This is a tough one because Marji and I are not word people. We collect words that might be good sculpture names. Science museums are a good source as well as yacht names. You'll also notice we rely heavily on music vocabulary and dance references. We often live with a sculpture for months before a name sticks. And we have family contests as well. Have any good ideas?
No. I use the different wood colors to separate the motion aspects of the mechanisms. I don't do custom staining because my finishing area isn't setup to handle it. I have limited space and it would be too expensive and time consuming.
I am willing to install your fabric into the frame of any sculpture that has a fabric background ring, like Pulsar. I charge a small fee for this service. You need to supply 1 square yard of fabric. The patterning of the wheels is most impressive when backed by a darker fabric verses a pastel. Prints interfere with the design. The fabric should be a medium weight.
Guarantee:• My kinetic sculptures are guaranteed to the original owner for a period of five years. All warranties expire with transfer of ownership from the original owner. Damage of the sculpture from exposure to extremes of high or low humidity, or to adverse hot or cold temperatures, or damage caused by normal wear and tear, accidents, misuse, or modification will not be covered by the warranty. Shipping and insurance to and from Wood That Works is the responsibility of the purchaser.
• I will charge a reasonable repair fee if the sculpture was damaged by misuse or needs refurbishment from normal wear and tear.
The best description of how I started designing and building kinetic sculptures is in the History section of this web site. I didn't study in any formal manner to learn to build kinetic sculptures. I have found one book that has some great mechanism drawings.
Five Hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements by Henry T. Brown copyright 1868, 1896
I also recommend beginners check out Dustyn Roberts book Making things Move.
I make my living designing and building original pieces in strictly limited editions. I freely provide quite a bit of information about my work and the process I go through creating it on my web site. I encourage others to try their hand at a creative endeavor.
I never sell plans for my sculpture. It would be a betrayal of my loyal customers, collectors and galleries. I enjoy creating and building, not publishing. Maybe someday, when I can no longer spend my days in the studio, I'll write a book. Hopefully that is many years in the future.
My advice to those who would like to make mechanical kinetic sculptures is to start simple. Try making a simple escapement from the book above or check out the links section of this site for sites that do sell plans.
Visitors are welcome at my studio but please call ahead to make an appointment. There is more information including contact info on the Visit Us page here.