The finest bird song of 1890 produced by lovely brass mechanism

Our friend Michael Start over at The House of Automata created this lovely video of a a singing bird mechanism. During the course of the bird's song, we get a 360 degree view of this ingenious device.

According to his description, the mechanism was made about 120 years ago in Paris. It is most likely the work of Bontems, a distinguished maker of bird automata.

An expert at horology and automata, Start restored the mechanism, though it was rusted and seized when he received. It is very common that the fine leather used for the bellows dries, cracks, and leaks on these singing bird mechanisms. He notes with surprise that the bellows were in good condition.

If you are curious about what the rest of a singing bird mechanism looks like, check out this post featuring a video on How Singing Birds are Made.

[ Thanks Mauricio! ]

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Fluttershy's Bird Choir - a new My Little Pony themed wood automaton

Did you see the My Little Pony wood automaton I posted back in June? Here is the another by the same artist. It is an unexpected sub-genre that is wonderfully incongruous. Whether you agree or not, just look at the craftsmanship!

From the YouTube description:

This third piece in my pony automaton series proved to be the most difficult to design and make by far as I wanted to match Fluttershy's grandiose reputation. Other than the typical moving parts, her bird choir actually sings! The characters, box (stand) and fence are carved out of Philippine mahogany as are the cams, bellows and slide whistle. The gear train and lever arms are made of Narra hardwood. Fluttershy stands at 6"; with the entire display it measures 10 1/4" high, 8 1/2" long, and 4" wide. The entire piece took me a staggering 182 hours to complete.

This very complex and well made automaton is currently for sale on ebay. Check out the pictures and description or just go ahead and buy this one-of-a-kind creation. Here is the eBaby listing for the Fluttershy's Bird Choir wood automaton.

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