News FeedDug’s Automata Tips, Techniques and Tricks No.2
December 15, 2010 by admin · 7 Comments
Wooden Circles for Your Automata Projects
So Many Circles!
Circles are found in dozens of mechanisms including cams, eccentrics, cranks, pin wheels, collars, followers, and flywheels. Circles may also serve as the foundation for gear blanks, pulleys, or animated parts of an automaton. But how can you obtain this vital shape in wood? Read more
Night 34 – The Auto Stir by Ron Fuller
December 14, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Ron Fuller (a.k.a. The Village Toymaker) always makes a few ‘Stocking Fullers’ each Christmas. This AutoStirrer is one of our favourites. ‘Be one up on your office pals, see the look on their faces when you take this out of your pocket and AUTOSTIR your coffee”.
It makes the ideal gift for a coffee or tea lover! Simply clip it to the side of any cup, turn the handle and watch your drink be stirred to perfection. Handmade by Ron Fuller with a brilliant instruction sheet.
£12.50
Night 33 – Man’s Best Friend by Sophie Naylor
December 13, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Automata Maker and illustrator Sophie Naylor takes inspiration from British culture, historical inventions, gadgetry, contraptions, and nostalgic eras. She likes to depict ‘Britishness’ in an eccentric, quirky, humorous context.
This limited edition piece, Man’s Best Friend, is available to buy from Sophie.
http://www.sophienaylor.co.uk/contact.html
Price £150 plus shipping.
H: 20cm W:17.5cm D: 10.5cm
Watch it here.
Sophie has also created a wonderful marble-run machine for this summer’s Telling Stories Exhibition: Newcastle-under-Lyme Museum and Art Gallery called Willy Wonka’s Everlasting Gobstopper Machine. Night 32 – Karakuri Models by Keisuke Saka
December 12, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
‘Karakuri: How to Make Mechanical Paper Models That Move‘ by Keisuke Saka is now available through our Amazon Affiliates Store.
Keisuke Saka is one of Japanâ??s most honoured paper engineers. His beautiful designs are thoughtful with only a few moving parts, yet producing elegant movement. This book makes a great gift.
You can also buy individual papercraft models here,
http://www.paperanimations.com/saka.html including these two (illustrated) Teeter Totter’ (an adorable robot takes a few small steps for robo-kind) and ‘Doomed’ (one last flop in resistance to the chefâ??s knife).
Night 31 – Love is Blind by Keith Newstead
December 11, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
This evening we have a new piece by Keith Newstead, a re-working of the classic piece, ‘Love is Blind’.
This lovely cut brass Cupid has a removable blindfold, and has strewn his arrows around hoping for the right target. The perfect Valentines gift .
Available to order now for delivery in January 2011.
Height 22cm
£99 (excl. VAT)
Night 30 – Rob Higgs Chain Reaction Machine
Contraption maker extraordinaire Rob Higgs has built a chain reaction machine for the Kneehigh Theatre’s current production of Hansel and Gretel at the Southbank Centre London. Performances are 16th December to 2nd January 2011.
Rob appeared on BBC TV this week with a specially designed machine for Blue Peter. It is available to watch (in some areas) on BBC iPlayer here until 13th December.
You can also go giddy with this youtube video of the testing of Rob’s Lobster Pot Swing for the first production of Hansel and Gretel here.
Night 29 – Bird Man by Carlos Zapata
December 9, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Carlos Zapata has been exploring the idea of Carnival further. He is making a series of small figures inspired by the colourful costumes and characters found in a typical South American carnival. The first in the series is ‘Birdman’ which has a beautiful fluttering wing action.
21 cm High (8 Inches)
£150 excl. VAT
Night 28 – The Invention of Hugo Cabret signed editions
December 8, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
There is a year to go until the official launch of the latest Martin Scorsese movie, ‘The Invention of Hugo Cabret’. This is the first time that Scorsese has produced a film for children, and also his first 3D film.
Link to Guardian interview: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/nov/21/martin-scorsese-3d-interview-kermode
We are very excited as this is the first time that automata has featured in a movie, and our friend Michael Start from The House of Automata is the ‘Automata and Horological Adviser’ for the movie. Michael has been working flat out on the film for the last year, and straining every muscle for the best effects. As Michael says ‘This is the biggest thing for automata since CMT opened in Covent Garden’.
The author of the book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick was in London last month to visit the film set (and appear himself in the film), Brian says that the automata in the film is stunning, so we really can’t wait. Brian kindly signed two copies of the book which we have to give away free when you make an order over £30 from our store. Just add it to your cart and shop away.
You can learn more about the book and the background here: http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/
The award winning book is beautifully illustrated by Brian, it is 525 pages, with nearly 300 pages of drawings.
‘Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugoâ??s undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugoâ??s dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery,
Night 27 – Decisions Decisions by Fi Henshall
December 7, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
This evening we have another of Fi Henshall’s lovely pieces.
This is a one-off piece, a beautiful bird is getting ready to go to a party. She has the difficult choice of deciding which beak to put wear, and there is a whole selection strewn around the room to choose from. This may be the first automaton we have featured with a mirror in it too..
£495 (excl. VAT)
Sold
Night 26 – Kinetic Horse by James Watt
December 6, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
This evening we bring you a wonderful kit to make your own motorised paper model. James Watt has designed this beautiful model, which reminds us of Theo Jansens fantastic Strandbeests.
The instructions for the Kinetic Horse are supplied on a CD, and can be printed out at home. There are different finish options for the horse, you can use James’ MarbleHorse, or the white horse, or create your own skin. The motor and other fixings are also included in the kit. The kit can be either battery or solar powered
Order directly from James at ClockworkRobot. £15.95 for a Solar Powered Horse, or £9.95 for a Battery operated Horse. http://www.clockworkrobot.com/horse/index.htm
You can also download a FREE working model of a Wind Turbine.
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