This is the World’s first Master Mental Block. Similar puzzles include the Master Skewb, Octex, and Mental Block

VIDEO

AUCTION is online!
There will be more info and high quality pictures later

Original building topic is here, so your should be able to find how I made it and such.



Building process:I started with CAD. I made a Master skewb in CAD and then designed extensions for a Master Mental Block. The masters were FDM printed on my high schools $25,000 dimension printer, which hasn't been used for 2 years (I was the first print ever on it)Thanks to Mr. McCalister for printing the pieces. The pieces were then cast from Smoothcast 300 in OOMOO 30 molds, and glued onto a LanLan Master Skewb. I then took a few pictures and made my last post just so I could be the first to do it (because I suspect some other forum members are working on it) Since then however, I have done a lot. First I sanded all of the pieces down so they turn freely. I then filled in the gaps with Miliput Superfine. I then sanded again. And again. And again and again and again. Lots of sanding, in order to get perfect pieces. Once I was satisfied with the shapes and smoothness, I spray painted the puzzle black gloss with Krylon super-gloss. But I was not happy with the result, so I removed the paint (more sanding) and repainted. I then also sprayed a coat of clear enamel to keep the parts protected. Some parts needed touchups, so I used a sharpie for minor touchups on the inside of pieces. The insides of the pieces that rub against each other are a pain to get paint to stay painted, but I think I did a good job. I then assembled the puzzle again and lubricated it. The stickers are hand-cut from Cubesmith Vinyl, except for the 3x3 stickers on the red and orange faces (which just happen to fit perfectly).

Overall time spent:-2 hours CAD
-1 hour setting up, testing, calibrating, and monitoring 3D printer
-2 hours mold making
-8 hours casting pieces
-1 hour gluing extensions
-2 hours sanding
-2 hours filling gaps with Milliput (very time consuming, lots of gaps to fill)
-1 more hour sanding
-1 hours total painting
-3 hours stickering

Puzzle Info:

Turning quality is very good. I dare say that the puzzle turns even better than the one it was made from. It would be easily finger-trickable however the pieces are very solid and some are quite heavy. I will add measurements (size and weight) later. This is the most difficult puzzle that I have. It requires solving a master skewb with the requirement of "center" orientation and also introduces parity on the "corner center" pieces. When scrambled, I can barely even make out the original puzzle. It really is crazy to hold it and turn it into these crazy shapes. No pieces are loose, however the puzzle overall has low tension, which I like but is adjustable.

This puzzle will be up for auction, and it will be the only one that I am selling. I hope I can sell it for at least $300 to cover the cost of supplies and labor. If you are interested, I can give you any more information about the puzzle via PM.

Again, a video will be added soon so you too can witness the quality of the puzzle. It is my proudest puzzle achievement, and I hope you all like it.

Thanks to Tony Fisher for the original Mental Block idea. Thanks to Mr. McCalister for printing the pieces. Thanks to my mom for letting me spray paint in the garage when it was too wet outside.

Again, I hope you like this puzzle, and there is more info to come!

Thanks for watching,
Adam

Awesome! That looks fantastic! Great work.

Congratulations, it looks amazing! How long have you been working on it?

Ryan

That looks really awesome, but some pieces look a little bit loose. Will you be able to make a video showing the turning?

Alex

Beautiful! It has come a long way since you first presented it. Great Job.

Amazing! The finished product looks phenomenal. Really can't wait to see your future creations.
PS I love how it's black

crazy crazy stuff! I really love it! I wish to build one for myself one day

Wow! Nicely done!
I never thought something like that could be done! It can really shapeshift!

What a wonderful build! I have been waiting to see this! Did you sand the pieces before dyeing/painting? If I were to attempt this I would take a belt sander with a fine grit and even out each of the 6 sides.

Great job!

Chris

Yes they are very even, the picture is a bit misleading. It makes the pieces seem out of allignment.

Hopefully some nice Tom'zd pictures will come tomorrow

Windows Movie Maker is a pain hopefully video tonight though.

Adam

Great stuff. I can't wait to see the video.

Finally a video!

Took me about 2 hours to figure out that windows movie maker is not good software.

So I got quicktime Pro and here it is!

Enjoy, Auction and High Def Pics coming soon!

Adam

Woah! I need to have one. Now! I may actually buy another two Master Skewbs Just to try out this mod and something else (maybe an Octex).

Excellent! Finally!

Thomas