Puzzle Box #1 Instructions

Puzzle boxes have always been a technical wonder to me, and watching countless puzzle box videos and drawing out so many plans, I decided to finally make it real. The materials for this are very simple household objects like pen springs, skewers, and clothespins, and I don't have any power tools for cutting wood or anything to sand pieces down easier. However a mechanism simply requires precision, and with any tool it can be made if found a way around simple issues.

One such problem I had was supports, since sometimes hot glue itself wouldn't keep everything together well. There were also many times were I decided to go back and add upon a previous step to make another mechanism flow better, or make it more difficult or secure. This puzzle box was made from the phone box of an iPhone 12, however you can easily make your own box as it is simply just a base, and there is nothing particular about it that contributes to the overall function of the puzzle. Let's take a brief look at the materials to get a basic understanding of what we're working with.

As you follow the process, some materials are easily interchangeable for stronger and smaller parts. This list is just of the materials I had easily available:

- 5 mm skewers

- pen springs

- door springs (pull spring)

- clothespins (including spring)

- 7.5 mm wooden dowel

- cereal box cardboard

- heavier appliance box cardboard

- steel and hardener epoxy (liquid cement)

TOOLS

- Power drill (with set of varying drill bits)

- Hot glue gun

- Sand paper

- Wire cutters

- Hacksaw

- Boxcutter

And that's all there is. It is important to know that sanding is a huge part of the process, and anything you can do to automate it or make it easier for you would save a lot of time. Wire cutters were used to cut the skewers easily but I do not recommend using them as it can damage the tool. I used an older one that was rather blunt. Be careful with hot glue as there are many small pieces and you will have to get your finger close to the tip. Liquid cement is really good for sticking pieces strongly, however it needs some time to harden so it is advisable to either use it at the end of a session or on another part where you won't interfere with it.

This is only for the lid of the box. The box can't close all the way when the lid is on or else there will be no grip for the initial pull. Skewers and one toothpick for extra height were placed all the way around the edges for a small gap. A wall cardboard sits close to the lid wall so when the base is inserted the walls will be snug. This prevents the lid to wiggle in place and tilt during the puzzle. The last picture shows the skewers going all around the edge of the lid.

We are making a pin that can be pushed back and forth with a larger pin that pops out of the box. The biggest part is to ensure that the pin stays put on a specific track and that it's height is also constant. The first picture shows the rail. The second shows a small piece that can slide freely on one of the rails. Although the pictures show 3 springs, ultimately only two will be placed in the rail to push the piece back. Since the springs will be on freely, there will need to be firm barriers on all sides to ensure the springs get pushed into one direction and repel in the opposite singular direction. Initially the upper barrier was made out of cardboard but this changed to many lines of skewers.

Lastly, the controlling pin itself will be placed on the moving piece along the rail, with the top of the pin matching the maximum height of the base. Wherever the rail meets with the edge of the base, drill a small hole where a longer pin can be attached to the moving rail.

The pin made in the previous step will be led through a maze that will be attached to the lid. First draw the shape of the maze on a flat piece, the create the walls. It is really crucial that these walls are very firm and are not subject to bending. There is a gap near the end of the maze on the bottom right of the piece for a slot of a future piece (trigger mechanism). The maze shouldn't be taller than the base since they will be pressed together when the box is closed. Line up the maze so that only the controlling pin passes through the maze. You should find that if the controlling pin is in the maze, the box will not open until the pin is led through the maze. You can move the pin back and forth from the outside of the box by pushing and pulling the longer pin. The last two pictures show an extension of the maze I added later to compensate for size error.

The piece shown is the wooden dowel attached to a door spring which reverts back to its compressed state as shown. Similar to the pin-maze mechanism, drill a hole into the side of the box where it will go. Its neural state should be flush with the wall since the solver will have to pull it out. The pen springs push on opposite directions only to the point where it pushes the pin out the very slightest, and the rest of the tension is pulled back by the door spring. If done right, you should be able to push the pin in and it springs back. You should also be able to pull the pin and it will spring back in the other direction as well. The rest of the pieces are simply supports, with is very crucial for all the forces acting in the spot here.

There is a smaller version of the controlling pin made in the beginning, except there are no additional springs. It is just a smaller and the most basic version of it as shown in the images. The base and lid are then compared to find out where certain points of the box lie on both ends, since the lid is wider than the base.

A small lever will be put in place where there was a small gap left in the maze. It's pivot point will be attached to the back of the maze (which is essentially a small box) with a small hook at the end. Use the cement here especially.

Another lever is added to keep the pull pin pulled in all the way to sit flush with the base wall. The hook of the lever is made from the spring of a clothespin as they are made of a strong metal. This lever's fulcrum sits atop the supports for the pin. Be mindful that the spring forces are strong here so the hardener and steel are especially useful. Lastly, place a larger piece of a clothespin across the back of the lever so that the trigger point can collide with it when pushed.

It is important when making the hook of the lever that it is at a soft angle, so if the pin were to be released, it can be pushed back all the way back into the box where the lever would rise up then sit back into it's position locked. Think of it like a ratchet where going the opposite direction is stopped, but it can turn easily the intended way.

Since a lot of hot glue and a dirty looking cement was used, now is a good time to find hot glue webs and sand down stray spots. I gave my box a simple paint job to make the outside look cleaner, with a slight gray for both pins.

Congratulations! All the hardest steps are done, which was the mechanism. I would recommend to test each mechanic as you build it, but here is the full solve:

1. The box should be fully closed. As you pull the lid up, a pin pops out of the box. You find that the lid won't open any further until the pin is pushed/pulled. Direct the pin mostly through the maze through trial and error as you feel your way.

2. After a certain point there is no where else to go, so you press up against a spot in the maze where you hear a click. On the other side of the box you see that a pin that was sitting flush earlier is now out.

3. Pushing the pin just locks it up again, and pulling it leads to you finding that there is another part of the maze.

4. Lastly, pull both pins all the way when there is no where left to go in the maze. The box is open.

5. Closing the box back up is also a part of the solve. Put the lid back on while pulling both pins as far as you can. Guide the leading pin up the maze, but before you go too high make sure you push the pull pin in all the way until it locks and is flush against the wall. Guide the pin back through the maze until the lid can go down completely.