It is hard to believe that the amazing wooden ones from Alexei Safonov are really real. 1:36 scale with over 1,000 wooden parts, differentials with calculated gear ratio, door hinges 0.5 mm long. models, work-like Perm master Alexei Safonov, no one else in the world makes.
These scale models cars seem very, very fragile. The first thought that arises when looking at Safonov's models is how is this done? How can you machine two dozen half-millimeter door hinges, insert an even thinner pin into them and make this door open? How can clutch gears be machined and connected to the transmission if the diameter of each gear does not exceed a few millimeters? Despite the fact that all this is not steel, but wooden, almost weightless and requires inhuman accuracy in calculations and processing.
It turns out - it is possible. Alexey makes all the tools for microwork on his own - from the simplest stacks and awls to a small lathe. The thinnest drill he uses can hold drills up to 0.3 mm in diameter. The work is carried out in special glasses with hourly lenses or with the help of compact 12-fold microscopes. The rest is a matter of technique and perseverance, since each scale model car is created from three months to a year and a half.
For example, the technology for manufacturing a wheel for the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 of 1932 looks like this: the hubs are machined separately, the rim is separately, and then the proper number of micro-holes is drilled in both at different angles - for each spoke. All spokes are made by hand and then they are cast on by joining the rim and hub. Slow, very delicate work, requiring great experience and patience.
How a master is born
Alexey was fond of micromodeling back in his school years, almost from the very beginning he made models from wood - of course, much simpler than today. The future master graduated from the Perm Art School, worked in different places sometimes quite exotic. For example, for several years he was engaged in the manufacture of orthopedic butts for sports weapons at the regional DOSAAF club, then he made stage models in the theater with all the turning and moving parts, in color. And since 1990, he finally returned to his early passion, taking up cars - but on a completely different level.
It is interesting that scale models of cars made in the 1990s have already fallen into the press and into the Guinness Book of Records (1994 edition) due to their excellent detail (500-600 parts) and accuracy, many moving elements, uniqueness of work. But who then guessed that Safonov would not stop there - each new model turned out to be much more complicated than the previous one, and its latest work, Bugatti Type 41 Royale Limousine Parc-Ward, consists of 2540(!) parts. The car model is made on a scale of 1:24, and everything moves in it - without exaggeration. The hood opens and folds, the blinds turn on it, the doors open (and even door locks- to open, you need to turn the handle on the bamboo spring), the lever moves hand brake, the suspension sags under the model's own weight. If you turn rear wheels, the drive is triggered via cardan shaft(oblique gears), the engine crankshaft moves, the fan rotates. Steering also detailed, sustained even gear ratio: two turns of the steering wheel - a full turn of the front wheels. The roof is removed, drawers and glove compartments in the cabin are pulled out, wipers move, additional seats recline.
But it's not just about moving elements - fixed ones also amaze with their accuracy. Even the elephant mascot on the hood of the Bugatti is perfectly carved, and the letters that form the name are made with the highest degree of accuracy and pasted on the hood. In the manufacture of the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 radiator grille, 0.2 mm thick ebony plates were used. In order to install them perfectly parallel to each other, Alexei invented and made special device. And one last thing: each spark plug on an Alfa Romeo (think of the size) consists of three individual parts… No wooden toy store in the whole world will sell you this! With all this, Alexey shrugs his shoulders and talks about his work very simply, although not without legitimate pride. He does not use any unique technologies he has no secrets. If you have enough skill and patience, you can try to do the same. But today there is no other modeler in the world who has found in himself the same internal resources. Although not in the last case.
Some equipment for making car models
If at the first glance at Safonov’s car models, the only feeling that arises is admiration mixed with surprise, then at the second one appears technical questions. For example: not every tree is sufficiently finely dispersed, many varieties are not able to maintain hardness with such “grinding”. What varieties does the master use? Very different: ebony, rosewood, Rhodesian teak, hornbeam, walnut, boxwood, plum, apple, bamboo, pear, cherry, beech, walnut wood, mahogany. Alexey says that he tries to select monochromatic varieties with a minimally visible structure, and uses more than a dozen in one machine. various materials to emphasize the difference in the coloring of the parts. Collectible models of cars are not painted: shades of wood are enough so that the cars do not seem monotonous.
In addition to wood, other materials are also used - in cases where, for example, greater hardness is needed or, conversely, softness with ultra-precise processing. In particular, for some gears and decorative elements, Safonov uses sperm whale tooth, elk horn, walnut shell, persimmon or date palm pits. Awnings are made of cotton fabric. The only element in the models for which no plant or animal material was found was glass. Glass as such with such a microthickness becomes too brittle, and therefore it is necessary to use lavsan film or plastic - but this is the only indulgence of modernity, and technologically indispensable. The craftsman covers some parts with special varnishes and resins to give additional strength and flexibility.
The second question we asked Alexey was: where do you get the drawings from? After all car models detailed not only externally, but also internally, right down to the design of the differential and engine! It turned out that the sources of drawings are very different. Actually, initially even the choice of a model for manufacturing directly depended on what drawings could be obtained - especially in the pre-Internet era. The master corresponded with collectors, with museums - for example, the drawings of the Rolls-Royce were sent by a collector from India.
Alexey's current project is the sequential production of all six copies of the legendary Bugatti Type 41 Royale series (two cars - Coupe Napoleon and Limousine Parc-Ward - have already been made). He made the drawings for them himself. At the invitation of the world's largest automobile museum, the Cite de l'Automobile, he twice traveled to the French city of Mulhouse, where he personally measured the two mentioned Bugattis.
The remaining four Royals are in other collections (Volkswagen Museum, Henry Ford Museum in Michigan, Blackhowk Museum in California and the private collection of the Swiss Luca Yuni), they still have to be worked on. Actually, some Safonov models are also in automobile museums world: for example, "Ford-A" and "Ford-T" - in the Berlin Museum of the Ford Fan Club.
Not only cars
Alexey Safonov does not only collection car models(although they, of course, excel in his work). Cars are primarily a pleasure, which at the same time generates income. But sometimes Alexei works on commission. For example, he made an accurate and, of course, fully functioning copy of a multi-purpose machine for drilling operations and pumping oil of the Mukhtarov system at the end of the 19th century - from 728 parts! The oilman Murtuza Mukhtarov designed and patented his machine in 1895 - and this machine was the most advanced at that time, it was purchased by Europe and the USA, and it was used in the Baku fields until the 1930s. Making a working copy of a machine is no easier than making any of the car models, and for good reason, customers (Lukoil) turned to the Perm master.
I really wanted to title this article "Perm lefty". But that would be unfair: Alexei Safonov is both left-handed and right-handed, and a master of all trades. From the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit, he was sent a letter in which Safonov was called the creator of a new genre of automotive art. “Art-motors-master,” Safonov smiles, “that’s what they called me.” It must be very pleasant to know that you are the only representative of your kind of art in the world.
used on credit admiral-motors.ru
You only see such cars in pictures: they are too rare and expensive to ride on our streets. In addition, Morgan, almost the only car in the world, assembled entirely by hand.
I visited a factory in England and saw how the famous "cars made of wood" are assembled, which cost from 15 to 30 million rubles.
1 Get on car factory it's not tricky, many sell group tours, buy a ticket and go. First, they will show the museum, then they will ride on a train, they will show the conveyor from afar and that's it, have lunch in the dining room. When buying a ticket on the website of the plant, I doubted whether it would be better to gobble up this money? 
2 Those who know my dislike for museums (it's just boring) understand my concerns. But they did not materialize: they showed it to us only at the end, literally pushing it there after the tour and offering to “stay and walk as much as you like”. At first, they showed only this showroom, where cars are presented that have not become serial. Although what is “serial” for manual production! 
3 It all starts with the engine. Old Morgan does not produce them (why) but buys ready-made from different manufacturers. Now signed a contract with BMW. 
4 Everything starts in this room. The factory premises are very old, over a hundred years old, and practically nothing has changed here. 
5 Morgan cars are not stamped, so that they then gather dust in the warehouses of car dealerships. Each of them is individual and made to order. The client chooses everything, right down to the material and color of the interior of the glove compartment. In such books, the entire specification and special requirements for the car are recorded, and the passage of assembly cycles is also noted in it. 
6 Contrary to the stereotype, we see that cars are not made of wood at all. So are they wooden or not? Yes and no, everything has its time. 
7 Body parts made of aircraft-grade aluminium. 
8 Which is literally finished with a file. 
9 But the frame of the car is really wooden! Made from ash. 
10 But here, too, everything is made in tandem with aluminum, so it won't fall apart so easily. All materials are specially selected so as not to add extra weight to the sports car. 
11 Some production techniques may seem archaic. How, and for this they want 30 million? Yes. And they get paid. 
12 No woodgrain plastic. Everything is real. Can afford. 
13 Morgan Is Probably The Last Really real car. It is made without saving, and not for the sake of making money on spare parts. 
14 They could have built a conveyor line a long time ago, but in the end they roll cars up and down the hills, from building to building, pushing the Morgans, like Armenians in a car service pushing a stalled Zhigul. 
15 Many orders for such machines from America. But in Russia they don’t buy such cars, there are literally a few of them in the country. And it's not about the lack of money. 
16 The design of the forties, the simplest in appearance, is somewhat reminiscent of children's drawing car. But try it again. 
17 
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19 The car only looks archaic. Inside, it is ultra-modern and stuffed with electronics that your Be-me-ve. 
20 Some colors may appear too flashy. But so wanted the future owner. 
21 By the way, he will tear off the film from the nameplate himself. Like new household appliances. 
22 In the background, in the guest parking lot, you can see ordinary cars. What same he boring!! 
23 Another production, quite small, is tricycles. A hundred years ago, it was with them that the Morgan Story began. 
24 Today they have revived these cars, which now seem completely ridiculous. But in vain. 
25 One of the finished Morgan variants. 
26 Are there any flaws in Morgan? Only one: it is too expensive. 
27 Well, how now to look at other cars? 
Where is the story?Morgan motor company- a small English company for the production of limited sports cars luxury class. Founded in 1909. Founder - Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan. The Morgan Motor Company factory is located in Malvern, in central England. All Morgan cars feature classic or classic 30s and 40s sports car styling and are handcrafted. The main material for the assembly of all Morgan models are such varieties of trees as ash, oak, aspen, maple and high-strength steel, as well as aircraft-grade aluminum. In the interior decoration, expensive Windsor cowhide leather and satin-finished aluminum are used; at the request of the customer, inserts from valuable varieties of trees and gold are placed on the car.
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Toy cars are definitely an interesting thing. And believe me, making a typewriter out of wood with your own hands is a business that is also interesting and very exciting.
In addition to design solutions and a little perseverance and patience, we need.
- Wooden bars (it is advisable to immediately pick up, according to the width of the future machine, this will speed things up).
- Wheelbase from a toy car (the wheels must be on a metal axle.)
- Hacksaw for wood or metal.
- File, sandpaper, drill, drill.
- PVA glue or other wood glue
- Oil paints (colors of your choice), brush.
- Scotch tape.
Video of the design development process.
The wooden machine itself will consist of three main parts that need to be put together, or rather, two pieces of a bar (the cabin is the upper part and a piece of wood imitating everything else) and a wheelbase.
The upper part of the machine is a piece of wood sawn off at different angles from the bar, the slopes imitate the front and rear glass. We apply markings on the narrowest side of the bar and saw off, processed with a file, sandpaper - the part is ready for painting. 
We make the lower part of the car according to the same principle, only we make the bevels not so sharp, not at such a steep angle, preferably in several planes, otherwise the bumpers will look very simple. We sawed out the main slopes, finalized the small details of the bumper with a file, planer, knife. Sanded, drilled through holes for wheelbase We're all getting ready to paint.
Painting is very important - the shape of the car is simple, but if you paint it correctly, then it will look like a good, stylish, "vintage" toy. At the beginning we paint the details, let the paint dry in the background color. Then we apply the next color, shape and paint zones are created using masking tape. In the same way we apply inscriptions and numbers. We install the wheelbase - the wooden machine is ready.
You can make several of these machines out of wood with your own hands, let's say a whole series. And create a whole game-story for yourself and your children.
Do-it-yourself wooden cars
Model The GT-10. 
Model Carbon 77. 
Model Doc Ryder. 
Model The Plum 50 - New addition! 
And the Police. 
View details and can even buy . All history on
Alexey was fond of micromodeling back in his school years, almost from the very beginning he made models from wood - of course, much simpler than today. The future master graduated from the Perm Art College, worked in different places, sometimes very exotic. For example, for several years he was engaged in the manufacture of orthopedic butts for sports weapons at the regional DOSAAF club, then he made stage models in the theater with all the turning and moving parts, in color. And since 1990, he finally returned to his early passion, taking up cars - but on a completely different level.
It is interesting that scale models of cars made in the 1990s have already fallen into the press and into the Guinness Book of Records (1994 edition) due to their excellent detail (500-600 parts) and accuracy, many moving elements, uniqueness of work. But who knew then that Safonov would not stop there - each new model turned out to be much more complicated than the previous one, and his latest work, the Bugatti Tour 41 Royale Limousine Parc-Ward, consists of 2540 (!) Parts. The car model is made on a scale of 1:24, and everything moves in it - without exaggeration. The hood opens and folds, the blinds on it turn, the doors open (even the door locks work - to open, you need to turn the handle on the bamboo spring), the hand brake lever moves, the suspension sags under the model's own weight. If you turn the rear wheels, the drive is activated through the cardan shaft (oblique gears), the engine crankshaft moves, the fan rotates. The steering is also detailed, even the gear ratio is maintained: for two turns of the steering wheel - a full turn of the front wheels. The roof is removed, drawers and glove compartments in the cabin are pulled out, wipers move, additional seats recline.
But it's not just about moving elements - fixed ones also amaze with their accuracy. Even the elephant mascot on the hood of the Bugatti is perfectly carved, and the letters that form the name of the brand are made with the highest degree of accuracy and pasted on the hood. In the manufacture of the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 radiator grille, 0.2 mm thick ebony plates were used. In order to install them perfectly parallel to each other, Alexei invented and made a special device. And one last thing: each spark plug on an Alfa Romeo (imagine the size) consists of three separate parts ... No store will sell you this wooden toys worldwide! With all this, Alexey shrugs his shoulders and talks about his work very simply, although not without legitimate pride. He does not use any unique technologies, he has no secrets. If you have enough skill and patience, you can try to do the same. But today there is no other modeler in the world who has found in himself the same internal resources. Although not in the last case.
It is easy for a child to instill a love for technical crafts by engaging him in unusual crafts. One of these crafts miniature car from wood.
In order to make such a machine, we need printouts of photographs of the most various machines, wood blanks, as well as a band saw or jigsaw, glue, sandpaper, acrylic paints, a grinder or sandpaper glued to a wooden block, tape measure or ruler.
Making a car model out of wood is not difficult work, but it is better to do it with your child or let him make such a car on his own under your control, especially if machines are used in the manufacture.
Even small children's 6 in 1 Machine Tools must be used with care and safety.
At the very beginning, you will need to print a photo of the machine that will be manufactured. Right size should be edited by yourself. It will be easiest to find photos of the car in the vastness of the network. The photo must be of the side of the car, as well as the trunk, hood and roof. However, you can use only photographs of the side parts, and draw the top view yourself in a graphics editor.
However, you can arm yourself with paints and brushes and draw the missing details directly on the wooden blank after assembly.
When the images are prepared and printed, you can proceed directly to work, that is, pick up a wooden blank and see if the side image of the machine fits on it.
If the image fits, then you should immediately glue it to this blank. We will need it in order to carefully cut out a picture - a car using a band saw or a jigsaw.
In the future, the forms will be processed, so at the first stage it is enough to make a silhouette of the car.
After the silhouette is carved on the tree, sandpaper is used to level the surface of the car. If you used thinner bars than finished model car - merge them together.
For gluing, it is better to use clamps or put a load on the parts to be glued.
When the blanks dry out, it will be necessary to complete the processing of the tree, bringing it to perfect condition. For this mission, you will need a sander from the 6 in 1 Machine Tool kit or sandpaper glued to a block of wood.
To do this, unstick the photographs attached to the blank. They often suffer during processing and it's time to replace them with the final images.
With the help of paper, multiple irregularities are removed that would interfere with the correct gluing.
For gluing, a small amount of glue is applied to the cleaned surface on both sides and the prepared pictures are glued. The glue is applied carefully over the entire plane, in order to cover the side of the workpiece with a thin layer of glue, use a thin wooden plate - for example, a piece of an ordinary student's ruler to smear the glue.
The glue must be chosen so that it does not impregnate the paper and ugly spots do not appear. Titanium ceiling tile adhesive is very suitable for this - it is a colorless, transparent, alcohol-based adhesive.
After the printouts are pasted, it is necessary to leave the blanks to dry completely for about an hour.
Now you need to give the car model a beautiful aesthetic appearance. Therefore, with the help of acrylic paints, we make the color of the "wooden car" identical to the "real" one.
Finish the roof, hood and windshield and rear window. If you have used prints on all surfaces of the workpiece, then watch how the paper joins at the corners of your model.
If the desired color scheme does not work out, you should mix paints and draw the missing details. To draw small details, you should take a brush with a thin tip.
After the paint has dried, the model should be varnished for the durability of the craft.
