This
Page has some details about our automata and a few answers to
frequently asked questions.
All Fourteen Balls Automata
are made by Matt Smith and over the last few years his wife Sarah
has been helping with the painting .
The Automata are designed by either Paul Spooner or Matt Smith and
are made in Falmouth in the UK.
The Automata are all made from raw materials and with the exception
of a few things like nails and screws all the parts are made in
Matt's workshop.
All the carving is done by
hand the majority being done with surgeons scalpels ( and plasters
).
All the dovetails are cut by
hand ( they look much nicer than machine cut dovetails ).
Where they are painted they
usually have one coat of sanding sealer up to three coats of gesso
and then finished with Liquitex paint.
The list of materials
usually consists of the same few woods and metals I've listed them
here with a description of each and why it's used.
1. Douglas fir : I use this extensively for boxes it has a very fine
grain and ages beautifully to a deep orange / red colour .
2. Lime : Used for carving ,
this can be very finely textured and carves very easily , when cut
is very smooth and paints easily.
3. American Walnut : this I
use for boxes and mechanisms mainly for it's colour although it does
machine well.
4. English Elm : now in very
short supply a lovely timber with many colours running through it I
use it for boxes.
5. Beech : used for levers
etc.....
6. Yew : a very stable
timber it does not move with changes in humidity , used for sliding
parts and bearings . Unfortunately it is very difficult to find.
7. Other timbers such as
Ebony , Box wood , Mahogany and Rosewood I use when I come across a
reclaimed source. ie. Piano keys , broken furniture or in the case
of Rosewood an old dance floor ( from Warwick castle ).
8. Birch plywood : good for
cam and pin wheels.
9. Brass : used for
bushes , followers , bearings , pins etc.............
!0. Stainless steel : mainly
used for shafts.
11. phosphor bronze wire :
used for links and wire parts , very springy.
12. Tufnol : A great
material ( resin bonded paper or cloth ) used for cams and parts
that need to be strong and light.
13. Plastics : I don't use
plastic much but you will find Delrin and P.T.F.E used on occasions.
14. Bellows leather : for
bellows ( thanks to Bebbingtons )
I Hope I have not bored
everyone stupid with this list but I do get asked often ! |