Irish Elk Automaton

A mechanical 1:25 scale Irish Elk skeleton for the Grant Museum of Zoology, inspired by their own elk skull specimen. 

This piece was made as a donation box automaton and ‘runs’ when the handle is turned. The piece sits on an acrylic box I made, which acts both to house the mechanism and as a box to receive donations.

The skeleton was formed from brass sheet which I hammered into shape, while elements of the mechanism were machined from brass bar using the lathe and mill.

The case containing the skeleton was turned from oak and blackened using the traditional method of an acidic iron solution, which I made from lemon juice and steel wool. This reacts with the wood to turn it black when it is brushed on. I ‘limed’ the grain of the wood with a wax to give the effect of a white highlighted grain.