Making Automata display box

CeraCera will be invited for a small exhibition in an art & design activity and we are to showcase some of the models of our choice.



The first thing that come to mind is the need to design and make casing to house the fragile Paper Automata models. The casing will need to be transparent , able to protect the model and at the same time, allow visitor to turn the handle and view the automata action. So we start our journey in search for a suitable casing. After checking in the market, there is no such casing off the shelve and we decided to make it ourselve...........

Step One :
We found the thick plastic sheet from the local art&craft shop which is transparent and hard. We grab some.....including the foam sheet (1.2cm thick).



Need to consider how big the box need to be , including room for the automata motion that will probably beyond the base box.... plus some room on top to make it look nicer :-).


After the dimenion is fixed, we start cutting the plastic sheet. See figure below.








Next , cut out from the foam sheet and color paper, glue the color paper to the foam using double-sided tape.




Noticed that we cut out a circular hole from the plastic sheet, this is to allow rotation of the handle to take place.









Step 2 :


We secured the automata model to the foam using bluetac , double-sided tape, glue etc... to ensure the model is firmly, very firmly , attached to the base. This is important so that the automata is firm when any one turn the handle as they are not able to hold the model after putting it inside the box.


See the box before touch-up and additional color paper :







To be continued............