11-Dec-2024
Today was another dry and sunny day. In this favorable weather, I was able to complete the Mame Puzzle Boxes with a 14-step mechanism that I had been working on recently. They will be ready for delivery starting tomorrow.
This batch of Mame Puzzle Boxes was ordered by a wholesaler in Hakone Japan, so all of them will be delivered to them. I’m not sure exactly where they will be sold, but it’s likely they will be available at souvenir shops in Hakone.
With the ongoing weak yen, many regions in Japan are currently seeing a significant increase in overseas tourists, and Hakone is no exception. As a famous traditional hot spring destination in Japan, it attracts many visitors from abroad. I hope these puzzle boxes will be popular among the international guests who visit😊
Today, I worked on crafting the Aruki for the 2-sun 7-step Puzzle Box. Since this box features the 7-step mechanism, it requires two Aruki panels: one side Aruki panel (with a Kannuki) and one top panel Aruki.
As you can see in the photo, the parts are very small, so careful attention is needed during assembly. If too much force is applied, they might break. Since this is a small box, I attach the components slightly looser than usual to ensure that minimal effort is required to operate the mechanism. While it’s not as tiny as the Mame Puzzle Box, it is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Starting tomorrow, I’ll begin attaching the outer panels.
Now that the Mame Puzzle Boxes are complete, I’m planning to start preparing for my next project. Having two tasks running simultaneously works out just right for me.
When working on puzzle boxes, there are moments when I need to let the glue dry, which requires some waiting time. During that downtime, I can make progress on the other project.
In the past, I used to work on many projects at once, but these days, I prefer to focus on just two or three at a time.
At the moment, I’m considering whether to make the 5-sun 27-step or the 4-sun 27-step Puzzle Box next. Since I still have a small stock of 4-sun 27-step boxes (just a few, though😅), I might decide to go with the 5-sun version. This is because I currently have no inventory of 5-sun Yosegi Puzzle Boxes at all.
