Hey guys, I came across this article the other day and ended up making both of the blacksmith puzzle designs in it. They turned out great and have been a lot of fun for the family and our guests. Does anyone have any other blacksmith puzzle designs they'd like to share? I find these things very interesting and would like to be able to make a bunch more. Thanks!

(link in case the above doesn't work)

http://habairon.org/...h%20Puzzles.pdf

Search Google images for "Tavern Puzzles" and you'll get a bunch to drool over.

I first saw these puzzles at Silver Dollar City (a pioneer town based amusement park here in Missouri) many years ago. They had about 20 of them and I stood there and solved all of them in a couple of hours. i love these puzzles and will have to make some. Thank you for posting this.

these have been around for a long time ...the Heart one needs the U shape to be larger and there needs to two of them thats how the oldsones were made

Love these! I have a friend who collects them, I might have to make one for him.

He also has some modern ones such as unscrewing an apparatus inside a Coke bottle. The plug is fastened with a nut and bolt, and there is a bearing or marble to provide mechanical action...with significant dexterity needed.

Phil

I've got an old, original A.C. Gilbert box full of these metal puzzles, 21 of them. They are fairly small but could be forged larger.. They come with the original instruction book on how to solve and re-assemble. Circa 1950's. For sale @ $100 plus shipping and handling.

here is a good list of them

http://tavernpuzzles.stores.yahoo.net/puzzle.html

I have ordered puzzles from these guys, who sell tavern puzzles among many other kinds. http://puzzlemaster.ca/ I've often thought that these would be fun smithing projects, but the tolerances have to be pretty tight on some of them, and without instructions I can imagine spending a lot of time trying to get everything just right. It could be especially problematic if you didn't already know how to solve the puzzle before you set out to make it!

I'd love to make a few if there were some plans about.  I imagine if you got it a bit off it wouldn't work.

The following reference is to one of the blacksmith puzzles, "the captive heart".  Check out    http://www.blacksmithing.org/CB-Archive/1992/1992-02-cb.pdf

There was a series of advertisements in the Florida Artist Blacksmith Association journal, the Clinker Breaker, which ran for about 4 years in the early 1990's.

It was for instructions for making several puzzles complete with dimensions. (then again it may have run in the Southern Ohio Blacksmith journal.)

I would love to get a hold of a copy of that product. Hopefully, someone, here, has the reference.

SLAG.

8 hours ago, SLAG said:

The following reference is to one of the blacksmith puzzles, "the captive heart".  Check out    http://www.blacksmithing.org/CB-Archive/1992/1992-02-cb.pdf

There was a series of advertisements in the Florida Artist Blacksmith Association journal, the Clinker Breaker, which ran for about 4 years in the early 1990's.

It was for instructions for making several puzzles complete with dimensions. (then again it may have run in the Southern Ohio Blacksmith journal.)

I would love to get a hold of a copy of that product. Hopefully, someone, here, has the reference.

SLAG.

Thanks for posting that, it has alot more neat projects than just the puzzle.