"A Plugged Well" by Mr. Puzzle

[jerryloo71]

Just opened my Plugged Well with the help of pliers.
The last part was swelled up and wouldn't budge by
hand. Another internal part wouldn't return to the
normal position because of swelled wood. For a
fairly expensive puzzle, it was disappointing that it
didn't work smoothly. At least no broken parts.

I have the same problem due to the very high humidity where I live (average 80%). Usually I don't play with a wooden puzzle (unless the pieces are obviously very loose) until I have placed the puzzle in my camera dry box (setting at 45%) for at least 5-7 days to "dry" the puzzle out.

[Bidle]

That's a shame,...


I got no problem whatsoever! All works very smoothly. Try contact Bryan he is always very helpful!

[nos6074]

Just a suggestion.. But if you are having issues with humidity you can allways put it in a closed container with Silicate.. Crystal type cat litter works well because it is 100% silicate gel.. The Silicate will absorb all of the ambiant moisture pulling it away from your puzzle without doing it too fast and causing cracking.. I have used this in my gun safe for years and found it to be quite effective and cheap..

[Paradox]

Just a suggestion.. But if you are having issues with humidity you can allways put it in a closed container with Silicate.. Crystal type cat litter works well because it is 100% silicate gel.. The Silicate will absorb all of the ambiant moisture pulling it away from your puzzle without doing it too fast and causing cracking.. I have used this in my gun safe for years and found it to be quite effective and cheap..

Yep, I agree as I do something similar. I have large plastic boxes that I use for this, and I buy cheap room dehumidifying silicate boxes and place them in with the wooden puzzles. They need to be replaced every few months.

But keep checking in on the puzzles regularly, some puzzles (mostly expensive puzzle boxes) don't like the extreme dry any more than moisture, so you'll have to find a nice balance.

[Mrhero]

i have my well solved. but i used the solution the most embarassing thing was that to procceed i had to use only more force really stupid
my rating for the well is 6/10 due to the amount of force required

[03SVTCobra]

i have my well solved. but i used the solution the most embarassing thing was that to procceed i had to use only more force really stupid
my rating for the well is 6/10 due to the amount of force required

None of the tools required any force to retrieve nor did the rest of the puzzle. There is only one part that might stick but that is usually due to humidity where the puzzle is kept. Other than that No extra force is required to solve this one.

[Bidle]

I agree, luckily for me I even had no problems with humidity. Mine is completely smooth from beginning to end. Personally I give this puzzle a 8.

[mrpuzzle]

I'm trying to give these instructions without giving any spoilers so you might find it a bit crypitc but here goes.
Just noticed that there seems to be some issue with The Plugged Well and I went and checked some of the ones I have here. What I did notice was that pulling on the door repeatedly can make the last locking spring jam the door tight.
I think some of the first ones I made we tried to be too accurate and have less movement in the door. I allowed a bit more leeway in later ones I made. But perhaps a couple of these puzzles were from the bottom of the box and so were in fact ones I made first.
If you have this problem when you go to do the last step before opening the door, push in on the door, do the last step, and then open the door. Doing this helps relieve the tension on the spring/door.
If it’s not this then it could be a humidity issue. Puzzle are made at an average 50-60% humidity. I know constant aircon can dry things out. We don’t do heating here… even in winter but assume that could do the same or more?
If you're still having problems please pm or email me (mrpuzzle@mrpuzzle.com.au) and we'll sort it out no worries).
Brian.

[Mrhero]

Hey Brian, thanks for the response. The problem is that the plugged well is my first sequential discovery puzzle, and i really was afraid to use some force. I think there is a problem with humidity also ,but not sure about this.. I like the mechanism though.
I hope that when i will order the washington monument i will be able to open it without being afraid to break something.

Kind regards,
Greg

[astr0creep]

I hope that when i will order the washington monument i will be able to open it without being afraid to break something.

Absolutely zero force required for solving Washington Monument, however the solution is, shall we say... unique