I once had a friend, a witty Austrian guy, who taught me some interesting German sayings. Among them, "Nicht alle Tassen im Schrank" (and its partner "nicht alle Latte am Zaun") caught my attention. Literally translating to "not all cups in the cupboard," it's used to describe someone who's a little out of their right mind. This saying inspired me to bring it to life through an automaton featuring two "cupboardheads" - one with all its cups intact and the other with some missing. My plan was to make them rotate halfway, briefly revealing their insides, and then continue their rotation. To construct these cupboardheads, I used plywood sheets and basswood, attaching each to a wooden disc. Initially, I intended to use mini hinges to mount the doors, but that didn't work out as expected. The brass rod, serving as the turning axis, was hidden within the door rather than mounted on the side. This caused misalignment issues with the hinge joint, resulting in excessive resistance. Consequently, I had to abandon the hinges altogether. As for the mechanism, it was relatively straightforward. One large pin-wheel drove two smaller ones, controlling the rotation and door movement, respectively. However, due to the turning of the cupboardhead, the door axis didn't remain stationary.
Achieving proper coupling and decoupling of the small pin wheel responsible for opening and closing the door required significant adjustments. At times, it became stuck or unintentionally turned the entire head instead of just the door. It proved to be a rather frustrating experience, and there were moments when I felt like giving up. I made sure to take ample breaks between attempts. However, when the doors finally opened and slammed shut seamlessly, it felt like fireworks were going off in my head. Adding the miniature porcelain tea set inside the heads was the icing on the cake, as I've always had a fondness for miniatures. Next came the task of carving the heads, something I had never done before. Little did I realize just how time-consuming and physically demanding it can be. After countless hours of listening to audiobooks and podcasts, I managed to achieve somewhat acceptable shapes. Finally, the last step involved giving the cupboardheads their faces. I experimented with different styles before settling on clay for the nose and mouth (no more carving!) and painting the eyes. This project marked my first venture into automata, and it's far from perfect. I made plenty of mistakes along the way, but I hope to learn from them. Despite the challenges I faced, the entire process turned out to be quite enjoyable.