My Beautiful Hair
I have revisited this automaton, the first of which I made in 2009. I have designed new mechanism in beech and birch ply with nylon bushes and rollers run very smoothly and consistently. The lady is carved from lime wood and finished with acrylics and several coats of varnish, finishing with a matt coat to give a smooth finish.
A Geneva wheel drives 5 scenes of hair brushing, contemplation and looking in the mirror.
The eyes, mouth and legs express emotions.
She even breathes!
Her bust heaves simulating breathing. Note the teflon washers that ensure a friction free motion.
The feet swing backwards and forwards and then swing forwards together when she looks in her mirror. A difficult feat to accomplish. (excuse the pun).
Brass eye mechanism inside the head.
The lady is carved out to lime wood. She sits on a beautiful oak plinth. The mechanism is mainly cut from beech wood for strength. Some critical parts are cut from high quality birch ply for absolute stability. These are varnished red.
The brass axle ends sit in nylon bushings for smooth quiet running.
A complicated mechanism that runs consistently and smoothly with nylon rollers. All cams are finished with several coats of wax acrylic varnish.
The crank has a screw fitting onto the axle allowing it to be replaced with a pulley if it was ever desired to motorise the automaton for exhibition.
The wooden crank handle rotates on its axles.
More details of the construction of this automaton can be seen in the gallery.
It is also available in the shop.