Puzzles

[Canuck]

Come on boys, let's get started and rock this joint....we have lots of catching up to do   Thanks Lou, for opening this up to us puzzle freaks

[btboone]

Here's one from around 1984 or so.

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[Canuck]

Now that's what I'm talking about...got anything else hidden in your closet Bruce?

[btboone]

Here's the first one I worked on.  The dodecahedron puzzle.  I was set to get a patent on it, when that month, it came out in Scientific American, so someone had previously done the same thing with some slight variations to the inside parts.  I did use the patent search info I had obtained by then on that one to get a patent on the other puzzle I showed.  That was my first patent.

I had a family of four of the puzzle with the nubs hanging off the ends.  I called them Mine games because they look sort of like mines to blow up ships.  The two more advanced ones also had the outer cubes to be able to rotate.  This increased the complexity greatly.  In some calculations I did, the number of possible combinations on the most complex one was so great, that if you had an iron atom for each of the combinations, there would be a sphere of iron the size of the orbit of Jupiter!  It was deceptively simple to get a few sides, but to solve the whole thing is another story entirely.

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[btboone]

Here's another puzzle, although there's not much to solve.  This is the original puzzle pen.   Actually, I had already done ones with individual pieces before this one and even sold a few.  This one was done as one solid pen with wood and acrylic intermixed.  The puzzle pen idea was later used by others to make inlay kits for commercially sold kit pens.

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[btboone]

Here's a more recent pen made in metal that still used the CAD data from the original puzzle pen.  It is made in zirconium, a metal that has the ability to be blackened or anodized in colors.

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[Roby]

Which way to the cafeteria?  I need something to wash the taste of sawdust out of my mouth.  John, you will have to intorduce me to your friend Bruce.  Have me met?

[Canuck]

Ah dude, where have you been?   Well if you haven't met Bruce it's definitely time you that you did, his Ring work is of course spectacular, but his pen work is legendary!
Hey Bruce meet my dear friend Robert 'Stickman puzzlebox' Yarger, his work is world renowned!

[Canuck]

Bruce, that early puzzle pen is amazing, obviously you were ahead of your time!  Have you ever made any puzzle rings? 

[btboone]

I have.  I've made a 3 piece ring that fit together.  It was a lot of work, so I discontinued that one. 

I also make one like this one shown.  It is all titanium with a special surface treatment.  I will be doing a black zirconium one to match the pen and could sell them as a set.



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[btboone]

Nice to meet you Robert! 

[Canuck]

Oh I like that ring....Davans should be re-launched shortly, maybe send Jose a pic of that puzzle ring, it definitelly needs to go into your craftsman page!

[btboone]

I found a picture of the first puzzle ring!  It was no fun at all to machine and finish.

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[Canuck]

Now that is cool...can I have one in size 11?

[rdunn12]

The puzzles are cooooool.I like them.