Key Maze is a puzzle designed in 1987 and prototyped in wood. It is a mechanical maze, where the object is to get each ring around its key. The puzzle has been mass-produced in
metal since 1995 and as
plastic premium since 2007. Also, several smaller-scale productions were made from hand-cut wood and laser-cut wood. As things go with nice ideas, there exist also some unauthorized productions in plastic and wood (no link).
Anyway, Sjaak Griffioen asked me to design six variations of this puzzle in 2006, which he prototyped in wood. Unfortunately, we could not find any buyers. So these variations are now available as 3D-prints.
The puzzle set has some bonus challenges.
1) Make three pairs of keys, and put each ring around the key of its partner.
2) Put the keys in a circle, and have each ring around the key of its neighbor.
As not all rings fit around all keys, both 1) and 2) have a unique solution.
Buy the six dyed key maze here:
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1 red
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2 yellow
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3 green
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4 orange
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5 white
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6 blue
Watch the
YouTube video.
Read at the
Shapeways Forum.
Read more at the
Non-Twisty Puzzles Forum.
Please order a 3D-printed do-it-yourself puzzle kit from Shapeways at this page (check with Oskar about screws and stickers), or
contact Oskar directly if you are interested in obtaining a fully colored, stickered and assembled sample of this puzzle.