Screwballs

Screwballs is an easy assembly puzzle, first designed and prototyped in May 2009. The puzzle has six identical rods with right and left-handed threads at the end, and four different balls, each with three threaded holes. The object of the puzzle is to assemble a tetrahedron. Because of the threading, the puzzle is assembled as an implosing, i.e. turning all the rods simultaneously and puzzling the balls together. The coloring of the first prototype was suggested by George Miller. When I asked him what color the balls should be, he responded "mine are always blue". "Screwball" is also a baseball pitch, as well as the name of several other things, now inluding also a puzzle design :-).

Watch the YouTube video.
Watch the wooden version.
Download the CAD model and print it yourself.
Read more 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.