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[Pacho]

Hah, I was thinking of something similar while I was reading the thread.  Lets say swinging mechanisms (levers, axe blade traps, stuff that needs to swing, etc), pulling or striking mechanisms (I can't seem to place the correct word, so please bear with me) the sort of mechanism that would shoot things out or pull them in one quick motion(for things like bolts, spears, spikes, triggering stuff, etc), and a linking or chain mechanism which is basically just for the transfer of energy from the levers to the bridges, doors, etc.  You know, links 

Oh right, this is about the material they're made of 

[Romantic Warrior]

Stone will crumble a lot faster than a metal mechanism will.

Iron, steel, copper, bronze, and brass will be rusted to bits or gummed up with verdigris before a good piece of stone shows any weather damage. Have your ever tried to cut granite? It tears up diamond coated saw blades.

It's not that clear cut.

[Puzzlemaker]

The way I view it is, metal reacts to pressure and strain differently then rock.

Rock tends to crack.  Metal tends to bend.

This mean that if a stone mechanism was created, if it was put under too much strain, it might get a small crack, which would rapidly increase in size whenever it was used until it broke in two.  If metal was put under strain, it would just bend, and may or may not spring back into it's original form, maybe with some minor warping.

I always thought rock mechanisms where strange because of this.  They would break.  They would need to be replaced often.  In my mind, they shouldn't even exist as "Mechanisms".  The most I can see them as is pivot points or counterweights.

By pivot points I mean, being the ball in a large ball and socket setup and other similar stuff (A notch in a rock to act as support for a spinning copper rod, giant rollers, etc).

Mechanisms should really consist of metal.

[Belteshazzar]

The most accurate depiction of mechanism would probable include several kinds of materials including but not limited to wood, rope, metal, stone, gems (fine jeweled watches anyone), and perhaps various oils or greases.