Hey all, i spent a couple minutes making this square1 mod. I want to eventually destickertize this and paint the zodiac on the top and bottom. But for now its ok. here some pics:

sorry the pictures suck. But its all i got for now.
Thanks much!

Jake

The more new puzzles come out the more I think that I have never had an original idea in my life. Of course it's not like this is the biggest leap but still, isn't there anything I’ve thought of that others haven't? Seems like everything I think of, no matter how mundane or, whatever the opposite of mundane is, is built long before I can even start thinking about working on it.

Yes, Chris. Isn't it wonderful? I love all these great ideas.

Thanks guys, yes it was extremely easy to make, and it probably take longer to solve the puzzle then it is to build it hehehe.
I just bought a new paint set, so i'm gonna try painting first. Ive always had success painting my cubes. With the angles being so sharp it would be kinda hard to make a good sticker for it anyway. But I'll give it a whirl if the painting doesnt work. I'll post when i get it done :)
Jake

Jake,
What did you use to make the cuts? I don't really know much about the best equipment to use, like how to make strait cuts through plastic with minimal work involved. Is that dremel, or is there something bigger?

Jeff

I don't think there are any dremel bits that allow such a fine cut to be made. I'm guessing either a scroll saw or a jeweler's saw. With a nice sharp place it actually doesn't take very long at all to cut through a piece, even when done by hand.

Brilliant!
Very nice simple mod. Looks like an old medal on the middle shot.
Do you want to paint Zodiacs directly on plastic or replacement stickers?

Vadim

Tell me about it, Chris. I've got an idea for a really cool puzzle mod. I just hope that nobody beats me to it. :-) L8r.

Yup, i used my moms scroll saw. Its great having this christmas break at home so i can steal my parents tools hehehe.

Wow, I was wondering if anyone had made this puzzle as well, and Adam Zamora found this thread for me (thanks Adam!).

I did the same modification (but finished the sides with plastic to close the pieces) in the early nineties. Not having access to a band saw I actually did my first version cutting with an x-acto knife (bad idea) and it took forever. Since I had to sand the edges to make room for the plastic plating width a saw would have done better, and that is what I used on the second one.

I've got pictures submitted to Sandy but here are some I put up to flickr:





I've restickered it since these pictures so it looks a bit better.

Dave

Amazing build!

So it would solve like a 2 layer puck, would it not?

I suppose so. I am lazy and just line up the corners and solve like the normal square 1. Perhaps there are parity issues I haven't hit yet, but that method hasn't failed me. I suppose you could also solve it like a Masterball with only two layers, and twelve, not eight pieces

Dave

Did you (dlitwin) bring that to the exploritorium on the 13th? If so I was the
one in the green vest.

What a coincidence !
Few weeks ago, my Japanese friend "Noda" finished same cube.

He named it to "Square-2" but I think he should strain to name of his cube.

Whoa... those are cool! Is it any more complicated than just cutting the pieces in half?

K wrote:Did you (dlitwin) bring that to the exploritorium on the 13th? If so I was the
one in the green vest.

Yep, that was me. Nice to meet you!

Dave

qqwref wrote:Whoa... those are cool! Is it any more complicated than just cutting the pieces in half?

It can be as simple as that (Joel's version), or you can spend more time on it. I took the trouble to close the piece off with plastic sheet cut to shape and glued on, and it looks like Hidetoshi's friend did something similar (perhaps filled with resin?).

Dave

Hidetoshi wrote:What a coincidence !
Few weeks ago, my Japanese friend "Noda" finished same cube.

He named it to "Square-2" but I think he should strain to name of his cube.

On the contrary, "Square-2" is exactly what I named mine when I made it over 10 years ago. I wound up just writing over the "1" with a marker but it didn't last because it wasn't a marker that would stick on the clear plastic label Your friend did a much nicer job. I've just re-stickered mine with cubesmith sitckers (I cut the corner stickers before applying them) and just this afternoon bought a small Sharpie marker to try to write "Square-2" on the blank yellow bar. Did your friend just reproduce the font by hand?

I've added it in the puzzle database as "DLitwin Square-1" as I was hesitant to name it "Square-2" as well, but given that at least three people have now made this puzzle independently and two of them (me and Noda) have named it "Square-2", I'd say the name should stick, and become official.

Dave

P.S. Get your friend Noda to join Twistypuzzles.

dlitwin wrote:

qqwref wrote:Whoa... those are cool! Is it any more complicated than just cutting the pieces in half?

It can be as simple as that (Joel's version), or you can spend more time on it. I took the trouble to close the piece off with plastic sheet cut to shape and glued on, and it looks like Hidetoshi's friend did something similar (perhaps filled with resin?).

Dave

X-D
It's not right. His method is more simple in a certain sense.
(Perhaps) he use 24 edges, and only extended by epoxy putty.
Yes, he made it three Square-1 to one puzzle.
I have something on my chest, the whereabouts of the left 60 degrees 24 parts. If he needs, he can make two star prism. X-)

dlitwin wrote:On the contrary, "Square-2" is exactly what I named mine when I made it over 10 years ago. I wound up just writing over the "1" with a marker but it didn't last because it wasn't a marker that would stick on the clear plastic label Your friend did a much nicer job. I've just re-stickered mine with cubesmith sitckers (I cute the corner stickers before applying them) and just this afternoon bought a small Sharpie marker to try to write "Square-2" on the blank yellow bar. Did your friend just reproduce the font by hand?

Yes, his font was made by his handiwork.
And the sticker was made by me with print.
I got the image figure from him, and I made stickers, and stuck by him.

dlitwin wrote:I've added it in the puzzle database as "DLitwin Square-1" as I was hesitant to name it "Square-2" as well, but given that at least three people have now made this puzzle independently and two of them (me and Noda) have named it "Square-2", I'd say the name should stick, and become official.

Hmm, then if you don't worry, will you leave to make the stickers for me ?
I have the templete to make them, then I can make it easily.
If you agree my proposal, please PM me with your shipment address.
I'll make the stickers, and send for you.

dlitwin wrote:P.S. Get your friend Noda to join Twistypuzzles.

Haha. Perhaps, he is weak to use English. He is a Japanese born and bread.
But of course, I suggest him.

I liked the square-1 puzzle mod and it looked very nice.

Ah! It's an interesting suggestion, making it from a dodecagonal prism. I hadn't considered that idea. Perhaps that is why your friend's puzzle looks so perfect! I suppose you could reshape a star prism too, in the same way. It would not even be Square-1 then, more like Square-1/2.

I want to make one of these! (And a Greenhill's 1.) I'm not messing with my speed-square-1, but I have two cheap ones coming from eBay... let's hope that they are good enough quality...

Square-1 mods are so cool!

The turning on the cheap ones is really smoth and the cube (not really see
here http://twistypuzzles.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6019)is
very light.

Here is my Square-2 cleaned up with Cubesmith stickers. Much prettier than my previous pictures.



Dave

That looks very nice now with new stickers also the place where you cut looks
nice too. Did you cut the cube smith stickers then round the edges?

Myke wrote:Did you cut the cube smith stickers then round the edges?

Exactly that. I'm not sure if you can see at the posted resolution, but the rounding of the cut corner stickers is a tiny bit rough.

Dave

Still very nice. probibly better Than I could do.