While I wait for parts to come in for my new adventure ( see the previous post ) just to keep my chops in shape I’m building another of those $149.99 pieces. This one is tentatively titled “Mr. Brown”.

The secret part which I believe will be the key to success in my film machines is a sync block. Tuesday I ventured down to the film department at Massachusetts College of Art and Design where I teach animation and 2D design and found this piece of equipment. Should be very handy as the main drive mechanism for leading the film loop through the installation. MIT has a fantastic flea market this Sunday and I’m hoping to turn one up, if not, it’s on to Ebay for my search!

This is turning out to be a wonderfully productive week. Right now I have two pieces on the workbench; Delicious turned out to be a tour-de-force combining very cool back and forth motion in the foreground ( made from that Thai fruit can ) and an arm behind which whips back and forth really fast. The whole thing, reminds me of a boy and a giant lolly pop or perhaps an insane crossing guard.

Headless boy with Lolly Pop

The second piece involves a ratchet mechanism which I’m building into a small spice can. Rather than a continuous motion I’d like this one to slowly reveal something after a bit of work turning the crank. Very compact and interesting fun so far!

Ratchet Spice

Completed number two in the “$149.99 Challenge” last night . It is not yet named ( any ideas? ). After fooling around with several actions I arrived at this quick return back and forth tilting mechanism. One very happy surprise, when the Fromme’s Coffee Lid reaches it’s full left or right stop position it vibrates and makes this great sound! This is due to the piano wire used to guide the piece too and fro.

The point of these short sketches is to allow for some experimentation. It’s wonderful when this leads to some new ideas which I’ll be able to incorporate into future work.

My Morning Coffee