Nuts N' Bolts

A couple of weeks ago I spotted an announcement from Phil Wigfield on Discord that he’d be releasing a new brass bolt puzzle in a couple of weeks’ time, so I made a mental note to keep an eye out for it on his Etsy shop. 

A couple of days later a package arrived from Walsall out of the blue – which surprised me at first, but the note inside really blew me away. It was a letter from Phil gifting me a copy of his latest as-yet-unavailable puzzle Nuts N’ Bolts. Thank you, Phil!

I was quite keen to play so I opened up the customary little wooden box and lifted the little contraption off its satiny pillow – it’s an interesting looking little beastie – a pair of parallel bolts courtesy of a pair of fat conjoined nuts seem to be held together by a single nut and bolt combo that pierces the whole lot of them… and trapped far out of reach is a pair of washers that you’re aiming to remove.

Seems obvious that you need to remove the crossing bolt and then you’ll be able to remove the big bolts and Robert’s your mother’s brother. Only it’s not quite a simple as that… you might find the first step works pretty much as you’d hope, only from then on things get “interesting” – and by “interesting”, I mean all progress ceases!

Definitely time to Think(c).

There is a beautifully elegant solution that leaves you with a pair of freed washers and a nice smile on the face.

At this point you’ll know exactly what he’s done to create this little piece of glorious engineering, but I defy you to find the traces of his handiwork… he’s gone to a lot of trouble to keep things unseen that should not be seen… it is beautifully made, and a lovely puzzle – and if I hadn’t just been given a copy, I’d be queuing up for a copy when they’re released...probably tomorrow. ;-) 

You're welcome!