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daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
When I was a kid, some of my first experiences with WHAT I THOUGHT WAS MAGIC TRICKS, were these (I have no idea what they are called!!) puzzles which were made of twisted wire or metal, and the idea was you had two linked together, and you had to figure out how to separate them.
If I had the name of what they were called, I could be more clear on what I'm looking for. But to me, when I was a small boy, they were MAGIC TRICKS, and it gave me the power to do something that my friends could not. Be that as it may, I had a promo booth at the 4H fair this year, and I promoted my magic show, but I'm thinking ahead to next year and what new things I could offer to or even sell to the kids as a promo item or magic trick. So I'm wondering if these metal puzzles are still even around these days, and where could I get them? Any help would be appreciated. I really think it would be a fabulous idea at next years 4H booth to have puzzles to offer the young crowd. So I'n looking way ahead, and wanted to post it while it's still fresh in my mind.
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
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0pus Inner circle New Jersey 1739 Posts |
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ddyment Inner circle Gibsons, BC, Canada 2499 Posts |
The Deceptionary :: Elegant, Literate, Contemporary Mentalism ... and More :: (order "Calculated Thoughts" from Vanishing Inc.)
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daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
Yes! Those are the ones! Thanks guys. I'm on it!!
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
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Doc Willie Regular user 160 Posts |
My daughter gave me one that I have had for twenty years and never been able to solve.
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daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
Really?
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
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BWind Loyal user Honolulu, Hawaii 260 Posts |
Does anybody else remember that these puzzles were attached to rolls of hardware cloth, chicken wire, and other fencing materials? Kids would always race to get’um 1st, back then they were known as “wire” puzzles.
BWind |
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daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
That's right! Thanks for the reminder!
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
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Psyfl New user 80 Posts |
Funnily enough I just found one of these in a Christmas cracker yesterday!
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BWind Loyal user Honolulu, Hawaii 260 Posts |
Psyfl,
You’re kidding us right? BWind |
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slowkneenuh Regular user After 5,278+ posts, only credited with 133 Posts |
The "Cadillac" of metal puzzles:
http://tavernpuzzles.stores.yahoo.net/puzzle.html I used several of the easier ones during walk around in the restaurant for the older crowd, especially at the bar.
John
"A poor workman always blames his tools" |
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Race Blakhart Special user Selma,CA 624 Posts |
If you enjoy wire/tavern style puzzles, I strongly recommend you check out Hanayama puzzles. They come in different difficulty "levels" and not only are they good fun, but sometimes they actually take quite some time to solve, which adds to the enjoyment in my book. Depending on the level, of course. They're very well made, too. I found myself buying a new one nearly every month last year.
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MeetMagicMike Inner circle Gainesville Fl 3500 Posts |
I use puzzles in my table hopping work. I do a magic trick for a table and then leave them with a puzzle then repaet with the next table. People really love the puzzles.
I've got a good feel for what puzzles work best in this environment and I haven't found any of the Hanayama puzzles to work. They are beautiful but far too intricate in their solution. If people give up and ask me to show them the solution it takes too much time and it is also difficult to solve when the puzzle has been played with and it's not obvious what state it is in. Many of the Tavern Puzzles work well when table hopping. |
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Race Blakhart Special user Selma,CA 624 Posts |
Quote:
On Feb 12, 2019, MeetMagicMike wrote: Yes, the Hanayama puzzles are more for sitting on the desk at home, for when times are slow, or you need to clear your mind from other thoughts. Tavern style puzzles would most definitely be best for using in table hopping. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but it's in Nevada, outside Carson City. They had a puzzle on every table, and encouraged trading with other tables. The very first tavern puzzle I ever saw/solved was the two horseshoes and the ring. It's still my favorite. Here is another favorite of mine. It's wooden, and it is very interestingly made. https://www.amazon.com/Monkey-Pod-Games-......f=plSrch |
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MeetMagicMike Inner circle Gainesville Fl 3500 Posts |
I bought that X puzzle twice but each time I found that people could solve it by just shaking and pulling on it for a while.
Like you, I started with the horseshow puzzle and it's still a favorite. It's difficult but solvable and you can demonstrate the solution right in front of people and they still don't know how to do it. Another big favorite is Twin Tangle. Again, I can do the motion right in front of people and they almost always say "Aha, now I see it" then they grab it from me but can't solve it. |
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Race Blakhart Special user Selma,CA 624 Posts |
Hahaha yes! That's why I love the horseshoes so much. I'm not familiar with Twin Tangle, but I'm going to look it up right now.
Edit: after a quick search, I realized I'm wrong. Not only am I familiar with Twin Tangle, but I own it in three different sizes. Hahaha |
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MeetMagicMike Inner circle Gainesville Fl 3500 Posts |
Race, The original Twin Tangle is about three inches wide and works perfectly and smoothly. The smaller versions I've found get a little stuck during the solve. Not much but enough to take away the elegance of the solution,
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Race Blakhart Special user Selma,CA 624 Posts |
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On Feb 18, 2019, MeetMagicMike wrote: This is probably why I keep the small set put away. I remember having trouble getting them back together smoothly. What are some other good tavern puzzles? I am probably familiar with the more popular ones, but I also know there are hundreds of them out there. |
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MeetMagicMike Inner circle Gainesville Fl 3500 Posts |
Here are two that I use. Perfect for the restaurant. Not too hard and easy to demo. The idea is to give your customers that rush of solving a puzzle without making it too easy.
Iron Heart Conastoga Playmate |
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Race Blakhart Special user Selma,CA 624 Posts |
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On Feb 19, 2019, MeetMagicMike wrote: Those are both very cool looking as well. They give off a real nice vibe with that old west look. I'll definitely have to pick those up when I can afford them. Thanks for the links! |
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