Making Mechanical Toys

Automata and mechanical toys delight children and adults alike with the beauty of their design and the excitement of their movement. This book explains how the mechanisms work and celebrates many leading makers. Topics covered: ·History of automata & mechanical toys including the early inventors from Hero of Alexandria, through the mechanical marvels of the eighteenth & nineteenth centuries, to contemporary automata. ·Advice on how to get started; tools and materials required and techniques explained. ·Step-by-step instructions with clear colour photographs.

Mechanical toys transcend categories of age with their universal appeal. Whether the mechanism is hidden or revealed, simple or complex, the cycle of movement allows you to simply turn a handle and see the magic work. Making Mechanical Toys explains how to make these wonderful and fascinating toys through a variety of bright and exciting projects. 17 original "gallery" mechanical toys have been designed and made especially for this book, which includes step-by-step instructions with over a 140 color photographs and plans for making the toys. Advice on tools and materials, priming and painting, and tricks of the trade draw upon the author’s wide experience.

Designing and making successful automata involves combining materials, mechanisms and magic. Making Simple Automata explains how to design and construct small scale, simple mechanical devices made for fun. Materials such as paper and card, wood, wire, tinplate and plastics are covered along with mechanisms - levers and linkages, cranks and cams, wheels, gears, pulleys, springs, ratchets and pawls. This wonderful book is illustrated with examples throughout and explains the six golden rules for making automata alongside detailed step-by-step projects. Magic - an unanalyzable charm, a strong fascination so that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Superbly illustrated with 110 colour photographs with examples and detailed step-by-step projects.

This beautiful book draws on Robert Race's extensive collection of traditional moving toys, looking at the ways the makers have achieved remarkable and varied results, often with very limited resources. Each chapter begins by looking at the mechanisms and materials used in some of these traditional moving toys, goes on to consider possible variations, and describes how to make a related moving toy. It continues, from this basis, to develop a design for an automaton. The book shows that designing and making these simple but wonderfully satisfying mechanical devices is fun, and that good results can be achieved in many different ways, using a variety of materials, tools and equipment such as wood and wire, card and paper, bamboo, string, tin plate and feathers. It exploits, in a simple way, mechanisms such as levers, linkages, cranks and cams. It explores different ways of moving those mechanisms directly by hand, by springs or falling weights, and by the wind. Beautifully illustrated with 117 colour images.

This book deals with the evolution of mechanical toys following on the history of automata from very early times.

This practical book is a guide to making five kinetic, mechanical marvels. It combines basic mechanical principles with shaping and fitting components crafted from timbers and manufactured boards. An introduction to basic motion and mechanisms such as cams, cranks, levers and linkages to generate motion and movement in a wheeled toy is given. Useful construction and workshop techniques such as production aids for wheel-making are covered. Step-by-step instructions explain each project so that a simple push or pull action will magically bring the design to life. An essential guide to the workshop, including useful power tools for the toymaker and craftsperson. Includes: qualities, characteristics and uses of timbers and manufactured boards: painting and finishing techniques, and ideas to bring your designs to life. Superbly illustrated with 141 colour photographs.

Make Your Own, Amazing Moving Art! Have you ever wanted to create your own moving-part toy or mechanism but weren’t sure where to start? Now you can easily build fascinating kinetic structures and simple machines with this do-it-yourself guide to making art in motion. Master craftsman Rodney Frost shares his wealth of knowledge with clear explanations and easy-to-follow instructions, building from simple to more complex projects to help you quickly absorb the lessons and build your skills. Frost keeps the concepts relatable, the materials accessible, and the projects doable. Simple illustrations help explain how basic mechanisms work, including cams, cranks, levers, pulleys, gears, and flywheels. In the skill-building simple projects, Frost suggests making the models with inexpensive household items, such as cardboard and string, before beginning construction with wood. Although the book consists primarily of projects for beginners and those with a desire to learn the basics of mechanical constructions, the much-beloved Creative Kinetics has nevertheless become a valued resource for hobbyists of all ages and experience levels. The simplified projects explained here provide excellent opportunities to learn the fundamental components and functions of more complicated creations, making this book a helpful and inspiring springboard for exploration of more advanced artwork and sculptures.

Edward Thatcher's 1919 book, "Making Tin Can Toys," provides instructions on how to construct toy trucks, boats, trains, and windmills, as well as trays, candlesticks, and biscuit cutters, all out of used tin cans. Thatcher, an instructor of Decorative Metal Working at Columbia University's Teachers College in New York City, made clever and durable creations using simple tools and an abundant material. His design methods were trial-tested by both10-12 year olds and wounded World War I soldiers. The book includes over 100 helpful diagrams and black-and-white photographs.