So Sly! Frank Has To Tell Me When To S(t)top

Sly Burr 2.6.9.a designed by Frank Potts
Allard's IPP exchange puzzle

Still packed!

I have had a few days off and have had time to discover that getting older is a painful experience! She who frightens the living bejeezus out of me told me in no uncertain terms that the bathroom and shower room silicone seals were needing to be replaced whilst I was off work. This is one of my least favourite jobs in the world and it seems to come around with monotonous regularity. The problem is the old stuff is bloody difficult to get off with a variety of sharp implements that threaten to remove my fingertips if I lose concentration but mostly the issue is that grubbing around on my hands and knees involves a variety of funny noises that I have finally realised were coming from me! I groan when I get down, I groan when my knees hurt, I groan when my shoulders hurt getting into a variety of awkward positions to get bits of silicone off and OMG! I groan when I get back up again! We will NOT be talking about the inadvertent gaseous emission that occurs on standing up! I even bought some rather nice fat knee pads to try and prevent some of the groaning - it only helped a little bit.

Original Sly Burr (2013)

This unfortunate episode of DIY did not completely prevent me puzzling. I continued to try and unpack the OPUP - I did find a single tool but did not find what I could do with it. It remains firmly packed and no amount of flicking of the wrist can release the magnetic hold - I am well and truly packed! After I had run out of ideas and strength, I moved on to another puzzle I had been gifted at the MPP. Allard handed me a copy of his IPP exchange puzzle. I had actually picked ups someone else's copy at the MPP but put it down again on receiving mine. Burrs should be wood if at all possible but this boxed burr looked very interesting and on seeing that it had been designed by the amazing Frank Potts who has designed quite a few rather special burrs in my collection, I was instantly interested. I had never actually written about it for some reason (probably embarrassment) - I had a copy of Frank's original Sly Burr produced by Brian Young. I vaguely remember buying this from Brian very early on in my puzzling career because it looked like a "simple" 6 piece burr and then taking and it took me several weeks to discover the special secret that would allow it to be dismantled. Do remember that I am not very good at puzzles and in those days I was completely rubbish.

I know what level 2.6.9 means but what is the a for?

The new puzzle came with a little card giving the level and a little addendum. Why doesn't Frank know when to stop? Looking at my collection, Mrs S would say the same thing about me.

I set to work during the week and remembered the fancy step on the original and quickly realised that Frank had done something very similar with this puzzle. I was able to remove the first red burr stick quite quickly - cue the smug self satisfied feeling for approximately 10 minutes. ONLY 10 minutes. I was unable to remove anything else from the puzzle for several days. In fact I couldn't actually work out what else moved apart from the original sticks. I was assuming the box would come part...but how?

Sitting with a coffee one morning during the week and watching the cats scratch my leather sofa, I was fiddling without really watching when suddenly I had a quick sequence of moves of the box which then split in half. I looked down into my lap to see 2 pieces separated and no idea how that had happened. I couldn't even tell whether a rotational move had allowed it to happen. Knowing Frank, I decided that it was unlikely to be that. He is far too careful with his designs to allow that to happen inadvertently. It took me a good 30 minutes of reffing and blinding before I found the steps to put it back together again. After that I proudly showed the cats the correct steps to take it apart and then the further steps to completely dismantle the puzzle. Don't look if you don't want any clues but at this point you KNOW that you have finished the puzzle.

2 halves to the box and two burr sticks - finished?

Whilst that was a fun challenge that yet again took me an embarrassingly long time (although not as long as the original had) to dismantle. I still didn't know why I had been told that Frank didn't know when to stop. Shaking the halves of the box revealed something rattling about...but where. Homing in on the source of the noise, I investigated, I saw, I finally conquered! Don't look if you don't want to know:

Time to S(t)TOP?

Definitely!

There is still a rattling noise from inside the 2 halves of the box but Frank has said that I can stop now. I would love to know what the rattling is from but I don't want to snap anything. 

The next step is to reassemble everything and it is really fun. The placement of the pieces is nicely logical and once everything is placed in roughly the correct place it all just snaps into place under the influence of the several magnets that are inside (I assume that is what some of the rattling is from). It's a very rewarding reassembly. Having done it a few times I can put it away on my exchange puzzle/gift shelf. Mrs S really doesn't like chunks of plastic lying around for long.

This is a terrific extension of Frank's original idea and just the right level. I still have no idea why the solution level ends in an a. If anyone can tell me then post a comment below.

Now...seeing as Mrs S doesn't like chunks of plastic lying around, I need to get back to the OPUP puzzle again and see if I can find anything new...before there is another Whack! Ouch!