The Stone Blocks puzzle is a modification of the Mirror Blocks Cube invented by Hidetoshi Takeji. This puzzle is an elaboration of a concept I toyed with previously; to decorate a puzzle in such a way that it has a stone effect finish. I first tried this on a Skewb; however the finished puzzle didn’t present a solving challenge as it was uniformly coloured and didn’t shape shift.
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Making the puzzle was simple; before spray painting I sanded the faces of the puzzle to create more surface area for the paint to stick to. I then applied two coats of the spray paint over the course of two weeks, as the paint has a very slow dry time. I then left the puzzle for just under a month in a cold windowsill to allow the paint to dry thoroughly, as I found that heat softened the paint and prolonged the drying process.
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I’m happy with how the puzzle turned out; it’s a far better portrayal of my concept than my first stone puzzle. The turning of the puzzle has remained the same; however there is a slight grind when twisting the puzzle due to the newly textured surfaces.
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