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LTTP: Mechanical Disassembly Puzzles
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parrotbeak
Member
If you haven't yet, figure out how to dismantle it quickly and consistently. That was the most interesting thing for me. After that, ya, it's something to leave on my desk and wait for someone to ask about it.
This. Some of the puzzles have a different focus. The actual task of NEWS is to find how how to do it reliably within 5-10 seconds.
Yes, the solution seemed very straightforward. Now Spiral is much more interesting, is more like Marble, with more moving parts. It seems that putting it back is going to be more difficult than dismantling it.
parrotbeak
Member
Ya, it didnt take me long to figure out how to solve NEWS consistently. I'll have to pick up Spiral. Waiting for Chain to be sent from amazon since my local Walmarts don't carry these puzzles.
Looking around, I discovered some new puzzles:
The Inside3, which is a hidden maze puzzle. Not sure if they are my cup of tea, but I will probably get one once I finish with my latest batch of Hanayamas.
The Great Minds Professor Puzzle series. Churchills cigar and whiskey bottle seems interesting, I like how rough it looks.
The Inside3, which is a hidden maze puzzle. Not sure if they are my cup of tea, but I will probably get one once I finish with my latest batch of Hanayamas.
The Great Minds Professor Puzzle series. Churchills cigar and whiskey bottle seems interesting, I like how rough it looks.
Huge thanks for the info. Ordered a 5 puzzle set from Great minds and one of the Inside puzzles.
If anyone finds other interesting pieces, please post them as well.
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
I watched a solution for the cigar and whisky puzzle...
It is NOT something I would ever want to purchase. The solution is legit
It is NOT something I would ever want to purchase. The solution is legit
brute force finangling (sp?) and tinkering. It's not a "puzzle" as much as it's a test of patience and willpower.
Michael F. Assbender
Banned
That's why I wasn't a fan of the Quartet puzzle from Hanayama, which is the only one of their puzzles I've tried that I didn't really like.
Yeah, I ordered a relatively cheap set of their burr puzzles, which at the very least looks neat in my shelf. I dont have any burrs yet anyway, so I might as well see how they feel like.
I put together like two dozen of those 3D crystal puzzles while I was recovering from surgery last year. Definitely addicting and a lot of fun. Surprisingly well made too.
I really like the look of those Inside3 puzzles. I'll have to check them out. Same goes for the Great Minds puzzles too. Are there only 13 of those total?
Not a fan of that kind of puzzles either.
EDIT: I could fidget with Elk and Vortex today. Elk is a lot more complex than it looks like at first glance, this one is going to take a lot of time. Vortex became a complete chaos after a couple of minutes with it.
cooltrainer
Member
I solved NEWS on accident
.
I put it back together without looking at it too closely and wasn't sure how to solve it properly for a while. Just figured it out the right way. I still haven't been able to put Marble back together...
Since it had a compass shape to it I thought I might need a magnet to solve it. I put it on a magnetic stir plate at work, the little magnets inside started whizzing around and somehow it came apart.
I put it back together without looking at it too closely and wasn't sure how to solve it properly for a while. Just figured it out the right way. I still haven't been able to put Marble back together...
Best of luck with Marble. Once you slide it back together, you'll know why we all love it so much.
I got mine by now and will write something about it later.
So, Inside3:
The idea is that you have this little ball, that you need to guide through a multitiered maze to the goal. However, the maze doesnt just go down, which would way too easy. Instead, you need to turn the cube over multiple times and basically work your way up and down multiple times via different paths until you reach the goal. Its actually surprisingly easy to lose track as the marble sometimes moves multiple levels at once, so crossreferencing the paths it can take is harder than it sounds. So if you are concerned about this puzzle just being a pushover... dont worry, its a very good challenge, and I chose one of the mid tier ones. I managed to follow my puzzle for around 5-6 layer changes, but then lost track eventually.
You can reset the puzzle easy enough by opening it on the back, but make sure not to let the layers fall out as it might take you a while to get them fit in the right order again.
Regarding the difficulties:
You have 3 tiers with 6 difficulty levels (1-easy, 6-hard):
Easy, Serie 0 and Phantom
Easy has less layers and are a bit smaller, Serie 0 is the standard and Phantom has a second marble making noises just to confuse you. In addition, the hardest ones cannot be opened to reset the marble, so if you lost track, you need to figure out how to retrieve it without seeing it in the maze. That makes the maze crazy difficult, especially for the one with an extra marble. I got a Serie0 cube at level 3 and it seems doable, but still is plenty challenging. I kinda get the impression that if you want a more "doable" start and a success within just a few sessions, the Serie0 Difficulty 2 (Green) would be a good pick. If you dont mind a decent challenge, Serie0 Difficulty 3 (Orange - the one I bought) seems like a good starting point.
Its very inexpensive and a very interesting challenge as you basically already have all the info you need right in front of you. I am very pleased with the purchase and I guess many others in this thread will enjoy it as well.
One thing though: The plastic isnt particularly high quality in feel and the form is a bit unpleasant to hold as the edges and corners are very sharp. I sanded off the sharp areas to make it nicer to hold.
The idea is that you have this little ball, that you need to guide through a multitiered maze to the goal. However, the maze doesnt just go down, which would way too easy. Instead, you need to turn the cube over multiple times and basically work your way up and down multiple times via different paths until you reach the goal. Its actually surprisingly easy to lose track as the marble sometimes moves multiple levels at once, so crossreferencing the paths it can take is harder than it sounds. So if you are concerned about this puzzle just being a pushover... dont worry, its a very good challenge, and I chose one of the mid tier ones. I managed to follow my puzzle for around 5-6 layer changes, but then lost track eventually.
You can reset the puzzle easy enough by opening it on the back, but make sure not to let the layers fall out as it might take you a while to get them fit in the right order again.
Regarding the difficulties:
You have 3 tiers with 6 difficulty levels (1-easy, 6-hard):
Easy, Serie 0 and Phantom
Easy has less layers and are a bit smaller, Serie 0 is the standard and Phantom has a second marble making noises just to confuse you. In addition, the hardest ones cannot be opened to reset the marble, so if you lost track, you need to figure out how to retrieve it without seeing it in the maze. That makes the maze crazy difficult, especially for the one with an extra marble. I got a Serie0 cube at level 3 and it seems doable, but still is plenty challenging. I kinda get the impression that if you want a more "doable" start and a success within just a few sessions, the Serie0 Difficulty 2 (Green) would be a good pick. If you dont mind a decent challenge, Serie0 Difficulty 3 (Orange - the one I bought) seems like a good starting point.
Its very inexpensive and a very interesting challenge as you basically already have all the info you need right in front of you. I am very pleased with the purchase and I guess many others in this thread will enjoy it as well.
One thing though: The plastic isnt particularly high quality in feel and the form is a bit unpleasant to hold as the edges and corners are very sharp. I sanded off the sharp areas to make it nicer to hold.
ThePsydeFX
Neo Member
Never did a puzzle like this before and reading this thread and seeing the Marble piqued my interest. Amazon had it for $6 so I jumped on it last week.
Once it came,
Learning the trick to putting it back together was even more satisfying. So simple that you overthink it. News just might be next.
Once it came,
I played with it for about 20-30 minutes trying a few brute force methods and feeling it out. Noticed you could match up the grooves on the marble and the mechanism. Got it to where I lined up the ball and in a way that you couldn't see any lines while it was twisted, but no go.
Put it in my interior coat pocket to give it another go later. Forgot all about it until today.
Pull it out and in about a minute I notice it start to slide apart and I literally gasp.
Put it in my interior coat pocket to give it another go later. Forgot all about it until today.
Pull it out and in about a minute I notice it start to slide apart and I literally gasp.
Learning the trick to putting it back together was even more satisfying. So simple that you overthink it. News just might be next.
parrotbeak
Member
Chain has me dumbfounded. I love it!
Observation about Chain spoiler, I guess (I don't want hints and won't read any, just posting this so I can look back on it later)
I ended up loving Marble and I like NEWS for what it is, but both of those came apart in the first session. I like that Chain has got me stumped right up front.
Observation about Chain spoiler, I guess (I don't want hints and won't read any, just posting this so I can look back on it later)
So far I have only noticed the two groves, one narrow and one wide, and I assume it is to allow pieces to slide through somehow but I can't figure out how. Been matching up the sides to see what will fit in the grooves but I haven't had the 'aha' moment yet, and it's great.
I ended up loving Marble and I like NEWS for what it is, but both of those came apart in the first session. I like that Chain has got me stumped right up front.
Yeah, chain still has me puzzled. I am basically exactly where you are atm, but know of a certain twist with the puzzle that my friend pulled off. Havent managed to do it myself yet though and was relaxing a bit from the Hanayama madness with other puzzles.
parrotbeak
Member
Please spoil tag if you respond but I'm curious what the small detail was.
I noticed the jiggling noise inside but it came apart on its own.
This may be a little different on a per-puzzle basis, but
when I was turning the whole thing in my hand trying to figure out why two of the cardinal directions don't seem to be cast in the same way on each side (N/S are molded directly into the surface, while E/W look like they're separate pieces set down into the molding) I caught the light off the rod in the gap. Once I could see that the rod was going straight through the middle, it was easier to think about how those rods could even move and still have enough room to get out of the way of the center completely.
parrotbeak
Member
Ah. I was also looking at the E/W surfaces when I was trying to figure it out, but I can't see the rods on mine. Could also be my old eyes but mine is pretty tight where the rods are.
parrotbeak
Member
Just solved Chain while having my first cup of coffee and listening to podcasts, still not fully awake so not sure what I did. Gotta put it back now and resolve it.
Was playing with moving the 1st and 3rd link through each other by twisting them through their openings, and figured you had to do the same twist between the 2nd link but it was a matter of finding the angle since the other end link restricts the range of motion that you can twist. I was thinking those asymmetrical notches must play a roll but then i just moved one end link so that the thin part was pushed as far up againt the middle link's side, and somehow got one end link to twist through the middle link. Once one is slipped off, the other one is very easy. I don't remember what position it was that allowed the first link to slip through, so it'll take some experimenting to find it again so i can put it back.
Michael F. Assbender
Banned
I've finished Coaster and Twist recently (both are Hanayama puzzles).
Coaster is designed to be simple to take apart and difficult to put back together. And when I say simple, I mean it literally takes a handful of seconds to take apart. Putting it back together can be tricky, even once you know exactly how to do it. That's because it's three oddly-shaped pieces that can be fiddly to get in the proper positions. I loved the feeling of solving it the first couple times, but got frustrated after that because it's so finicky.
Twist was a fantastic puzzle. It looks simpler than it is, but once you get going and realize how many possible paths there are, the actual solution is simpler than you think. It's solid and weighty and feels good in your hands. It's another puzzle that's just fun to dick with absentmindedly while watching TV or something.
Now I'm working on Equa.
I love the design of this thing, and I think I know what I need to do to solve it. It's just going to require some thought on how to get it in that position.
Coaster is designed to be simple to take apart and difficult to put back together. And when I say simple, I mean it literally takes a handful of seconds to take apart. Putting it back together can be tricky, even once you know exactly how to do it. That's because it's three oddly-shaped pieces that can be fiddly to get in the proper positions. I loved the feeling of solving it the first couple times, but got frustrated after that because it's so finicky.
Twist was a fantastic puzzle. It looks simpler than it is, but once you get going and realize how many possible paths there are, the actual solution is simpler than you think. It's solid and weighty and feels good in your hands. It's another puzzle that's just fun to dick with absentmindedly while watching TV or something.
Now I'm working on Equa.
I love the design of this thing, and I think I know what I need to do to solve it. It's just going to require some thought on how to get it in that position.
whatsinaname
Member
So I picked up the Hanayama Marble. Was able to disassemble it fairly quickly then spent some time trying to put it together before I went to sleep without getting anywhere. (Even dreamt of it like one of those Tetris dreams...) Then I gave it a quick try before heading to work and was able to put it back together! Very satisfying.
How accurate do you all feel are the difficult ratings? Is this a typical four? If I found this slightly easy, should I look for a 5 or 6 for my next one?
How accurate do you all feel are the difficult ratings? Is this a typical four? If I found this slightly easy, should I look for a 5 or 6 for my next one?
Michael F. Assbender
Banned
I'd say the ratings are fairly accurate. The two most difficult ones I've tried so far were Quartet (level 6) and Equa (level 5). But there are a couple higher level ones I've torn right through, so I guess it's a matter of YMMV.
Congrats on finishing Marble though! Good luck with whichever one you try next!
Enoch Root
Member
Hi, I have been lurking on GAF for years, but registered specifically because of this thread, and this is my first post. I collect mechanical puzzles, mostly the Hanayama puzzles (I intend to collect all of them eventually).
Another category of puzzle I have not seen mentioned in this thread is trick bolts or puzzle bolts. The goal of the puzzle is to remove a nut from a bolt, but twisting in the normal fashion does not work. Sometimes the solution is to simply twist the nut in the opposite direction, but the solutions can also be more complex.
There are a few mass produced puzzle bolts that are inexpensive, Puzzle Master has a couple as well as Lee Valley Tools. The small run batches go for quite a bit more money, but if you are looking for something rare like that some names to google are Wil Strijbos and Rocky Chiaro. There is also a guy from the UK that sells under the name Pyro Puzzles. He designs/makes a puzzle bolt as well as other mechanical puzzles.
Another category of puzzle I have not seen mentioned in this thread is trick bolts or puzzle bolts. The goal of the puzzle is to remove a nut from a bolt, but twisting in the normal fashion does not work. Sometimes the solution is to simply twist the nut in the opposite direction, but the solutions can also be more complex.
There are a few mass produced puzzle bolts that are inexpensive, Puzzle Master has a couple as well as Lee Valley Tools. The small run batches go for quite a bit more money, but if you are looking for something rare like that some names to google are Wil Strijbos and Rocky Chiaro. There is also a guy from the UK that sells under the name Pyro Puzzles. He designs/makes a puzzle bolt as well as other mechanical puzzles.
Thanks for posting!
I got on the mailing list of Wil, but his pieces are unfortunately a bit out of my price range atm. Is there any particular puzzle bolt you could recommend in the price range up to 50 that is decently challenging/interesting?
Enoch Root
Member
I only own two sets of puzzle bolts. They are both in your price range, but the solutions are fairly easy. I have one of the sets from Lee Valley:
I have set A pictured here (set B is discontinued). They cost about $20US are very well made, but like I said, you could probably solve them in a matter of minutes.
I also have two from Puzzle Master:
These sell separately for about $10CA each, but are not as nice as the Lee Valley ones (I had to send one back because it was defective). The solutions are fairly similar to the Lee Valley set. They are quite a bit larger, though. The Lee Valley bolts are only about an inch or so long, but the Puzzle Master ones are closer to five or six inches.
There is also an auction site called Puzzle Paradise. Other collectors will sometimes sell on there, and you could get lucky and get something expensive like a Wil Strijbos puzzle for a good price. I have never used the site, though, so I can't vouch for the experience. I don't think new listings go up often (for example right now there are only three active listings, and they are all puzzle boxes)
There is a Finnish site called Sloyd that has a puzzle bolt for 8 euros.http://www.sloyd.fi/bolt-p-1511.html
Judging by the picture, it looks like decent quality (no idea if it is challenging, though).
The Australian site Mr Puzzle has a few puzzle bolts that are mid-priced.
https://www.mrpuzzle.com.au/catalogsearch/result/?q=bolt
There are two designed by Wil Strijbos for under $30US each.
And also Hanayama has a couple that are similar to bolt puzzles. There is Nut Case and U&U, both pretty challenging.
dickroach
Member
I got a Hanayama cast puzzle (cylinder) earlier this week. and I've been picking it up and screwing around with it a couple of times a day. finally just got it disassembled.
but now I'm trying to put the thing back together and it just makes no damn sense.
...these things are cool
but now I'm trying to put the thing back together and it just makes no damn sense.
...these things are cool
parrotbeak
Member
I've had Labyrinth on my desk for like 3-4 months and haven't gotten it yet. I should just force myself to finish it so I can move on to another puzzle.
More_Badass
Member
Thinking of finally getting into these. I assume it would be best to start with the Hanayama Level 1s? Was looking at Loop and Flag.
Was also curious about Marble, mainly because it looks really cool and quite cheap on Amazon. But it's a Level 4; would that be too tricky for a complete neophyte to these types of puzzles?
Was also curious about Marble, mainly because it looks really cool and quite cheap on Amazon. But it's a Level 4; would that be too tricky for a complete neophyte to these types of puzzles?
SUBZERO-08
Member
Marble was my first puzzle. It took me a really long time to figure it out, but it was super rewarding once I did. I'd say go for it, you'll get it eventually by just fiddling around. Based on how long it has taken me to figure out these puzzles, I'm pretty terrible at them.
Enoch Root
Member
Level 1s and 2s you might find to be too easy. The level 1s I have I solved within maybe 15 minutes. Flag took me a little longer, maybe 25 minutes and I haven't bought Loop yet. I still buy Level 1s and 2s, but mainly because I want to complete my collection and I think they are nice to look at. I would start with a Level 3. Delta and Coil are some of the first few I bought and are both Level 3. They took me a couple of hours each to solve the first time.
parrotbeak
Member
I started with Marble and loved it. It's one that I think many people end up having to figure out at least twice, once when you first get it apart and then again when you figure out how to put it back. When you really see how it works you will marvel at Marble.
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