05-Dec-2024
Today was mainly a day for painting work. I applied the base coat to 2.5-sun puzzle boxes and did the final coating for 4-sun 27-step puzzle boxes. With this, the 27-step puzzle boxes are finally complete! Well, there are still two more process remaining: testing the boxes by opening them to ensure smooth movement and packing them.
The photo shows the 2.5-sun 5-step puzzle boxes with their base coat applied. These 2.5-sun puzzle boxes are among the most stable in terms of mechanism. No matter when I make them, the mechanisms always work smoothly. Some sizes and structures of puzzle boxes tend to result in consistently reliable mechanisms, while others are a bit more prone to instability.
I believe this is related to factors like the box size and the thickness of the Aruki-moving panel (structural components). It’s not necessarily the case that a higher number of steps makes a box less stable. Even boxes with fewer steps can sometimes be challenging to stabilize. However, I always make adjustments to ensure they work reliably.
In my opinion, Japanese puzzle boxes are made up of numerous intricate elements, and their mechanisms depend on how well these components come together. That’s why such variations in stability occur.
Today, I’ve already started preparing for my next project: 2-sun 7-step puzzle boxes. This time, it’s a request from a shop overseas, and I’ll be making a solid wood type that I’ve crafted before. The photo shows the materials for the lid panels. I’m using a variety of woods for this project. Initially, I made these panels as a limited-edition design, so they’re a bit more elaborate. I didn’t expect to be making them again😅
These materials will be laminated and glued together. Tomorrow, I’ll cut the blocks into sheets and plane them down to about 3 mm. These will become the top and bottom panels of the boxes. For the side panels, I’ll use solid walnut as usual. The walnut will beautifully complement the colorful panels.
Since the mechanism for this box only requires seven steps, it’s not too labor-intensive. The shop likely wants these ready in time for the Christmas shopping season, so I’ll aim to finish them quickly.
