Well, I started this magpie thing so I may as well continue with it. The puzzle I bring you today was invented by VESA Timonen and was given out as an IPP32 exchange gift by Nancy Alliegro. The box has written on it that it's manufactured by Bits & Pieces so I'm guessing that it would be offerd up for sale at some point in the future. I've yet to see it though.
The puzzle starts off as seemingly impossible to solve. There are two keys attached to the shank of the lock and the puzzlers job is to unattached them. A bit of twisting and turning reveals a split shank that spins freely. The novice will notice that the split can be slightly separated, but that won't do any good. It wouldn't be much of a puzzle if the keys could be removed in the same fashion as a regular key ring now would it?
I won't tell you any more about the solving because I don't want to give its secrets away. I will say that it threw me a good surprise. As I was sitting with it under the table trying to not make too much noise, the keys suddenly went flying. If I weren't mucking about when I should have been concentrating I would have laughed out loud.
There is a nice little twist to this one that tickled me. While the solve only took a few seconds(!) it would be worth getting for that chuckle moment when it's solved. I wonder when it will be released to the market....
I won't tell you any more about the solving because I don't want to give its secrets away. I will say that it threw me a good surprise. As I was sitting with it under the table trying to not make too much noise, the keys suddenly went flying. If I weren't mucking about when I should have been concentrating I would have laughed out loud.
There is a nice little twist to this one that tickled me. While the solve only took a few seconds(!) it would be worth getting for that chuckle moment when it's solved. I wonder when it will be released to the market....
Okay, this has me genuinely puzzled. I didn't participate in the IPP32 exchange but I have a copy of this lock I'd obtained earlier. It's undoubtedly Vesa's design, but mine is a plastic prototype.
ReplyDelete(And no, I didn't build it myself...nor did I just imagine it!)
I remember solving this one at IPP32. It reminds me of one or two Hanayama puzzles. I wouldn't really classify this as a lock though, because you don't use the keys at all to solve it. I also agree with the nice 'aha' moment when you figure out what's going on :)
ReplyDeleteI remember you solving this one John! For me it was a major Aha! I wasn't supposed to be puzzling and when the key went flying....
ReplyDelete