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Very very nice, thank you! If I lived a little closer I'd offer you a few beverages of your choice.

 

I do have one question though, because I'm a metal / wood guy here, and have zero experience with PVC.

 

How stable is PVC to thermal expansion/contraction? With the (nominal) OD dimensions of #10 and ID of #9 leaving 0.003" clearance, will there be a temperature outside the shop build environment when the rings become to tight to turn?

 

Hey SkipHer!

 

I think if we ever meet up I'll take you up on the offer.

 

The sizes I'm showing in my drawings are just what I was able to measure as an average from the pieces I purchased. They did vary considerably +/- 0.008. from what I remember. PVC plumbing is a bit irregular and that 3 thousand difference is just average if anything. I would definately remove, by sanding, the inside diameter until it has a bit of a sloppy fit.

 

Quite technical question to throw at me after an evening cocktail but you had me searching the net right away. The Linear Temperature Expansion Coefficient for PVC is 28 @10 power -6 per inch. Did a bit more research and math......I calculate that out to be an expansion of .0028" with a temperature change from 0 deg F to 100 deg F but I could be full of #$%^. I'm just a sheet metal worker.

 

Make sure the inner ring can spin freely before assembly and it shouldn't expand mor that 5 thousand inch.

 

Cheers

Soxter

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Very very nice, thank you! If I lived a little closer I'd offer you a few beverages of your choice.

 

I do have one question though, because I'm a metal / wood guy here, and have zero experience with PVC.

 

How stable is PVC to thermal expansion/contraction? With the (nominal) OD dimensions of #10 and ID of #9 leaving 0.003" clearance, will there be a temperature outside the shop build environment when the rings become to tight to turn?

You don't want .003 clearance with PVC. A build with .010 would be more realistic.

PVC has a tendence to bind really easy.

 

P.S. I've been working with non-plumbing PVC for the last 15 or so years.

 

Thanks for the input bittsen

 

When I assemble the cryptex and install the combination rings on the base tube for the last time I use a small amount of molybdenum grease, which is for plastic gears and can be picked up at hobby shops, on the base tube.

 

It worked for me and my rings spin freely

 

Cheers

Soxter

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I've been able to remove enough material from the 3/4" PVC using a palm sander with dust attachment and a lot of elbow grease. I placed it in a bench vise and continually rotated it until enough material was removed for it to slip easily inside the 1" PVC. I finished up with an extra fine sanding sponge.

 

I'm getting good cuts using a manual miter saw. It is a pretty good one that I've used for cutting crown and other molding.

 

Edit: At first I thought I'd be able to cut the slot by drilling holes down the length and nibbling away the excess material with sheet metal snips. That didn't work very well at all. What did work was to put the piece vertically in a bench vise and saw just inside the cutting lines with a hack saw blade (removed from the saw with tape wrapped around one end for a handle.) I finished the cut edge with a file and sandpaper.

 

My goal is to see what I can do with the tools I have on hand. I am sure the result won't be as professional looking as Soxter's, but my husband would have a cow if I bought another power tool! He still thinks the nail gun I bought for installing crown molding was an extravagance.

 

One question: Why is the 8th split ring a different width than the other 7? I can't quite tell based on the drawings.

Edited by Mom-n-Andy
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I’ve started working on this project also; a nice set of plans and a nice winter project. Thank you.

 

The coefficient of thermal expansion for PVC is approximately 2.8 x 10^-5 in/in-°F. Therefore a 10” long piece of PVC tubing will expand 0.0028” for every 10°F rise in temperature. However, if all of the parts are made of the same material and allowed to reach thermal equilibrium, there shouldn’t be a binding problem as all parts expand and contract uniformly. Dirt and grit may cause a bigger problem due to the soft nature of PVC.

 

I used a wood lathe to turn down the ¾” dia. key tube to fit the 1” dia. tube. I put slip caps on the ends to hold the tube and provide pivot points. Standard wood turning tools worked just fine. After sanding I still have a rough surface that attracts dirt. How do you finish a sanded surface? Any tips?

 

Now on to the 3/8” slot. :)

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I've been able to remove enough material from the 3/4" PVC using a palm sander with dust attachment and a lot of elbow grease. I placed it in a bench vise and continually rotated it until enough material was removed for it to slip easily inside the 1" PVC. I finished up with an extra fine sanding sponge.

 

I'm getting good cuts using a manual miter saw. It is a pretty good one that I've used for cutting crown and other molding.

 

I think I have a handle on cutting the slot. I marked the slot and am drilling 3/8" holes down the length. I plan to nibble the remaining material using fine tipped sheet metal snips and will smooth the edge using a file and'or sandpaper. I will report how well this works.

 

My goal is to see what I can do with the tools I have on hand. I am sure the result won't be as professional looking as Soxter's, but my husband would have a cow if I bought another power tool! He still thinks the nail gun I bought for installing crown molding was an extravagance.

 

One question: Why is the 8th split ring a different width than the other 7? I can't quite tell based on the drawings.

 

Hi Mom-n-Andy,

 

If you look at Drawing 8 of 9 Split & Keeper Ring, the lower right drawing shows what I have called the keeper ring.The keeper ring is used to hold all the combination rings in place on the base tube and provide a line-up notch to insert the inner key.

 

You will notice that the keeper ring has a smaller edge to it that must slide inside the last combination ring. This small edge is there to give my keeper ring a bit of meat to glue on the base tube. What I have done then to keep the cryptex visually symetric is allow for the small edge inside on the last combination ring.

 

I have included a detail that I hope explains

 

03MAR10-Detail.jpg

 

Cheers

Soxter

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I’ve started working on this project also; a nice set of plans and a nice winter project. Thank you.

 

The coefficient of thermal expansion for PVC is approximately 2.8 x 10^-5 in/in-°F. Therefore a 10” long piece of PVC tubing will expand 0.0028” for every 10°F rise in temperature. However, if all of the parts are made of the same material and allowed to reach thermal equilibrium, there shouldn’t be a binding problem as all parts expand and contract uniformly. Dirt and grit may cause a bigger problem due to the soft nature of PVC.

 

I used a wood lathe to turn down the ¾” dia. key tube to fit the 1” dia. tube. I put slip caps on the ends to hold the tube and provide pivot points. Standard wood turning tools worked just fine. After sanding I still have a rough surface that attracts dirt. How do you finish a sanded surface? Any tips?

 

Now on to the 3/8” slot. :(

 

Hi Capt. Bob

 

I am hoping that fellow cachers try to keep the Cryptex off the ground and realise that this object might be a little more fragile than typical dollar store items commonly found in many caches. If it does get some grit in it hopefully the size is small enough to blow out with an airline.

 

I painted all my exposed surfaces and if you allow a litle more tollerance you could paint and clear coat a protective layer.

 

My key tube sizing was the same as yours and I had to remove guite a bit outside surface to have a good fit inside the base tube. I'm sure you know this but I wouldn't paint anything until it is 100% complete.

 

I thought that I had removed enough material on the key tube and had it sliding inside the base tube easily enough and then when I added the bolts to the key tube and tightened them they actually deformed the key tube enough that the sides rubbed a bit and caused friction. So make sure you allow enough for that.

 

Cheers

Soxter

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I’ve started working on this project also; a nice set of plans and a nice winter project. Thank you.

 

I used a wood lathe to turn down the ¾” dia. key tube to fit the 1” dia. tube. I put slip caps on the ends to hold the tube and provide pivot points. Standard wood turning tools worked just fine. After sanding I still have a rough surface that attracts dirt. How do you finish a sanded surface? Any tips?

 

Now on to the 3/8” slot. :(

 

You can get sanding sponges at Lowes or Home Depot. They are in the same aisle as sandpaper and literally look like sponges but with a gritty surface. Get the finest grit they have. The sanding sponge is flexible so you can cup it in your hand and it will conform to the curved surface of the pipe. It will remove the sanding marks and polish the PVC nicely.

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Thanks for the tip. I tried using Scotch-brite and it worked well enough. So I’ll leave it at that for the time being before going back to Home De-pot. :(

 

BTW, I was able to complete the 3/8” slot using a router and a wooden fixture to hold it securely. On my first try I started too fast and cracked the tube. Slow and steady works nicely. Next, the tumblers.

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Soxter, did you paint the parts separately or did you assemble the cryptex and then paint the whole thing?

 

I did paint the combination rings flat black on the sides and inside because you can see down the crack between the rings and the PVC parts I was using are white. A little flat black makes all the cracks and crevices look clean.

 

I also painted my machine screws black originally when I painted the ket tube and then didn't like the look so I changed them with new ones that were shiny and stainless.

 

Other than that I painted the final cryptex the green colour you see in the picture and put a satin clear coat over the works when it was done.

 

You may need to spin combination rings a bit after paint and blow out any paint dust to keep thing moving freely.

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Great job on the plans!

 

I just have one concern:

When i was a kid, i used to have a bicycle chain lock that operated on the same basic concept of the cryptex.

Now, i know those locks were cheaply made, but we used to be able to open them by pulling the ends apart, putting tension on the rings/pins, while rotating the first ring, until we felt it "engage"...then the next ring, and so on, until we were able to get it open without having to know the combo.

 

Just wondering if its possible to do the same with yours or not?

Sure wouldnt want anyone to "cheat" it open just by feel... [:(]

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Great job on the plans!

 

I just have one concern:

When i was a kid, i used to have a bicycle chain lock that operated on the same basic concept of the cryptex.

Now, i know those locks were cheaply made, but we used to be able to open them by pulling the ends apart, putting tension on the rings/pins, while rotating the first ring, until we felt it "engage"...then the next ring, and so on, until we were able to get it open without having to know the combo.

 

Just wondering if its possible to do the same with yours or not?

Sure wouldnt want anyone to "cheat" it open just by feel... [:(]

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When i was a kid, i used to have a bicycle chain lock that operated on the same basic concept of the cryptex.

Now, i know those locks were cheaply made, but we used to be able to open them by pulling the ends apart, putting tension on the rings/pins, while rotating the first ring, until we felt it "engage"...then the next ring, and so on, until we were able to get it open without having to know the combo.

 

Just wondering if its possible to do the same with yours or not?

Sure wouldnt want anyone to "cheat" it open just by feel... [:(]

Without question, this will be possible- it was the first thing I recognized about it. The trick is going to be having the ability to pull the thing from both ends while simultaneously turning the rings-- you need three hands. Two people working together could do it pretty easily.

 

The only way you could avoid this is by assuring that the holes for the bolts are *precisely* spaced, and that your inner split rings are *precisely* positioned, so that each bolt touches it's locking ring at *precisely* the same instant. By 'precise', I mean within a few thousands of an inch. I just can't see anyone without special equipment getting it that close.

 

In the end, I figure it's more of a 'cool' container than one that's guaranteed to prevent folks cheating like this. The fun is going to be getting to put in the correct combination and open it correctly. I'd expect the cheaters to be fairly rare.

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When i was a kid, i used to have a bicycle chain lock that operated on the same basic concept of the cryptex.

Now, i know those locks were cheaply made, but we used to be able to open them by pulling the ends apart, putting tension on the rings/pins, while rotating the first ring, until we felt it "engage"...then the next ring, and so on, until we were able to get it open without having to know the combo.

 

Just wondering if its possible to do the same with yours or not?

Sure wouldnt want anyone to "cheat" it open just by feel... [:(]

Without question, this will be possible- it was the first thing I recognized about it. The trick is going to be having the ability to pull the thing from both ends while simultaneously turning the rings-- you need three hands. Two people working together could do it pretty easily.

 

The only way you could avoid this is by assuring that the holes for the bolts are *precisely* spaced, and that your inner split rings are *precisely* positioned, so that each bolt touches it's locking ring at *precisely* the same instant. By 'precise', I mean within a few thousands of an inch. I just can't see anyone without special equipment getting it that close.

 

In the end, I figure it's more of a 'cool' container than one that's guaranteed to prevent folks cheating like this. The fun is going to be getting to put in the correct combination and open it correctly. I'd expect the cheaters to be fairly rare.

 

Actually, that problem is solved really easy. If you want to know how, just add false stops.

Instead of only ONE place where the cryptex would engage, cut several along the ring that are only 1/4 of the depth needed. It works like a charm.

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Actually, that problem is solved really easy. If you want to know how, just add false stops.

Instead of only ONE place where the cryptex would engage, cut several along the ring that are only 1/4 of the depth needed. It works like a charm.

 

Would you do that for one of the rings or more than one?

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Actually, that problem is solved really easy. If you want to know how, just add false stops.

Instead of only ONE place where the cryptex would engage, cut several along the ring that are only 1/4 of the depth needed. It works like a charm.

 

Would you do that for one of the rings or more than one?

That's a great solution. If I were doing it, I'd probably put two or three false notches on each ring.

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Actually, that problem is solved really easy. If you want to know how, just add false stops.

Instead of only ONE place where the cryptex would engage, cut several along the ring that are only 1/4 of the depth needed. It works like a charm.

 

Would you do that for one of the rings or more than one?

That's a great solution. If I were doing it, I'd probably put two or three false notches on each ring.

 

Exactly. Put them in each ring and the more the better, though 2, 3 or 4 decoy notches would suffice.

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Exactly. Put them in each ring and the more the better, though 2, 3 or 4 decoy notches would suffice.

Wow! This is at least the 2nd time today that I've taken my hat off to you for one of your posts. Good idea! Of course, it obviously came from a mis-spent youth picking bicycle locks, but whatever works...! :(
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The only way you could avoid this is by assuring that the holes for the bolts are *precisely* spaced, and that your inner split rings are *precisely* positioned, so that each bolt touches it's locking ring at *precisely* the same instant. By 'precise', I mean within a few thousands of an inch. I just can't see anyone without special equipment getting it that close.

 

OK... thats what I thought... I knew if you could get enough "slop" out of everything and tighten it it, the harder it would be to "cheat" it this way... was just wondering how it all felt on one already built with the plans.

 

In the end, I figure it's more of a 'cool' container than one that's guaranteed to prevent folks cheating like this. The fun is going to be getting to put in the correct combination and open it correctly. I'd expect the cheaters to be fairly rare.

 

Yes! Still DEFINATELY a very cool container and idea!

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Exactly. Put them in each ring and the more the better, though 2, 3 or 4 decoy notches would suffice.

Wow! This is at least the 2nd time today that I've taken my hat off to you for one of your posts. Good idea! Of course, it obviously came from a mis-spent youth picking bicycle locks, but whatever works...! :(

Obviously.

 

Adding that, for best results, make the phony notches so they line up with letters. If they don't line up with letters it would be pretty easy to determine which notches were the wrong ones.

Edited by bittsen
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Exactly. Put them in each ring and the more the better, though 2, 3 or 4 decoy notches would suffice.

Wow! This is at least the 2nd time today that I've taken my hat off to you for one of your posts. Good idea! Of course, it obviously came from a mis-spent youth picking bicycle locks, but whatever works...! :(

Obviously.

 

Adding that, for best results, make the phony notches so they line up with letters. If they don't line up with letters it would be pretty easy to determine which notches were the wrong ones.

Even better... line up with other "obvious" letter combinations, like maybe, "geocache".
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Actually, I don't think you'd need to worry about fake notches. At least with the cryptex I built, even if you get one letter right it's not going to open any further than it would with no letters. The multiple locking posts on the inner container stop any movement. Also, there's no obvious click or feel to get if you get a letter right since the locking posts rest under the stationary rings.

Edited by Arthur & Trillian
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I'm still thinking about the kits. Not sure if there is enough interest yet or if I want to make the commitment.

How much interest there is will be hard to tell, and certainly a function of cost.

 

I'd give six or eight bucks for a kit of finished parts, fifteen bucks for a completed one.

 

I can't imagine that you'd want to invest the time and money to produce these yourself if my level of interest (the amount I would spend) is any indication of the market.

 

On the other hand you could contract with China National (their hourly wage for manufacturing recently hit an all-time high, though... eighty-three cents an hour, so you may want to wait till their wages go back down) and have these made in quantity for a dime and shipped here for maybe thirty cents FOB. Sell 'em for five bucks and kids would probably buy these by the container load!

Edited by TheAlabamaRambler
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I'm still thinking about the kits. Not sure if there is enough interest yet or if I want to make the commitment.

How much interest there is will be hard to tell, and certainly a function of cost.

 

I'd give six or eight bucks for a kit of finished parts, fifteen bucks for a completed one.

 

I can't imagine that you'd want to invest the time and money to produce these yourself if my level of interest (the amount I would spend) is any indication of the market.

 

On the other hand you could contract with China National and have these made in quantity for a dime and shipped here for maybe thirty cents FOB. Sell 'em for five bucks and kids would probably buy these by the container load!

The beauty of this cache is that it can not yet be found everywhere. The yawn factor is closely aligned with the reproduction rate. The first eBay sale would kill all interest for me.
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The beauty of this cache is that it can not yet be found everywhere. The yawn factor is closely aligned with the reproduction rate. The first eBay sale would kill all interest for me.

Dunno, market analysis is way outside of my area of expertise.

 

I bet the folks who run the Groundspeak store could give him some insight (and a market!).

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Thanks for the tip. I tried using Scotch-brite and it worked well enough. So I’ll leave it at that for the time being before going back to Home De-pot. :(

 

BTW, I was able to complete the 3/8” slot using a router and a wooden fixture to hold it securely. On my first try I started too fast and cracked the tube. Slow and steady works nicely. Next, the tumblers.

 

Hi Guys,

 

Something else I did when I was building my geocache cryptex was to bevel the outside edges of each combination rings. I did this because after I put it togeather with straight cut rings I found when I spun the rings they had a bit of an offset and crooked feeling because you could easily feel the edges of two rings.

 

We keep the rings a little loose on the base tube so they spin freely and its this subtle loosness that is easy to feel at the edges of the combination rings. This is why a bevel them. With this cut back edge it is visually appealing and feels good in the hands.

 

I have included a detail to show what I'm talking about. The main drawings don't show this modification but I will update later...

03-02MAR10-Detail.jpg

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Actually, I don't think you'd need to worry about fake notches. At least with the cryptex I built, even if you get one letter right it's not going to open any further than it would with no letters. The multiple locking posts on the inner container stop any movement. Also, there's no obvious click or feel to get if you get a letter right since the locking posts rest under the stationary rings.

Well, not that I'm that fired up about it (like I said, this is more fun to work the right way over cheating), but I think you're not understanding how it happens.

 

Unless all locking pins and locking rings are dead perfect (and I mean *perfect* perfect), one of the pins will contact a ring before all the rest. No telling which one, it could be the first, the third, or any. To 'pick' a lock like this, you have to bring pressure to the pins by pulling the ends apart, so the first pin to hit a ring does so. Now you turn each of the rings in turn, until you find one that 'clicks', or binds most of it's turn but is free for a small amount at a certain letter. If there's enough difference in pin/splitring play, you may feel the ends move a bit even. You've solved that one ring, whichever it is. Repeat for all rings- you'll find that you solve them in a random order, which is dependent on how the pins and rings are located. With the 'notches' in the rings, this isn't possible any longer because you haven't got any way of knowing if the spot the pin fell in is the real split or a decoy notch.

 

Again, don't mean to bring anyone down- this is major cool, and looks like something I'll give a try someday. If anything, throwing the decoy notches in is just one more fun part in it.

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Actually, I don't think you'd need to worry about fake notches. At least with the cryptex I built, even if you get one letter right it's not going to open any further than it would with no letters. The multiple locking posts on the inner container stop any movement. Also, there's no obvious click or feel to get if you get a letter right since the locking posts rest under the stationary rings.

Well, not that I'm that fired up about it (like I said, this is more fun to work the right way over cheating), but I think you're not understanding how it happens.

 

Unless all locking pins and locking rings are dead perfect (and I mean *perfect* perfect), one of the pins will contact a ring before all the rest. No telling which one, it could be the first, the third, or any. To 'pick' a lock like this, you have to bring pressure to the pins by pulling the ends apart, so the first pin to hit a ring does so. Now you turn each of the rings in turn, until you find one that 'clicks', or binds most of it's turn but is free for a small amount at a certain letter. If there's enough difference in pin/splitring play, you may feel the ends move a bit even. You've solved that one ring, whichever it is. Repeat for all rings- you'll find that you solve them in a random order, which is dependent on how the pins and rings are located. With the 'notches' in the rings, this isn't possible any longer because you haven't got any way of knowing if the spot the pin fell in is the real split or a decoy notch.

 

Again, don't mean to bring anyone down- this is major cool, and looks like something I'll give a try someday. If anything, throwing the decoy notches in is just one more fun part in it.

 

Oh, I understand completely how one could do it, especially if there are small errors in drilling, the posts, etc.

 

I suppose my position comes down to (at least in my case) being very anal retentive about measuring and making sure each post is exactly the same distance apart and all the rings are the same size. I tested such a situation on my own cryptex that I made before these plans came out and you could not advance the part that you remove at all, no matter which ring you tried.

 

Either way, I used my cryptex in this cache (GC24FZ3) and I tried to make it patently clear what the word you needed to unlock the cryptex was. So far, it's been received well.

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Actually, I don't think you'd need to worry about fake notches. At least with the cryptex I built, even if you get one letter right it's not going to open any further than it would with no letters. The multiple locking posts on the inner container stop any movement. Also, there's no obvious click or feel to get if you get a letter right since the locking posts rest under the stationary rings.

Well, not that I'm that fired up about it (like I said, this is more fun to work the right way over cheating), but I think you're not understanding how it happens.

 

Unless all locking pins and locking rings are dead perfect (and I mean *perfect* perfect), one of the pins will contact a ring before all the rest. No telling which one, it could be the first, the third, or any. To 'pick' a lock like this, you have to bring pressure to the pins by pulling the ends apart, so the first pin to hit a ring does so. Now you turn each of the rings in turn, until you find one that 'clicks', or binds most of it's turn but is free for a small amount at a certain letter. If there's enough difference in pin/splitring play, you may feel the ends move a bit even. You've solved that one ring, whichever it is. Repeat for all rings- you'll find that you solve them in a random order, which is dependent on how the pins and rings are located. With the 'notches' in the rings, this isn't possible any longer because you haven't got any way of knowing if the spot the pin fell in is the real split or a decoy notch.

 

Again, don't mean to bring anyone down- this is major cool, and looks like something I'll give a try someday. If anything, throwing the decoy notches in is just one more fun part in it.

 

Oh, I understand completely how one could do it, especially if there are small errors in drilling, the posts, etc.

 

I suppose my position comes down to (at least in my case) being very anal retentive about measuring and making sure each post is exactly the same distance apart and all the rings are the same size. I tested such a situation on my own cryptex that I made before these plans came out and you could not advance the part that you remove at all, no matter which ring you tried.

 

Either way, I used my cryptex in this cache (GC24FZ3) and I tried to make it patently clear what the word you needed to unlock the cryptex was. So far, it's been received well.

 

I gave a whirl last night on my PVC cryptex and couldn't feel the notches even knowing the compination. I think the plastic gives it a bit more flex and makes it harder find.

 

The other thing I did was make my Cryptex Cache a type of puzzle multi so you can't even get the location of the cryptex until you visit all 4 stages first. Each stage has the card the cacher collects and all the card builds your location and cryptex solution. If you have the cards you have the solution.

 

This is Stage 1 (Note: not all stages have been posted yet)

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Are the 8-32 x 3/8" machine screws a common item? I couldn't find any at HD or at Lowe's, in either stainless steel or brass. Smallest 8-32 screws they had were 1/2". I assume you'd want to avoid the zinc coated ones?

 

They did have 6-32 x 3/8" screws and I bought some to try, but I've already drilled the holes and I'm thinking they will be too small.

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Are the 8-32 x 3/8" machine screws a common item? I couldn't find any at HD or at Lowe's, in either stainless steel or brass. Smallest 8-32 screws they had were 1/2". I assume you'd want to avoid the zinc coated ones?

 

They did have 6-32 x 3/8" screws and I bought some to try, but I've already drilled the holes and I'm thinking they will be too small.

 

Hey Mom-n-Andy,

 

The 3/8 length is important and is common enough at fastener suppliers. Maybe not at the big box stores. Look for fastener suppliers in your area.

 

Hear is on online supplier that my company uses that has an amazing delivery service. Usually next day and we're in a different country.

 

This is the Stainless Steel Machine Screw link if you want to order online.

 

This is the Stainless Steel Machine Nut link if you order online.

 

Both come in small boxes with 100 in a box @ $5.00 each box approx.

 

Stay away from zinc coated. They won't take the elments like stainless.

 

Cheers

Soxter

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Are the 8-32 x 3/8" machine screws a common item? I couldn't find any at HD or at Lowe's, in either stainless steel or brass. Smallest 8-32 screws they had were 1/2". I assume you'd want to avoid the zinc coated ones?

 

They did have 6-32 x 3/8" screws and I bought some to try, but I've already drilled the holes and I'm thinking they will be too small.

 

Hey Mom-n-Andy,

 

The 3/8 length is important and is common enough at fastener suppliers. Maybe not at the big box stores. Look for fastener suppliers in your area.

 

Hear is on online supplier that my company uses that has an amazing delivery service. Usually next day and we're in a different country.

 

This is the Stainless Steel Machine Screw link if you want to order online.

 

This is the Stainless Steel Machine Nut link if you order online.

 

Both come in small boxes with 100 in a box @ $5.00 each box approx.

 

Stay away from zinc coated. They won't take the elments like stainless.

 

Cheers

Soxter

 

Holy cow, who knew there were so many kinds of machine screws and nuts! Did you use the standard 1/8" height nuts or one of the "undersized" nuts? It looks like the slotted tube is just a touch less than 1/8" thickness, so I'm thinking one of the undersized ones might be better.

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Are the 8-32 x 3/8" machine screws a common item? I couldn't find any at HD or at Lowe's, in either stainless steel or brass. Smallest 8-32 screws they had were 1/2". I assume you'd want to avoid the zinc coated ones?

 

They did have 6-32 x 3/8" screws and I bought some to try, but I've already drilled the holes and I'm thinking they will be too small.

 

Hey Mom-n-Andy,

 

The 3/8 length is important and is common enough at fastener suppliers. Maybe not at the big box stores. Look for fastener suppliers in your area.

 

Hear is on online supplier that my company uses that has an amazing delivery service. Usually next day and we're in a different country.

 

This is the Stainless Steel Machine Screw link if you want to order online.

 

This is the Stainless Steel Machine Nut link if you order online.

 

Both come in small boxes with 100 in a box @ $5.00 each box approx.

 

Stay away from zinc coated. They won't take the elments like stainless.

 

Cheers

Soxter

 

Holy cow, who knew there were so many kinds of machine screws and nuts! Did you use the standard 1/8" height nuts or one of the "undersized" nuts? It looks like the slotted tube is just a touch less than 1/8" thickness, so I'm thinking one of the undersized ones might be better.

 

You could use either and I would recommend whichever is available. My base tube is about .14" thich and I used the 1/8 nuts, which are a bit thinner,but either will work.

 

Remember when you tighten them down they will bite into the surface of the PVC a bit...

 

Cheers

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I just wanted to add a note of thanks here. These puzzles are fun and you don't have to be a mensa member to solve them. They are all different and I look forward to seeing each new cache location that comes with the new coordinates. Thanks for this series, it's awesome!

Edited by High Maintenance
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Are the 8-32 x 3/8" machine screws a common item? I couldn't find any at HD or at Lowe's, in either stainless steel or brass. Smallest 8-32 screws they had were 1/2". I assume you'd want to avoid the zinc coated ones?

 

They did have 6-32 x 3/8" screws and I bought some to try, but I've already drilled the holes and I'm thinking they will be too small.

 

Hey Mom-n-Andy,

 

The 3/8 length is important and is common enough at fastener suppliers. Maybe not at the big box stores. Look for fastener suppliers in your area.

 

Hear is on online supplier that my company uses that has an amazing delivery service. Usually next day and we're in a different country.

 

This is the Stainless Steel Machine Screw link if you want to order online.

 

This is the Stainless Steel Machine Nut link if you order online.

 

Both come in small boxes with 100 in a box @ $5.00 each box approx.

 

Stay away from zinc coated. They won't take the elments like stainless.

 

Cheers

Soxter

 

Holy cow, who knew there were so many kinds of machine screws and nuts! Did you use the standard 1/8" height nuts or one of the "undersized" nuts? It looks like the slotted tube is just a touch less than 1/8" thickness, so I'm thinking one of the undersized ones might be better.

 

How is your build going Mom n Andy? Any good pic's or an update?

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The drawings posted are certainly very professional. Some time ago Watchdog2020 posted the drawings for his. I have made three recently and will deploy them shortly. They are somewhat larger, the inner container is a 2 1/2 inch plastic pipe and the rotating dials are 4" ABS. Since I don't have them on a website I can't post the pictures here but if anyone wants them email me and I sill send them.

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The drawings posted are certainly very professional. Some time ago Watchdog2020 posted the drawings for his. I have made three recently and will deploy them shortly. They are somewhat larger, the inner container is a 2 1/2 inch plastic pipe and the rotating dials are 4" ABS. Since I don't have them on a website I can't post the pictures here but if anyone wants them email me and I sill send them.

 

Email me the pics and I will post them for you Walts. I would love to see them and I'm pretty sure other members who are building cryptex's would like to see other people's successes.

 

Send them to me here...soxter-n-billini@shaw.ca... in whatever format and size you have and I will modify and post for you. Thanks for sharing.

 

Soxter

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Anyone want to take a stab at creating one with large enough dimensions to hold swag? Say a cryptex that's one foot long and one foot in inside diameter?

 

If it were stood on end you could rotate the bands to the proper position then lift the top off.

 

I'm not good with math nor crafty but I would totally buy one like that.

 

Hey Rambler!

 

I've already started something along those lines. Thinking about having fake rocks as the tumblers stacked vertically that have to be rotated to the proper combination and that allows the cacher to remove the top rock and pull out the tube.

 

I need to find a rock wall ;)

 

The other type I was thinking about was to hollow out a log and build a PVC one on the inside. The combination is solved by rotating sections of bark to solve. Possibly epoxying the wood to seal it and prevent rott.

 

That type could blend in well in the woods...

 

Anyone other ideas for clever PVC cryptex's????

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First thing that comes to mind is a LPC where you need to rotate parts of the skirt before you can lift it up. Yeah, not going to happen unless you happen to own the lamp post in question. Sorry, I blame it on sleep deprivation. OK, off to bed...

 

Oh, I know I've already said it, but that was a really fantastic set of blueprints. Thanks for sharing, I'll definitely try it myself someday.

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Anyone want to take a stab at creating one with large enough dimensions to hold swag?

 

I sent the pictures of Watchdog2020's to the original poster and he wil post them. The cache container is 2" interior diameter and about a foot long. It could be made any length. Deployed today in GC24XQC which is pending approval.

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Anyone want to take a stab at creating one with large enough dimensions to hold swag?

 

I sent the pictures of Watchdog2020's to the original poster and he wil post them. The cache container is 2" interior diameter and about a foot long. It could be made any length. Deployed today in GC24XQC which is pending approval.

 

Here are his orignal piictures seen in an earlier post.

 

Cryptex-1.jpg

 

Cryptex-2.jpg

 

Cryptex-3.jpg

 

I had seen these in an earlier link but cannot find it. If anyone has a link to the post please add it here...

These original drawings were part of my inspiration to build my current cryptex and drawing and I would like to thank Watchdog for his work.

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Having found this little devil today, and being completely blown away by not just the cryptex, but how it was worked into the series (which we havent completed yet, I spent the day caching with someone else who had finished the other stages already) - I just wanted to say that it is indeed an awesome thing to behold. My skill set is rooted in something as far from precision as is humanly possible (fiberglass - eyeball once, tear by hand at a guess & if it doesnt quite reach, just add a little chunk) & i'm inspired to try on one of these myself!

 

Well done!

 

Ah yes, and before you get confused, this is chewy_06 replying under my wife's account - for some reason I can't login from my desktop at home as myself...

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