Mystery mechanism: Tom Haney's Philidelphia find

On a recent trip to Philadelphia, automaton-maker Tom Haney scored some great found objects. One them was the mechanism shown here. He doesn't know what it is nor do I. Can you identify this mechanism? If so, leave a comment or drop me a line.

See Tom Haney's artwork on his web site and check out his blog to see what he's up to.

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Sausage maker automaton by Tim Douglas

Take a look at this humorous automaton that incorporates many cool mechanisms made of wood including a worm and screw and a set of bevel gears!

See more automata by Tim Douglas on his web site.

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18 page mechanisms booklet by Paul Spooner

For a limited time, Cabaret Mechanical Theatre is offering a free download of an eighteen page booklet by Paul Spooner. This is a must have for automaton-makers. Read on to see why!

About the mechanisms booklet:

Paul describes and illustrates the basic mechanisms he uses in his machines, Cranks, Cams, Levers, Ratchets and Gears. There is an exploded view of one of Paul's machines, 'Bad News' and then a complete project to make yourself out of card, called the 'Bad Babysitter'.

The booklet is available for free until until 30th September 2010 and will be a very affordable £2 (just a little over $3 USD) from 1st October 2010.

Here's the download page for the mechanisms booklet by Paul Spooner.

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Simon Schaffer on the History of Mechancial Clocks

Standing beside a reconstructed wooden clock, historian Simon Schaffer discusses the development of the first purely mechanical clocks in Europe in the late 1200s and early 1300s. The clocks in question used an escapement known as the Verge and Foliot, which can be seen above and below the bell to his left.

Read what Simon Schaffer has to say about automata in his article on "Enlightenment Automata" in the book The Sciences in Enlightened Europe.

Vintage Speaking Book Uses Integrated Bellows

Here is a antique children's story book with integrated animal sounds. Presumably, the sounds accompany the story.

The nine unique noises are produced by small mechanisms attached to small air bellows and paper cones.The book also attempts the to make the sounds "Mama" and "Papa". Tricky, and very clever, indeed.

This is another gem from the folks at www.automatomania.com

Automaton by Vichy - Clockwork Mechanism Inside

This is the repaired inner mechanism of a Vichy automaton made in France in 1875. The complete automaton depicts a lady who breathes, closes her eyes, turns her head, fans herself, and lifts her glasses to her eyes.

You can learn more about Vichy and the other famous French automaton makers from the late 19th century and early 20th century from the Automata: The Golden Age 1848-1914.

Thanks to the experts at AutomatomaniA for this wonderful video. AutomatomaniA is the UK's only specialist automata restoration company.