"Jim Wilkins" on Fri, 22 Aug 2014 18:39:10
-0400 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
"pyotr filipivich" wrote in message
.. .
Greetings and Salutations

The problem with not having money, is that you see things, and
instead of buying them, you go home and try to figure out how to
make
one.

In this case, it was a lamp with a music box. The whole thing
looked like a 'cabin' with a waterwheel, with a lamp socket at the
top
of the chimney. "cute". But, and this is the clever thing, there
were two doors - one served as the switch for the lamp, the other
for
the music box, which also powered the water wheel. Slick. And
cute.

So I went home and researched music boxes a bit. They run from $8
to $500, depending on quality, tunes and the like.

So I started sketching, counterweights, and pendulums and drums
and electro mechanical switches to start and stop an electric motor
for winding things up. Great fun. Realized "okay, this is called
a
'clock work' for a reason. Somebody must have plans."

So that is the question - sources for plans for a "clock work" -
one that will run off of either a pendulum, or a wound spring.

And then, the sketchbook took over. (it is haunted I think). And
I wound up with a clock tower - clock at the top, waterwheel at the
base, and windows going up and around the tower - each one with a
miniature light bulb, sequenced to make it appear that someone is
climbing the tower, doing something in the upper room, then going
back
down the stairs ... and then "when I look through the window I can
see
..." and now I'm trying to figure out what motions are involved in
making an autotom gesture, write, wave out the window, conjure up
magic ...
What started out as something the size of a small footprint
desktop computer is rapidly turning into the size of the desktop
itself. Or maybe taking over the desk! Run! Run! It's alive!

Anyway, if anyone can post some pointers to clockwork plans, I'd
appreciate them.

tschus
pyotr
--
pyotr filipivich.

I'm amazed at what the ancients could do with only simple hand tools
like Jesus used.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automaton

Thanks,

The "difficulty" is in getting the thing planned. Reducing the
complexity of a "simple" gesture to the specific moves. E.g., the
motions of shoulder, elbow and wrist as you touch your forehead and
then your belly button? Or the famous "elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist"
parade wave? Simple to do, but to make a mechanical thing do it?

Oh well, on ward.






--
pyotr filipivich
"With Age comes Wisdom. Although more often, Age travels alone."