Window Lock

Window Lock by Dick Hensel

Unfortunately I am working this weekend and so only have time for a quickie - it's still a goodie though! Who would have thought that you can make a lock out of wood? I certainly wood not have thought it possible but then what wood I know? Even more interesting is when the entire workings of the lock are visible through an acrylic Window. Allard reviewed the Window lock back in November and I couldn't resist asking Dick if he was going to make any more. He said that he was thinking about it and wood let me know if he did. I was truly delighted when he contacted me at the end of January with an offer of a copy. My version was made from a different wood to Allard's and had an extra feature...the ball bearing which, I suspect, made one part of the solution a little easier to perform.

As the name states, everything is on show and yet it is not just a simple matter of looking and doing to open it. I have been fiddling for a week or so before I managed the complete solution. The first possible movement is relatively obvious because all you can do at first is roll the BB around (which does nothing) and look for anything else that might move. Once you have found what else moves then your vistas open up into a bit more confusion. Yep, movement happens and immediately there is something that screams to be done but due to the fancy angles Dick has cut the wood at, everything just slides back and forth without achieving anything. It's a sort of mesmerising sliding back and forth but that doesn't help you open the blasted lock. 

Next, there is something else that screams at you to try and it requires more dexterity before you can make it happen (and sometimes I couldn't make it happen). At this point there is an audible oooooh! in the room (Mrs S doesn't mind those sorts of sounds) and more things become apparent. There are magnets inside - knowledge of which actually doesn't help you and even if you are not careful can seriously hinder later moves. At this point, I got stuck for a week...I could make another "thing" happen inside and it was very satisfying but did not appear to get me anywhere near to opening the "blasted" lock. I was beginning to understand why Allard had enjoyed it, The next couple of evenings were a succession of failing and succeeding to do the first move or two and then "click" swearing under my breath. I was missing something crucial.

As they say, it was now time to Think© and it didn't help. With the Window lock, it was time to Look and then Think©. A very foreign idea for me but it certainly worked - as I have said, everything is on show if you look properly then there is more to Think© about and at that point I had an idea...what if I?

Bingo!!

Damn! That should not have been so hard!

This clever puzzle literally has everything on show through a window but seeing it is not enough - you need to think and plan an attack. It actually is not that tough but the moves are not obvious until you try to work out a pathway to releasing the shackle. I absolutely love it! I really wish that I was able to open my other lock from Dick. I bought the Hensel Lock in 2017 and have not gotten any further than a few moves in! I am truly terrible at locks/burrs/packing/puzzles in general!

Whilst chatting with a new friend on FB messenger, I came to the realisation that I have a problem...I haven't tidied up my desk in 6 months! I actually know where everything is but Mrs S is starting (actually she's continuing) to get annoyed at me! Do you think I should tidy up? I actually think I could leave it a while longer:

Looks organised to me!