Revisiting this blog

As I was going through some automata sites, I decided to re-visit my own blog. It been more that a year and a half since I last blogged here.


Good to relive nostalgia and who knows? We'll see....

Further Updates on this Blog

Hi all,

I am experiencing a problem of getting into my blogs to update with new postings. I think it is due to some technical issue which many other bloggers are also facing, perhaps due to specific web browsers? I normally use a standard laptop where most of my pics are and update on Googlechrome.

I am able to update briefly now because I am using an IPad and am on Safari browser.

In the event that I am unable to further update on this blog, I will just create a new blog with a similar sounding name 'Unique Automata The Next Chapter'.

So see you all soon.

More musical boxes and mechanism arrangements

I recently purchased more musical boxes from Japan and the US. Some of them come with additional accessories. I am trying out some of my musical boxes in various orientations for new proposed projects.

For example, I created a cradle for this musical box which has an attached turning movement on top (yellow). However, I added an additional movement with a rotating lever (white). I have drilled several holes on top of the setup, which will be the stage, to allow for wires to pass through.

Here, I am playing around with a rc car mechanism to be linked to a musical box.

These are 3 simple setups for experimentation.

Book Review of "Cogs, Cams, Springs and Things!"

I got this rather charming booklet in 1995 which coincided with an automata exhibition in a UK art gallery. It emphasizes the quirkiness of their output. Note that the mechanism is usually visible to the viewer which was not the case with antique automata.

Tinkering with another mechanism

Some of the gears were epoxied to brass rods. In the background can be seen a useful link mechanism to two pivots.

 I then took a couple of gears, juxtaposed their positions to a musical movement and fitted them into place on a suitable piece of basswood.

Another piece of wood was glued as backing to add thickness.

Refurbishing the Acrobat Piece 4

The cam followers were carefully nudged into the cam tubes and were allowed to rest on top of the cams. When I tested the mechanism, the cam were pushed forwards, not upwards by the turning cams, thus causing the cam followers to jam in the cam tubes. I solved this by epoxying several Lego bricks in front of each cam follower to prevent them from moving forward and distorting the upward path. The position of the bricks was optimised by checking that the cam followers could slide up and down smoothly. I also sanded smooth the face of the bricks facing the cam followers.

The top of the new stage was painted black.

This picture shows the disassembled acrobat lying on top of the stage. The arms are being remade. Notice that the left arm has a small brass tubing embedded within it. This will serve as a guide for the cam link to the left shoulder.

The background scenery pieces on the old stage will also be re-used.

A summary on Automata

Most of the information on automata can be found on the internet. A search on the internet for “automata” would reveal numerous websites and blogs. Here is a concise summary.

Automata can be divided into historical and contemporary genres.

Historical

Automata traces it roots back to the period of antiquity, when the Greeks and Romans were mesmerising the public with animated “gods” and toys. Most of this motive power came in the form of energy from gravity-fed water or heat propulsion. When we fast forward the chronology to the Middle Ages, there were gravity-driven clocks and spring propulsion. From the 18^th century onwards, the advent of automata started in Switzerland resulting from clockwork expertise, then moved on to France where Gaelic artistic flamboyance saw the creation of doll-size mannequins dressed in fabric and brilliantly animated. These mechanisms invariably featured a key-wound spring mechanism connected to a shaft upon which numerous cams and levers would be mounted, each controlling various actions. Due to their complexity, most of the mechanisms were made of metal for durability.

This golden age of automata closed with the end of WWI, when that global conflict transformed the whole of European society and culture. Separately in Japan, there was a brief but separate development of sophisticated automata with wooden material.

Contemporary

Perhaps from about the 1960s onwards, there was a revival of interest in automata, possibly as part of a new art genre in animated sculptures. These were mainly rustic creations in wood and delighted many with their quirkiness. They were usually characterised by simple mechanisms.

With more awareness, literature became available documenting the history of automata and the principles of their mechanisms. Soon, a later group of makers started to produce more complex automata, using other materials besides wood. Some of these pieces are very big and would be classified as art installation. Most feature abstract themes as befits an emerging artform. 

Refurbishing the Acrobat Piece 4

I have followed through on the key points which I raised in the last posting. The picture shows the stage which has been epoxied on top of the mechanism. The cam "tubes" (square tubings) to accommodate the square-shaped links of the cam followers have also been carefully epoxied into position. A piece of plastic has been glued to further strengthen the tubings. The cams now turn properly as I have epoxied the shaft to the turning gear.

Some Nostalgia

I dug into my treasure trove of stuff and came up with these derelict figures. These were salvaged from other projects and were converted for a circus and performing band scene, sadly never fully realised.

As can be seen, many of these figures are articulated and also come with attached wires and hooks for animation. They will serve as spares for my new projects.

Cabaret Mechanical Theatre kit

Besides the book, CMT also produced a wooden kit which shows some of the simple mechanical action that can be created. Basically, the kit allows for the assembly of a simple jig with cams and a turning handle upon which simple automata can be activated.

Refurbishing the Acrobat Piece 3

How does one go about refurbishing an automata? These are some mental notes that I am recording to approach this problem.

1. To get access to the mechanism, I have to remove some of the Lego bricks. When I reconstruct the box, I will substitute with thinner panels cut from plastic or wood.

2. I need to make sure that the cams actually turn with the shaft. Perhaps I need to substitute a new screw for the gear.

3. The distance between the cam and the acrobat has to be determined empirically. Thus I need to fix the stage on top of the mechanism, which will in turn fix the distance between the cam and the acrobat.

4. The original stage was made from cardboard. This will be substituted with a thick plastic sheet to provide structural stability and support for the cam "tubes" which I am making.

5. For the cam "tubes", I have drilled out two holes into this plastic sheet. Two square metal tubes were glued carefully into these holes which will correspond exactly on top of the two cams below when the stage is glued on top (following pictures in a future posting will make this clearer).

6. I have selected smaller square tubings which slide smoothly into these cam "tubes" to make the cam followers.

That's it for now.

Refurbising the Acrobat Piece 2

Having decided on doing this, I removed all the external panels to fully reveal the mechanism.

Photos were taken of parts of the piece for reference which was then further disassembled for repairs.

 The disassembled piece showing the cams and followers enclosed by Lego bricks. the cams have been weighted down with lead pieces.

 The back view of the mechanism showing the stepping down gear ratio device from Tamiya.

The acrobat showing the wires which lift the body. The arms are quite detached from the body and I intend to rectify this.

Additional plastic"slats" have been added to the cam follower to prevent it from slipping off the cam edge.

This picture shows how unsecured and floppy the cam followers are when detached from the mechanism, When the cam sometimes catches the cam follower, twisting the angle, it jams the mechanism.

Some Musical Movements

I use either hand turned or key wound musical movements. These are typical 18-note mechanisms.
I have fixed these to wooden bases to amplify the sound.

Some have external turning shafts. What I have done is to  to fit additional turning shafts to some of them. A selection of set-ups has been created to test out ideas and prototypes.

Book Review of "Automata & Mechanical Toys"

This book by Mary Hillier has quite a good comprehensive history and survey on automata. It spans a long historical period from the Greeks to present day, and a global output stretching from karakuri in Japan to the penny wind-up tintoys of the USA. Of course, the primary coverage is on the golden age of automata as produced in France. There are some nice colour and black and white pictures which accompany the text. There is no coverage on the actual mechanisms though.

Book Review of "Animated Scale Models Handbook"

This book was one of the first few books that I got on animating models. Published by Arco books, I got this at Foyle's bookstore in London whilst browsing. Although aimed primarily at animating HO scale models in model train scenery, there are sections on mechanical movements which fire the imagination!

Book Review of "Cabaret Mechanical Movement"

The Cabaret Mechanical Threatre museum at Covent Garden, London was where I was exposed to the works of contemporary UK-based automata makers such as Paul Spooner, Tim Hunkin, Keith Newstead, Ron Fuller, Paul Markey, Jan Zalud and others. Their works are totally irreverent, very funny and imaginative.

I also got a Cabaret Mechanical Theatre book on making automata. This is a very interesting and enjoyable book which explains the basics of the mechanisms involved in a light-hearted manner, using numerous clear diagrams. Worth getting a copy. http://www.cabaret.co.uk/

Book Reviews of "Museum of Automata" and "Machinations"

Just to start the ball rolling, I've started to re-read my books and literature on automata. As this stuff is so arcane and many of these books are out of publication, I think that any postings on these books would help to increase public awareness. 

In 1995, I had visited a Museum of Automata in York, England, and got a nice book from the visit.  I understand that the museum closed in 1996 and most of its exhibits have moved on to a museum in Japan.

I had also visited the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre located in Covent Garden, London. I got a non-descript booklet published by Channel 4 Television, featuring the output of Paul Spooner, a very humorous and creative automata maker. As the cover is so plain, I attach a page from inside the booklet showing some interesting diagrams.

Updating the blog and earlier posts

I have changed the look of this blog to create a better visual experience.

I am updating the earlier postings as I recollect events and improve on the description of each piece.

I will also see if I can repair and restore the older pieces. If possible, I will post videos of these pieces in working order.

Spindles, Cams and Gears

In essence, music and automata movement are both fundamentally driven by a circular motion around a spindle. The spindle is usually an extension of a turning shaft from the musical movement.

One basic item for creating movement is the cam, which defines a locus around a fixed position on the turning spindle. Aside from an eccentric circular cam, the edge of the cam has to veer from a true circle to be of any value in creating  automata movement. Simply put, an irregular cam edge is closely followed by a rider which is linked directly to automata movement. However, as the rider exerts some back pressure on the cam, over time this would cause an improperly attached cam to detach and "roll" around the spindle. When that happens, no automata movement would be created.

In my earlier pieces, I had glued the cams onto a very thin wire or tubing. I had used thin material such as cardboard, rigid plastic or plywood for cams, and thin wire or tubing for spindles in order to minimise the space in my mechanisms. However, some of these cams have separated from their spindles and the mechanisms have failed now because the glue had dried out over time. I note that the thin wire tended to flex, exacerbating the problem over time.

I think that I will now try to use square tubing for the spindles for the following reasons:-

- hollow tubing is preferred over solid wire as it is lighter and easier to cut.
- the cams will not "roll" around a square spindle shaft.
- the square tubing provides the rigidity for my purpose.

The larger the square tubing, the smaller the chance for the cam to roll around the spindle.

I will also try to use rigid plastic, sheet metal or thin wood instead of cardboard for making the cams. This is simply because over time, the cardboard is less durable and will develop "spotting" or "foxing' due to acidity and humidity in the air.

However, I note that many of the plastic wheels that I have are pre-moulded with a circular centre hole. For now, the best solution is to find the best sized round spindle for each of these wheels and glue them. For the larger wheels, I may add additional spindle supports on either sides of the wheels for further stability.

Revisiting the automata

I had made all these 5 automata pieces more than 30 years ago, simply as a training for the mind. Hand and eye coordination came into play as I refused to measure any dimensions, and merely used visual estimation to plan my pieces. There were no screws used either. Everything was superglued or epoxied into position. I merely jiggled all the parts into position until the glue had set. If a mistake was made, this was simply ripped off and another attempt would be made. I used mainly discarded parts from old clockwork mechanisms, and other cast-offs. Frankly, I am amazed that they still worked then as their mechanisms were extremely fiddly.

Time, rust and constant playing with them has gradually eroded some of the inner workings of these older pieces.

I had also very limited literature on automata then. Nowadays, there are so many interesting websites devoted to automata. There are also a few good books which cover the basic mechanisms, which I will post about on my blog.

The technical discovery of placing short video clips on my blog, which are truly necessary for any interesting blog on automata, has rekindled my pursuit of this very challenging artform on creativity.

Here, I will re-explore simple automata linked to musical movements, preferably in miniature. As I don't have a clockmaker/jeweller's background, training, workshop or tools, this will be a unique approach to the discipline. Still, I do have the older pieces as reference for some mechanisms and inspiration.

However, learning from experience, it is best to approach the technically challenging aspects of automata with pragmatism. I intend to use measuring tools and also attempt to cut and fabricate all necessary parts with as much accuracy as is possible. I've realised that the precision in fabrication and optimal location of all moving parts minimises wear and tear and, thus, extends the life spans of the mechanisms. To that end, I have acquired a modest array of power tools which can be put to good use here.

Recently, I bought some musical movements and acquired some sets of proper interlocking gears. These gears should expedite any exploration into movement without the need to second guess whether the teeth would fit or not, which was the case with cannibalised items.

Stay tuned as I start to re-explore the world of automata.