A sweets dispensing device. We've raided Peter Von Czarnecki's sketch book to show you just a few of the ideas and plans he dreams up over there in Adelaide. Peter is a former newspaper artist turned art and antique restorer and collector of beautiful things... and "beautiful" junk that he then transforms into the wonderful and bizzare inventions that take pride of place in every Pancake Parlour Restuarant. Peter, with his genuine 1933 Ingersoll Micky Mouse watch and cracked spectacles is quite a character. He made his first masterpiece when he was only twelve... a clock constructed from cogs and springs he'd found. Soon after he built a soapbox racer. In typical Peter Von fashion it was a little bent... "when you turned the wheel to the left the car went to the right". A huge, beautifully restored, wine vat made of 50 mm thick Jarrah planks and strapped with highly polished brass bands is the setting for this elaborate "Jules Verne" chess setting. "Scientific Astronauts" chairs in studded black leather have been built from large industrial springs, tractor seats and other mechanical componetry. The chess board itself is inlaid squares of nickel and brass. The players reach their chairs by climbing a circular staircase also made from slabs of Jarrah with polished brass rails. Some early furniture designs intended for The Jam Factory in South Yarra Follow this link to the "Inventions, Gadgets, Contraptions, Machines" page to see some of Peter Von's amazing creations in detail and read the fascinating (but not necessarily true) story and inspiration behind the ideas. An early design for an interactive kiosk with "spaceship" controls designed by our promotions department in "Peter Von" style. Designs for the Chess Area at The Jam Factory. The Red Queen sits at an antique Jarrah table carefully restored by Peter Von Czarnecki in his studio-workshop. Details of the "Jules Verne" style chess table and chairs.The chairs are made from brass coated cast-iron tractor seats with deeply buttoned black upholstery... the table inlaid with constrasting squares of brass and nickel. Custom.made Baltic Pine cupboard for the Market Lane Restaurant complete with sweets dispensers and racks for aprons and tea-towels. Another idea for The Jam Factory, a wall of mirrors complete with famous Hollywood personalities... Clara Bow, Rudolph Valentino,W.C.Fields, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy and a young Shirley Temple. And on the subject of mirrors... here's a short clip of Harold Lloyd from the 1921 movie, "Number Please" showing Harold discovering a distorting mirror,  the same as in our restaurants. Click on the picture or the underlined text to play the movie. Or follow this link to a page with other Harold Lloyd Quicktimes. Every restaurant has a Funny Mirror in true "Luna Park" style. Here's Peter's original drawing for his proposed "distorting funny mirrors". The mirrors are 2.5 metres high. "Peter is one of a handful of people in the world who is capable of constructing such splendidly cranky machines... the others live in the United States, London and Belgium and he's possibly the best" Peter Von agrees it may seem strange he has no mechanical knowledge at all. "People ask me who my influences have been, and was Heath Robinson one of them?" he says. "But really I don't have any, so I have to invent them"."Heath Robinson had an excellent idea of mechanics. I don't. I just use pure lunacy"  Reprinted from The Adelaide Advertiser, 1989.. A Heath-Robinson drawing. Note from the Webmaster: Peter Von's latest ideas include plans for a "Dog-Paddling Submarine" and an "improved Pancake Stamping Machine". We'll add new drawings to this page along with a collection of Heath-Robinson drawings very soon... so come back and see what's new in "the future"