Breathingtaking Mechanical Creations in a Wine Glass
These amazing works of Szymon Klimek are simply stunning. The novelty of movement, elegance of design and whimsy of mechanics and art are hypnotic. Video after the cut.
Sponge, is a steam engine-like machine named for the latticework of tiny, interconnected brass pieces that expands and contracts as the engine runs. Sitting in a wine glass about a foot tall, a small silicon solar cell powers a concealed electric motor, which drives the 3-inch flywheel.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1ExKiIyxng[/youtube]
He doesn’t work to a specific scale, but customizes his designs for each glass: the opening of Sponge’s wine glass and the diameter of its flywheel differed by less than a millimeter. CAD programs assist with design, and Klimek, 57, assembles most of the machinery outside of the enclosures, cutting and shaping the pieces by hand. He says the wine glasses lend a bit of elegance to the display, and the spherical shape allows viewers to see the work from any angle. Sealing the top and gluing the machines down with clear resin also protects the delicate pieces from dust and curious fingers.
