aids.

The book covers the following topics and projects:
1. Crank Slider
2. Oscillating Lever
3. Friction Transfer
4. Meshing Gearwheels
5. Ratchet
6. Cams & Friction wheel
7. Cam & Pushrod
8. Cam & Lever
9. Happy Birthday
10. At the Duck's Pond
11. Pyramid Lifter
12. The Weight of Bureaucracy
13. Pianist
14. Gymnast

As I have said before, paper automata are a great way to get started with automaton-making. These 14 automata projects are made from cardstock. The illustrated instructions explain the use of various mechanisms. The precise cut-and-assemble components make these ingenious paper sculptures easy to build. Walter Ruffler is one of the very best at designing paper automata.

Here is where you can order Paper Models That Move from the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre site.

For those of you in the U.S., here is another place to order Paper Models That Move: 14 Ingenious Automata, and More.

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Paper Models That Move: 14 Ingenious Automata

One of the undisputed masters of paper automata, Walter Ruffler, has a new book coming out called Paper Models That Move: 14 Ingenious Automata, and More. Knowing the quality of the author's work and given the price, this is sure to be an outstanding value! Paper automata are perhaps the best way to get started in making your own.

From the book description:

Enter the world of animated paper engineering with these 14 whimsical projects for making automata out of cardstock. Well-illustrated directions explain the use of levers, gears, cranks, and other devices and precise cut-and-assemble components put these ingenious paper "whirligigs" within reach of papercrafters of modest skill and experience.

Here's where you can order the book Paper Models That Move: 14 Ingenious Automata, and More.

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Walter Ruffler paper automata at Flying Pig

Flying Pig paper animations has announced the addition of paper automata by Walter Ruffler to their website. There are twenty seven models from which to choose.

Shown at left is Ruffler's model title "Off Road".

Visit this section of the Flying Pig web site for the full line of Walter Ruffler paper automata kits.

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Fire Dragon paper automaton by Walter Ruffler

Check out this paper automaton kit by Walter Ruffler called 'Fire Dragon'.

From the product description:

Normally a gentle beast, when provoked this dragon breathes fire snapping his mighty jaw, rearing up on his hind legs and fluttering his beautiful wings. A gentle dragon indeed! In Fire Dragon the handle moves a crank slider that makes the dragon rear up. His jaw, forelegs and wings are all operated by strings, which tighten when the dragon rears, causing coordinated life-like movement.

Here is the link to the Fire Dragon paper automaton.

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Paperanimations.com for paper automaton kits

Paperanimations.com offers paper automaton kits from Rob Ives, Walter Ruffler, and Keisuke Saka. Shown here is Saka's delightful penguin automaton design.

From the Paper Animatins site:

Making paper animations and static paper models (such as buildings, planes, cars and animals) is a thriving hobby in Europe and Asia. Such paper crafting is just now catching on in the USA. Paper animations enjoys an increasingly wider following among teachers and students who use the models to explore the basics of mechanical movement.

Visit Paper Animations to see all of the paper automata kits they offer.

5 Best Books for Paper Automaton Plans

Here's a list for people interested in making working paper automata. This is a great way to make your first automaton. It is also good for people that do not have woodworking tools. Older kids, focused kids, or supervised kids can learn a tremendous amount about engineering by making a paper automaton. All but Museum of the Mind contain several complete projects. An afternoon's work and you can have made your very own automaton.

1 - Paper Automata: Four Working Models to Cut Out & Glue Together- Rob Ives

2 - A Handbook of Paper Automata Mechanisms- Walter Ruffler

3 - Automata Too: Four Working Models to Cut Out and Glue Together- Magdalen Bear

4 - Museum of the Mind: Build Your Own Thinking Machine from 192 Pieces of Paper- Paul Spooner

5 - Spooner's Moving Animals or the Zoo of Tranquillity- Paul Spooner

Sand-Powered Automata

Sand powered automata go back hundreds of years, perhaps even more. Rather than turning a crank by hand, sand is loaded into a hopper placed high within the automaton. When released, the sand turns a wheel (very much like a water wheel seen on the side of mills), that then powers the mechanism.

I had the good fortune to see a absolutely delightful sand powered automata form the 1700s recently. (More on this later, so stay tuned.)

Walter Ruffler is one of my fellow automata makers on display at the Charles Museum of Industry in Waltham, Massachusetts. Mr. Ruffler is one a very few masters of the paper automata. He has some recent versions of sand powered automata his site.

Though he has an English version of his site, I could only find the sand powered automata within the German version. There are animated GIF images to show the motions of each automaton.

See the Sand-powered paper automata by Walter Ruffler.