Sunday, 17 May 2015
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.
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.
Tuesday, 12 May 2015
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.
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.
Sunday, 10 May 2015
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.
Photos were taken of parts of the piece for reference which was then further disassembled for repairs.
Additional plastic"slats" have been added to the cam follower to prevent it from slipping off the cam edge.
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.
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.
Thursday, 7 May 2015
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.
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