Brass Monkey Sixential Discovery

I received my copy of this final instalment of Steve & Ali’s Brass Monkey series, the grand finale so to speak and it’s a gorgeous Sequential Discovery design that of course externally looks identical to its predecessors ‘BM 1 through 5’.

I’m so terrible at solving SD puzzles and don’t usually collect them but couldn’t pass this one up.  I was hoping that my experiences with previous ‘BM’ puzzles would help me along with this one but so far nothing..lol

Well after a lot of head scratching moments I finally was able to ‘feed the Bananas to the Monkey’!!

Allard’s has posted a very nice review.

Here’s a description from Ali & Steve at Two Brass Monkeys

“When we decided to make the Brass Monkey series back in 2018, we always had six puzzles planned. BM1 being a standard burr with all the others having different tricks. Way back then we knew the solving mechanisms we wanted (never did want a BM…”the one that spins", "the one that taps" or "the one with magnets") and we always knew that BM6 would be "the sequential discovery one". We wish we'd made BM1 bigger as cramming the tricks into BMSD has been a puzzle for us!  We've never given any hint to the secrets hidden within each BM and we're not doing so this time. Beyond saying there is more than one trick to find those “bananas”. 

We've been through countless Kebab planning sessions, 3D printed prototypes, metal prototypes and play testing. Special thanks to Allard and Rich for their valuable feedback. 

And yes, it required enormous restraint on both our parts not to call it Brass Monkey Sexential Discovery.

Like Brass Monkey 2, 3, 4 and 5….. Brass Monkey Sixential Discovery (BMSD) looks like a "standard" burr puzzle on the surface but hides even more trickery than usual beneath. It requires multiple discoveries to achieve the ultimate goal: Can you find the bananas and feed them to the monkey? There are in excess of ten steps needed to find the bananas.

Cheers and Happy Puzzling!”

FS Cube - KW-50 by Hideaki Kawashima (Christmas Gift 2023)

I was fortunate to have acquired this puzzle box from a fellow puzzler and was very surprised by its mechanics.

I’m always so very impressed by the incredible works of KCG craftsmen and this particular puzzle box is very clever.

Its beautiful outward appearance leads to some unexpected discovery in pursuit of Kawashima’s maker’s mark..

Here’s Hideaki’s original description from KCG:

“This work was designed as a Christmas present for 2023.

There are two small storage spaces in this box, and you must find the "英" branding.

It looks almost the same as last year's Christmas present, but the mechanism is completely different.

The inspiration for this trick came from a "common mistake".

Due to COVID-19, we were unable to hold exhibitions for the past few years and observe our customers as they experience our boxes.

Then one day, I had the opportunity to see someone playing with my work in front of me.

He was manipulating my work in a way that we never would do and I usually design my works so that those mistakes won’t occur.

The explanation has become a little difficult, but the trick is simple.”

Part of being a Karakuri Creation Group member is their ‘Christmas Gift’ offerings and is certainly one of its favourite perks, I highly recommend signing up and taking part of their journey!

Juno’s Dual Meanders Box

Juno has really outdone himself with this magnificent puzzle, it’s beautifully crafted from PNG Rosewood, Jarrah, American Black Walnut, Koto, Golden Sassafras, Iroko, and metal parts.

After reducing my puzzle acquisitions over the course of last year due to my ‘retirement’ I simply couldn’t pass on this beauty.  

Here’s Juno’s description from Pluredro:

“This puzzle is an expanded version of the Meanders Box. In the Meanders Box, the top plate slid along with the four side pieces. In the Dual Meanders Box, not only does the top plate slide, but the bottom plate also slides. This allows for a puzzle with a large number of moves without the need to increase the steps of the side pieces.

Dual Meanders Box presents four challenges based on the arrangement of the top and bottom plates. To open the hidden lid and access the cavity, the challenges range in the order of increasing difficulty: 325, 367, 410, and 506 moves. Similar to the Meanders Box, the grooves carved like mazes have limited branching. However, unlike the Meanders Box, where attention was focused solely on the groove in the top plate, the Dual Meanders Box requires the top and bottom plates to be in the correct spatial relationship for the puzzle to reach the goal. Consequently, the puzzle's difficulty has increased significantly.

Due to its exceptionally high level of difficulty, it's uncertain how many people will be able to enjoy this puzzle. However, those who manage to overcome the challenge and obtain the hidden treasure within the cavity will likely feel like they've become the king or queen of puzzles.

Many types of timber are used in this puzzle. The main parts supporting the moving components of the puzzle are designed with a cantilever structure. Therefore, great attention has been given to ensuring strength, precision, and dimensional stability. Even in parts not visible from the outside when assembled, Golden Sassafras and Iroko's original plywood are used. The volume and weight of the puzzle are more than twice that of the Meanders Box, creating a substantial feel when held. PNG Rosewood and American Black Walnut have a significant variation in wood color. For those who purchase the puzzle, we will send a randomly selected product from the pre-packaged ones. Please note that we cannot accommodate specific requests regarding the wood color.

This puzzle will be assembled and sold with the maximum number of moves, 506. As it takes a considerable amount of time to assemble, we made it possible to remove the pins (screws) that go back and forth between the maze-like grooves through holes drilled in the top and bottom plates. By using a 2mm Allen key to remove these screws, assembly and disassembly can be achieved with fewer moves, but it still requires more than 100 moves. Note that repeatedly attaching and detaching the screws may loosen the threads, so removing the screws should be considered a last resort when handling the puzzle.”

Christmas Tree - Stephan Baumegger by Pelikan

This is fun burr puzzle that I acquired from a fellow puzzler after having missed out on it at Pelikan’s release.

While not an overly difficult puzzle, I really enjoyed the subtle opening moves that Stephan incorporated into it.  The base is a cool added piece that I couldn’t stop twirling around..

Here’s a description from Kevin Sadler:

“I can't have a Christmas tree at home because the last time we did have one it was destroyed by the cats in a most upsetting manner. They are absolutely fascinated by it and whilst tinsel may look funny going in the front end, it very much is NOT funny when it exits the other! This year however I shall have a Christmas tree on display in my living room! It will be on my mantelpiece…it is a beautiful design from Stephan Baumegger. It looks like a burr puzzle but initial exploration shows that it is more like a wood chuck puzzle. A piece slides and then another and then I got stuck for a bit. After a close look at what was revealed I was able to proceed and after that quite rapidly has a pile o'pieces. The disassembly probably took me 10 minutes and was quite fun. The real challenge is to reassemble it with all the colours in the right place. The first couple of times I put it back together with great satisfaction only to realise that the light cubies weren't all aligned properly. It took me an extra 5 or 10 minutes of fiddling around before I got it right. This is a perfect seasonal gift and a nice little challenge for the new puzzler.”

Egg by Jakub Dvorak at Pelikan

Recently Jakub decided to re-release a limited quantity of this very nicely turned four piece puzzle and I was lucky enough to acquire one from a fellow puzzler.

This puzzle is a derivative of the ‘Trirods’ (2008) which was turned into a ball shape.

In case you’re not familiar Pelikan is the first craftsman to create ‘spherical’ puzzles on a lathe, (e.g. Stewart Coffin’s ‘Convolution’ & ‘Garnet’).

I have tried my hand at turning some as well (e.g. Stewart Coffin’s ‘Four Piece Cube’) It’s a very tricky endeavour fraught with disaster every step of the way!

Here’s a description from Kevin Sadler:

“I had to check with Jakub about this one as it looked familiar but I barely remember yesterday, let alone something I saw in 2016. This is a re-release using European woods of the beautifully turned egg puzzle. It comes complete with its own lovely turned stand. These puzzles from Pelikan are wonderfully tactile things to hold and caress. The egg is NOT coordinate motion like some of the other spherical puzzles made previously. When it comes to disassembly, the puzzle is not particularly difficult – it is just a matter of finding the correct places to put your fingers to hold it and and push/pull in the right directions. It is not immediately obvious where to put your fingers to do it and it is so wonderfully smooth that you get no clue from running your fingers over it. If you have it just right then you are rewarded with a beautiful sliding motion as it smoothly separates. After a few minutes you have 4 pieces which look nearly identical and which will only fit back together in one way. Re-assembly is just a matter of thinking it through. This is a joy to fiddle with and looks lovely on display.”

I made a Box from Oak, (I used half lap joints as opposed to my usual mitres and slipfeathers.)