It’s a Hardly

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In today’s world of computer controlled machinery and high-tech precision machining, there are few craftsmen left who are able to create something in metal by hand, in amazing detail and precision, and even fewer who use those skills to make puzzles. Rocky Chiaro is one such master craftsman, and I’m pleased to say that having met the man himself at IPP and spent some time talking to him about his puzzles, and playing with some of his bolts, that I now have one of his puzzles in my collection… and it won’t be the last!

It's a Hardly

It’s a Hardly

This stunning puzzle is a mechanical puzzle made to look like an early Harley Knuckle Head Motor. Now as a biker this appeals to me, and as an engineer who doesn’t appreciate engines. Now granted I should apologise to Rocky as I have played with this puzzle, and I didn’t polish it before taking the pictures, so it’s covered in fingerprints!

Hand made with a great eye for detail, this 2″ high motor is not the most challenging of the puzzles Rocky makes, but it is beautiful. Having said that, I did find the first move very quickly, but didn’t get much beyond that for a while. There’s plenty to poke and prod at, and a few things which hint at movement, but nothing really moves. I had a fair idea as to what should happen next but it took me far too long to actually execute it. That has to be attributed to the amazing tolerances in the puzzle. It’s made so well as to give nothing away, and really is a nice puzzle to solve.

The hand engraved signature on the side of the puzzle

The hand engraved signature on the side of the puzzle

As you can see Rocky has signed his work by engraving the side of the puzzle. I really should get this polished back up to the level that it arrived in!

I don’t think it will keep experienced puzzlers stumped for long, but I’m very glad to have it in my collection. As I mentioned earlier, I’ll be ordering quite a few more puzzles from Rocky in the future, so keep an eye out for some thoughts here. If you’re interested in Rocky’s keys or bolts, then a fair few of my fellow bloggers have written about them, so go check out their pages!

Get Charged

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Get Charged is a trapped object puzzle made by Bits & Pieces where the object is to remove the spark plug from its wooden cage. Two steel rods prevent the plug from being removed through either side, and the plug itself is just too long to be slid out, despite the hole in the top which might make you believe otherwise. I received my copy from Puzzle Master.

Get Charged in the start position

Get Charged in the start position

Spurred on by my recent success with the quality of Akio Kamei’s Book Box which is also from Bits and Pieces, I was in high spirits that I’d have another well made puzzle. At first glance, as you can see from the picture above, it does look like a well made puzzle. Measuring 3.75″ x 2.25″ x 1″ and sporting a shiny new spark plug, it looks like a nice puzzle.

It arrived in the usual plain white cardboard box, but when I opened that the puzzle was tightly bubble wrapped, and I was thinking that things were looking good. Sadly when I removed the bubble wrap, I was a little disappointed.

Unwrapping the packing, the spark plug was free, and one of the pins stuck in the corner of the bubble wrap.

Unwrapping the packing, the spark plug was free, and one of the pins stuck in the corner of the bubble wrap.

This is what I found when I opened the packaging. Sadly the puzzle was already in the solved state, and before I could play with it by returning it to the starting position, I had to solve it to reset it. I’m actually being a little generous with the photo here, as when I took the puzzle out of the bubble wrap, the second metal bar was stuck inside the bubble wrap and I didn’t find it until I re-checked all the packing, having tried to figure out why the spark plug lifted straight out of the frame, and there were two holes which did nothing in either side of the frame. Given that this is a simple puzzle, and I pretty much knew how it was going to work before it arrive it’s not that much of a problem, but it was rather a shame.

Unfortunately, that’s not my only problem with this puzzle. Unlike the picture on Puzzle Master’s page, the joinery here is pretty poor. Rather than the nice half mortice, we have a butt joint, which works but has no strength. Also the puzzle has been badly slathered in a red paint, and not sanded prior to painting, meaning there are lots of burrs on the inside of the frame, and some sloppy excess paint in there too. Ok, it’s not an expensive puzzle I hear you cry, but it really doesn’t take much more effort or cost to finish the puzzle slightly better.

Drilling straight is not easy

Drilling straight is not easy

Chipped frame after painting

Chipped frame after painting


Also the metal bar which prevents removal of the spark plug has been drilled into the frame badly, meaning that it’s squint. It doesn’t affect the operation of the puzzle any, however my OCD for things being straight and parallel really screams at this minor thing. You’ll also see that the frame has been damaged at some point after being painted. That’s just carelessness when the puzzle was being put together.

The puzzle does come with a solution sheet, however I don’t think it’s a particularly well written solution. I doubt you’ll need it though.

So gripes aside, this is a simple puzzle, with a fairly well known mechanism that won’t keep an average puzzler stumped for long. If you’re trying to introduce someone to the world of puzzles, this is a cheap way to show them this style of mechanism, and the puzzle will take some abuse, without you being too upset if it gets a little scratched up. There are better versions of this puzzle available, but depending on who you’re getting it for, this may be an option for you.

Akio Kamei’s Book Box

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My favourite type of puzzle is the Puzzle Box, or trick opening box, and being a member of the Karakuri group certainly helps me get my fix of puzzle boxes. Bits & Pieces however have been known to reproduce some of the Karakuri boxes at very reasonable prices. I’ve mentioned some of the problems I’ve had with their work in previous reviews, but I had heard that their puzzle boxes were pretty well done, so when I got the chance to add a copy of the Kamei Book Box to my collection I decided to take the chance. Puzzle Master carries this puzzle if you’d like to pick one up for yourself, although they seem to be out of stock at the time of writing this review.

Bits & Pieces version of the Kamei Book Box

Bits & Pieces version of the Kamei Book Box

As you can see, this is a nice looking box. The fit and finish is very good, and there’s no obvious sign of the mechanism. The puzzle measures 4.5″ x 7″ x 1.5″, so would easily pass for a hard backed book sitting on a shelf. The Walnut cover and spine, with maple pages looks like a book and the contrasting colour of the woods used could easily fool a casual passer by that this was a real book. The finish has a nice sheen to it, and while I’d not say it was Karakuri level of craftsmanship, it is well made. The hidden drawer does slide out nearly 1/4″ while the puzzle is ‘locked’ so you know how it will open when you find the mechanism.

The puzzle itself is not difficult, with only one move required to unlock the drawer, however it is well hidden, and the mechanism is tight so it gives nothing away as you investigate each side to try to find the hidden movement. The panels are all solid, and give little away about how the drawer will open, however that is also a clue as to hoe it will open as there are only a few panels on the box.

Looking at the edge of the book, it looks like pages of a book

Looking at the edge of the book, it looks like pages of a book

Looking at the pages of the book, the wood used really gives a great impression that there are individual pages in there, and that you could open the book and read it. I have to applaud Bits and Pieces for taking the time here and making full use of the grain in the wood to make a great looking puzzle.

Despite previous reservations, I have to admit that I am fairly happy with this puzzle and wouldn’t have a problem recommending that someone pick up a copy of it for themselves. It is a simple box, so don’t expect to be puzzling over it for hours, however it’s an elegant Kamei design which is made very affordable, and keeps an aesthetic level that you would expect from a Karakuri box.

Note: After posting the initial review one of my puzzle friends got in touch to say that I may have missed something about this box, and in fact there was an extra secret hidden in there. This box works as a sort of magic trick where you can place something into the drawer, and make it disappear. Initially I thought that there was just a little extra play in the B&P version but it turns out I was entirely wrong.

In my mind that makes this an even better version of the box as it fully retains all the original characteristics of Kamei’s design, at a great price and I’m not ashamed to say I totally missed it! I don’t like to look at puzzle solutions, preferring to enjoy solving the puzzle for myself, but having gone back to look at the solution card which came with the puzzle it does not even mention this little secret, so if you have this puzzle, go give it a second look, you may just be surprised!

Lean 2

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During IPP 32 last year, Dave Rossetti presented another Stewart Coffin tray packing puzzle as his exchange puzzle. Numbered #255 in Stewart’s numbering scheme, this was isn’t made by Stewart himself, but by the woodworking master Tom Lensch. Given that I have a number of puzzles made by Tom, and I thought I was getting better at these packing puzzles, it seemed like a good idea to pick up a copy of this one.

Lean 2 with the four pieces

Lean 2 with the four pieces

As you can see this is another simple four piece packing puzzle. The additional challenge here is that the tray is two sided, meaning twice the puzzling fun … or frustration. Tom has crafted this using four different woods for the pieces, Zebrawood, Marblewood, Canarywood and Bubinga (I’m guessing on the Bubinga) with a Walnut framed tray. Measuring in at 5.5″ x 5″ and nearly 1″ thick, it’s a good puzzle to work on, and not too big that it can’t be slipped into a bag and taken with you.

Given that I picked this up in August, you may ask why it’s taken so long to write about. Well as it happens, I solved the first side fairly quickly. It took me several hours over a month or so as I’d pick it up and fiddle, then put it back down. I was fairly happy with that and feeling quite confident so moved on to the second side, and promptly failed to make much progress.

Lean 2's second side with the four pieces

Lean 2’s second side with the four pieces

I was a little disheartened when a good puzzling friend sent out an email asking for people to send him all the solutions they’d found for this puzzle. The suggestion was that there were a couple of false solutions that could be made. Well I got back to it and kept puzzling. After another couple of months, and several emails back and forth with my friend, I’d sent him 4 invalid solutions to the second side, but seemed to be no closer to the actual solution.

After another month of puzzling on this one I have to be honest and let you know I admitted defeat and asked for help. I dropped an email to fellow blogger Allard who had already solved and written about Lean 2 and asked for his help. I wasn’t looking for the solution, I’m not that much of a defeatist, but he kindly took pity on me and sent me a location for one of the pieces. I should note that I’d been sending Allard my ‘solutions’ and none of those I’d found worked on his copy of the puzzle, so he knew that I had given this one a fair shot.

With the hint in hand, I had the second side solved in about 2 minutes. Overall, this is a great puzzle, and kept me busy for many months. If you enjoy packing puzzles, then definitely pick this one up, it’s well worth the money and will keep you busy for quite some time.

Crossex

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Crossex is another co-ordinate motion puzzle from the workshop of Vinco. It’s been a while since I looked at any of Vinco’s co-ordinate motion puzzles, so I’m remedying that with this review. Crossex is available from Puzzlemaster, or Vinco directly.

Crossex by Vinco

Crossex by Vinco

As always, the quality of the workmanship in the puzzle is excellent. It comes shrink wrapped with a small info card which contains the solution inside a folded paper, listing the difficulty rating as 3/5. Given that this is another co-ordinate motion puzzle, it instantly gets a higher rating in my book, but don’t let that put you off. Made from variegated Walnut and Maple there’s a good contrast between the pieces, and despite being part of the commercial line, there is still care and attention to the orientation of the grain in the pieces to make a really pleasing puzzle. I have no idea how Vinco manages this level of quality and still mass produces these.

Crossex by Vinco, partially open

Crossex by Vinco, partially open

The cube is 2.5″ cubed and expands up to 3.75″ before it will collapse into a pile of pieces. As seems to be Vinco’s current style, there’s a rattling to be found from the inside of the puzzle, but that may or may not have much to do with its operation.

I will admit I was a little disappointed when I pulled the pieces apart on this one to find that it is identical in mechanism to the MaTRIOshka puzzle which is based on Stewart Coffin’s Expanding Box Puzzle. It’s a design I need to revisit after my earlier failed attempts. Given that I’ve learned a lot since that first attempt, and I’ve had a few requests to go back to the design.

If you don’t yet have a copy of Stewart Coffin’s expanding box puzzle, then I’d recommend this version as it’s very well made, and not expensive, especially given the fit and finish of the puzzle.

Great Collision

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I don’t own too many metal puzzles, however a while back I spotted a rather interesting looking puzzle in the shape of a spiral galaxy on Puzzle Master’s site. At the time it was out of stock, and it seemed that there were a few people looking for the puzzle. Puzzle Master now has it back in stock, so I picked up a copy of the “Great Collision”

Great Collision in the starting position

Great Collision in the starting position

The goal is to separate the metal pieces of the puzzle and release the red ball in the centre. Sounds like a fairly simple task however on first inspection, the pieces seem to be pretty well locked together, and there doesn’t seem to be enough room to separate the pieces.

The puzzle looks great with the black anodised aluminium being well finished, and the red ball in the centre really standing out against the outer pieces. Measuring 4″ in diameter, it’s a good sized puzzle, and easy to manipulate the pieces. Given that it’s solid aluminium it has a good weight as well.

The four pieces of the puzzle

The four pieces of the puzzle

Much like the Yin & Yang puzzle I reviewed a long time ago, I think this is more of a good looking object, than a challenging puzzle. It can be a little tricky to get things into the correct position to allow them to separate, however there’s little challenge to solving the puzzle. Putting the pieces back together is also fairly simple although I found it slightly more tricky. It is possible to force the solution; however if you find yourself doing that then it’s time to think a little as there is no force required to solve this one, and the pieces will glide past each other if you’re on the right track. You shouldn’t need a solution, however if you do, you can download one here.

Overall, this is a simpler puzzle which would suit a new puzzler, or a younger puzzler to get them more interested in puzzling. That said, it will look good on the puzzle shelves given that great contrast, and the striking black spiral arms.