Simple Yet Deceiving

Hooray...Good Job...Go Team.  When the red knob is cranked the hands will clap and smiles ensue.   This was one of the mechanisms that I had trouble understanding and wanted to conquer while at Arrowmont.  Once again my teacher was able to give guidance and I was off and running.   I started with a solid block and cut out a rectangle by drilling holes in each corner and using the scroll saw to sever from hole to hole.  As I have stated, I do not like making boxes because they call for precision, and of this I am lacking. It will not replace the need for making boxes in the future but for this application it was perfect.  I drilled 2 holes through the top crossbar and 1 hole straight across in each sidebar. Using wire, surprise... surprise, I ran a piece through the side holes and bent it so it will move in a circular motion when cranked.  To make the hands move I had to feed the wire through the top holes, cross them, and loosely connect them to the cross wire.  Because the wires are crossed, the circular motion makes the loose connections move across the wire which in turns makes the hands open and close.  A bit confusing but when seen it is an Ahhh moment.

I highly suggest watching Blair Summerville: Lost and Found - Worlds Largest Collection of Rustic Automata on YouTube.  It is quite incredible what he makes out of found items.  This is where I caught a glimpse of this piece and the idea for the mermaid from my last blog.

Yesterday was my first try at home made apple cider.  Using our crockpot, 10 apples, one orange, cinnamon, sugar and cloves, I made the house smell terrific.  Although the juice came out a bit weak...the recipe said to cover the apples, which float, so therefore I kept adding water...I believe with the addition of more spices it may be salvageable.  I shall be testing it out shortly.

On this rainy evening I am off to a comfort meal of ham slices with mac and cheese.  Can't get much better than that.
Peace,
Hilari

A Different Perspective

As I stated in a previous blog, there are times that the process just flows and all goes according to plan.  The pieces are cut straight, the fit is perfect and the motion is smooth.  (See X-Box Widow post)  This was not the way in this case.  I came across a bag of nice wood cuts at a yard sale, and having a particular project in mind I handed over my three dollars. After using the allotted number for the initial use, I had a few of these 2 x 3 inch blocks to play with.  The first manipulation, cutting the openings inside the rectangle, worked like a charm. After that, all was a time consuming mess.  My first thought was to have the movement wire driven.  The wire worked wonderfully for the piece in my last blog.  I drilled tiny holes in the side walls and the top for the wire to move through easily and formed the wire to make the balloon spin.  All was going so well.  I turned the crank and nothing, no spinning or movement at all. The wire was not able to move through the hole due to it jamming up. Ok, simple solution, just drill a slightly bigger hole in the top.  After more adjustments, I realized that the movement made by the wire manipulation was not going to work. Not just needs more time to figure out but the actual wrong type of motor, so to speak. Wire put side, I grabbed1/8 and 1/2 inch dowels.  More adjusting and now : spin, jam up, slightly spin, hop a bit, jam up again. Gggrrrr!!! Last ditch effort is to go up in size again from 1/8 to 1/4 with drill bits and dowel. This was the answer to the problem that plagued me for many hours. She is still not as smooth as others but she has taken all I have to give her. 

We just returned from the Angel Tree outside of Charleston, S.C. for a wedding this weekend and the bride asked me to design her wedding Thank You gifts.  This is why the wooden blocks were originally purchased. I had the glass vials in my stash, also from a yard sale, so with these, the blocks, a drill press, sandpaper, and a tree stamp from ETSY, these bud vases came to be.  Thank goodness she did not want girls spinning balloons.

Before we left, Amazon dropped off a glass orb to play with during our weekend travel. It creates a fisheye effect while holding it in front of the cellphone lens. I have to say there was a bit of a learning curve but once I got the feel for what I thought the outcome was going to be it was fun to play with. It was by my side all weekend and I got some interesting shots. I even captured the bride and groom with a bit of help from the bride's son. It was a lovely weekend and a great pleasure to share all our love with BFF and her new husband.

I am now off to snuggle in bed and watch a Hallmark movie...She is not interested in him, He likes her, She now likes him too, there is some dissention, neither likes each other, and then in the end all is right between them. Sometimes mindless tv is what is called for to end the day. May you find your true Hallmark love, if you haven't already. Hilari