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How to Make a Tavern Puzzle

These untangling puzzles of attached metal pieces challenge the player to hours of brain-teasing fun--and sometimes frustration. Created by blacksmiths centuries ago to entertain tavern and inn travelers, the object is to remove the movable piece from the tangle and then replace it, which is much easier said than done.

With an assortment of tools, a variety of metal and wire pieces and precise measurements, tackle making your own tavern puzzle. Be prepared to try and retry to perfect your puzzle's accuracy, as fit and movement will be the key to a challenging, successful tavern puzzle.

Things You'll Need

Coat hanger wire (non-coated)
Steel jump rings, such as that used to attach large jewelry clasps
Any assortment of scrap metal and wire appropriate for the puzzle
Fabric tape measure
Hammer
Wire snips or small bolt cutters
Pliers
Drill and small metal-drilling bits
File
Metal-grade sand paper, medium-grit
Small grinder
Safety goggles

Instructions

- 1
  Study and conquer a variety of tavern puzzles and choose one that seems simple to reproduce, such as Old Shackles. Put your own twist on the puzzle to customize it.
- 2
  Measure circular or bent puzzle pieces for similar replication, using a fabric tape measure.
- 3
  Cut to length a straight section of coat hanger with the wire snips and bend into shape using pliers, according to your idea. Light gauge coat hangers may be workable by hand but may not be strong enough to hold up to the force used by a player when working the finished puzzle.
- 4
  Put on safety goggles. Place the wire length on an iron or solid metal surface and slightly flatten the ends needing drilled holes for attaching jump rings or other parts, with a hammer. If placed on a soft surface, such as a wood-top work bench, the force of the hammering will only push the wire into the wood without flattening it.
- 5
  Make the removable object piece last and to spec--just barely big enough to fit over all of your other constructed parts when manipulated in play.
- 6
  File and smooth all rough edges with a file, grinder and sandpaper.
- 7
  Test for accuracy by playing. Tweak as needed.

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