I posted about this in Puzzle Building weeks ago (here), but the TechShop vinyl cutter was broken for a while so I just now was able to put proper stickers on them.

So nothing earth shattering, but people kept talking about pillowing this and that puzzle, and no one had yet done it to a 2x2x2. Why not me?



The last shows the size comparison to the East Sheen (and a grey scale stickered V-7). I decided to have it be slightly cut down from the East Sheen size.

Sigh.

Pillowing, pillowing, pillowing. Everything is pillowing.

Mr. Verdes got it all started, but Drewseph has been going pillowing crazy.
Yes, I know it is an alteration of the standard flat faced shapes for structural design reasons, but it has also become an artistic statement. We've certainly seen it leak over to puzzles that don't need it (the 5x5x5, and now my 2x2x2), and now everyone is asking for pillowed versions of everything.

Enough already. So who has the courage to go the other way? Who will step up and un-pillow something? I suppose the Concussion was a start, but that was really just one face and extending. I mean really spherical cuts into a puzzle face?

I have the courage, and so I present the Inverted 2x2x2:


I really like how it looks from a perfect 3/4 view, point on. You get a nice curvy six pointed star:


With spherical cuts, the Inverted 2x2x2 makes a great stand for other puzzles:


Enjoy,

Dave

Fantastic craftsmanship, Dave. Well done! Can't wait to get mine.

So pretty! I like the concept of "unpillowing", it reminds me of the Mathematica logo (which is an "unpillowed" dodecahedron). It would actually be pretty cool to make a version of that logo out of a Megaminx.

Very nice!

I was thinking about 'unpillowing' a cube a few weeks ago. I'm starting off with simpler mods though.
How well does the pillowed 2x2 fit against/into the unpillowed one?

The pillowed is a shallower curve than the inverted.

I suppose I should have made them the same curve, but they are different. I chose the pillowed curvature by eye, choosing something that just "looked" right. It is a bit more pillowed than the V7 but if I was to subtle I was concerned it wouldn't look like much.

The Inverted curvature I chose to be extreme, to be eye catching. I wanted a curve that would go as close to the inner keychain 2x2x2 as I thought possible (about 1mm above it so the plastic didn't get too thin), and I wanted the outer point to me the same size as a full size East Sheen 2x2x2. The final consideration was making sure the curve didn't make points that would be too thin.

Here's a picture of one on top of the other:


You can find more pictures on my flickr set here.
Dave

Cool!

wait wait wait, are you serious, is that a petaminx on an inverted 2x2x2? thats madness......

MADNESS??

THIS IS TWISTYPUZZLES DOT COOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Nice! They look even better stickered!

Does pillowing make the cube any better? Like, does it turn easier, or lock up and pop less?

The only purpose of pillowing is to prevent corners from falling out, on other puzzles it's only cosmetic.

Outstanding build quality Dave

ummm so you bought the petaminx or you sold a 2x2 and posted someones pic?

or they had a meeting

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=12951

No supercube, he lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, and so does Jason (io).

Close, but no cigar. This picture was from a lunch I had with Jason a few days before the 'Minx reunion, see here.

Dave

The pillowed one looks cool,
but the inverted is perfect. I'd like to have a dozen of them for all the sphere puzzles I have
Great!!

I think this answers my question as to whether or not it is worth my time to make new molds so I can pour more pieces at a time. One piece at a time is jut too slow. New molds it is!

Dave

Yeah, I'd like a few for ALL of FRANK's Sphere puzzles too!

Don't forget to order one for your Petaminx

You had any doubt there would be a demand for this?

No, I wouldn't! However, that's all up to Dave and what allows for him to make them.

Both puzzles look great Dave, but it annoys me that you can see the mini Eastsheen 2x2x2 in the Inverted 2x2x2.

-Grant

Yeah, when I had to extend the pieces (see the first post here for why I had to) it was hard to work with the very thin additions and they were a bit over sanded so the underlying puzzle is slightly visible. When I have a chance to remake the molds, I hope to spend a bit of time on the copies I use to build that back up again.

Dave

It would be great if the curved shapes would fit to common Skewb spheres (if possible).
The current design seems to be even a little bit too flat for a Masterball.

A sphere that small cutting into a cube would result in a different shape. I based mine on a nice curve from the ES 2x2x2 to the keychain ES 2x2x2. I would have to play around with a smaller sphere and how deep to set it in the face. I'm sure I could come up with something nice.

Dave

I got it.




Nice work Dave!!!

is the 2x2x2 inverted gonna be for sale?

Some time in the future, definitely.

I still have a Neon order list to complete, a Gigaminx to build, and even a very silly relative of the Inverted 2x2x2 to build. Oh yeah, and a few Kilominxes. And some new puzzles to enter in the database. And Fluorine. And a 24 puzzle.

I think I'll get to building a few Inverted 2x2x2s before completing all of those, but I can't say for sure when.

What I can say for sure is that I will post in Marketplace when they are available

Dave

thanks very much for your detailed answer i'll keep an eye on your posts

Any chance you'll be selling some of those Kilominxes?

Definitely a chance.

Whether or not I offer them at a fixed price or build just a few for auction will likely be determined by whether or not I can cast the corners. People with lots of experience casting tell me not to get my hopes up regarding the thinner parts. We'll see.

Like above, I won't forget to post in Marketplace when this or any of my other puzzles are ready for sale.

Dave

I am no expert on the subject, but for the Kilominx, could not it be casted, and then instead of casting the entire face (do cast the edges- for the bevel) make it so that there is an inset section, then glue on a stencil cut piece of sheet plastic?

If this doesn't make sense, its because I am really tired. Sorry.

I think we have let the Kilominx talk get us off topic. There is a New Puzzles and a Puzzle Building thread for the Kilominx, check them out.

Briefly, because I don't want to bump that thread with this answer, what you propose sounds quite a bit like how I built the prototype: Laser cut plates on pre-existing corners. Casting the corners wouldn't get me much over using the existing corners except perhaps not having to bevel the plates, and the problem with acrylic (able to be laser cut) is that it does not glue very strong and for any puzzle I sell I would want to use a screw to hold the plate down. This requires a conical countersink, flat head screw and putty to fill over the screw.

Anything that involves custom crafting four pieces with three screws per corner (20 corners per puzzle) is a bunch of work, which is what I would like to avoid

Dave

Loving the pillowed 2x2 great job looks amazing 10/10

Hmmm... looks like I did not see this before, Will they be for sale soon? I would love one.

Funny you ask, I was just last night sanding a set of fixed up cast pieces so I can mold four at a time (well, three at a time for the pillowed, they are bigger). I still need to drill out the pillowed piece to make it partially hollow (saves weight and resin).

So progress on this is being made, but I'm not ready to sell any just yet (too many other projects, not enough time...).

I'll be certain to post in Market place when some are available.

Dave

Awesome, is there anyway to reserve one of these?

Let me figure out a price first!

I also need to figure out if I want to take orders or just auction them as they become available. So I'll not take any orders until I am ready to produce them, which may be some time. Then, depending on how many I think I will be able to make, I will decide if I should start a wait list.

Thanks for the interest!

Dave

Well despite remaking the mold for four pieces at a time I don't think I can churn these out any time soon.

The pieces coming from the new molds are nice in that there are no exterior mold lines, but the mold is prone to bubbles meaning the resulting yield is less than I hoped for and most ever piece needs some form of clean up (bubbles in the mold can tear at the silicone when removing the piece, leaving bumps on subsequent casts).

Couple that with constantly having less time than I would like for puzzle building and I just won't be able to offer this at a fixed price with an order list (unless the price was very high...).

I do plan on making a few for trades and the occasional auction though, so if you want one it will be available. In particular, I just started a five day auction. Here is the Marketplace link about it.

Dave