A new volcano discovered at the bottom of the garden
To make the volcano diorama for the Dodo automata, I’ve been using up some offcuts of MDF. Using my original sketch, I sized up the background and cut that out, painting it with the blue silk paint I used for
Posted in: Dodo Automata
Tags: Automata, Painting
Sugru New Colours and Formula
Tom from Sugru sent me some of their family safe formula Sugru. So I decided to use the new colours to make an Automata.
Posted in: Dodo Automata
Materials: Sugru
Tags: Automata
Offensive Machines
This week I revisited Novelty Automation, for a talk by Tim Hunkin titled “Offensive Machines”. Talk Tim started out with a history looking at automata, amusement arcades and a variety of mechanical amusements. He included a couple of my childhood
Posted in: Exhibition
Tags: Automata, Tim Hunkin
A new exhibition of amazing machines
Novelty Automation is an experience to delight, bewilder and surprise. It is a cross between a penny arcade, art installation and Heath Robinson sketchbook.
Posted in: Exhibition, Inspiration
Tags: Automata, invention
Books on gears
Dug North has been compiling lists of books on gears on his Automata blog so I thought I’d share them with you. http://www.dugnorth.com/blog/2009/04/list-of-books-on-gear-design-and.htmlhttp://www.dugnorth.com/blog/2009/05/more-books-on-gears-theory-and_06.html As you might expect for an automaton maker, Doug has written quite a lot on gears on
Posted in: Books and Magazine Reviews
Tags: Automata, dug north, Gears
Miniature Engineering
In the process of looking for information about making my flea circus chariot I’ve tracked down a few other people who like to make small things. Charlotte and Martin Willmott made the papers recently with their models of tiny kitchen
Posted in: Beginners
Tags: Automata, Cherry Hill, flea chariot, miniature, Models, St Leger, Willmott
Metal sculpture in brass, mounted on an 1800s French Coin
