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The Ring Lock, designed by Jean Claude Constantin, was released in 2005 (also known as Ringschloss). It's among the long family of the 'Trick Locks', 'Take-Apart' or 'Hidden Mechanism' puzzles. There's a wide variety of these puzzles with very clever mechanisms to open them.
The solution for the Ring Lock is actually directly related to its own name. Also, a good observer might be able to pick a hint in the picture where you see the lock opened. Sometimes, things aren't exactly what they seem...
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The presentation of the puzzle is one of the most interesting found in the Trick Lock's family. It's made to look like an antique lock, with the fading golden metal and the floral motif carvings.
The internal build quality is something to worry about though, because the metal pin inside that allows the lock to open, is extremely thin and will brake with any extra force you apply on it. And believe me, if you have a few people playing with it like I had, it's going to brake. Welding isn't going to work, because it will make the piece a bit more thick and thus, not allowing the 'ring' to move inside. I managed to fix it with a little bit of super glue and until now it has withstand further solving attempts.
Overall it's a great puzzle, more looks than functionality, but it's safe if you're the only one with access to it...
Below is a list of links with stores and more information about this type of puzzles.
More Information:
Rob's Puzzle Page (Trick Locks)
Magic Puzzles.org
Lock Collector (a lot of old trick locks)
Article about an Indian lock collector
Online Stores:
Toys-for-all
Puzzle Master
Eureka Puzzles (European)
Puzzle This
Game-Mania (Italy)
Hi Gabriel, beautiful lock.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Victoria, I'm a current student at the Art Institute and I was wondering if I can have permission to edit this photo for my portfolio? There would be no monetary gain and it's only for educational purposes.
You have a lovely collection from what I've seen. I'll patiently wait for your reply. Thank you
Hi Victoria.
ReplyDeleteSure, you can edit the photo.
Good luck for your studies ;-)
Hi Gabriel. Is your copy a real JCC version? It looks a bit different than the version PuzzleMaster version. I mentioned the puzzle on my puzzlesite and an other puzzler thought the version on the photo isn't a JCC copy. So maybe you can solve this mystery for me :) Here's the link to the site:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.spelenmetbreinbrekers.nl/items/ring-lock
Hi Annemieke,
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle was bought at a German puzzle store called Toys-for-all.de. I can't tell you with certainty who produced it, though. How does one know if it's a real JCC? By the packaging? By the design itself. The quality seems good. Sorry I can't be of more help. Cheers ;-)
This puzzle is made in Taiwan (Annemike, it is my last info). Many shops or dealers sell this puzzle! Greetings, Ad
ReplyDeleteThanks for your input! I changed the text on my site a little bit.
ReplyDeleteWish you a great 2016 with lots of beautiful and challenging puzzles!