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[Ron Locke]

I have recently watched a documentary on a team of people that was in search of the Arc of the Covenent. I don't know if it will ever be found, but I have started to design a puzzle box around the idea. There is quite a bit of information about the Arc in the bible, such as length, width, height and description of the exterior.

I have attached a photo of my last puzzle box. I will keep you all posted on my next box.

[Peter Wiltshire]

Hey Ron sounds like a cool idea!!!  Still saving my pennies for your last puzzle box, nice looking design!

[Stephen Chin]

Beautiful and well presented 9 move box. I saw this in ebay. Email me if you want to sell or swap. I am still interested

[Robert Yarger]

It is nice to see someone getting into puzzleboxes when there are so few of us puzzlebox crafters out there.  There is definately niche there that need to be filled.

Ron, I am sure that you have your own ideas about an ark box, but I have several ideas as well that might be able to be incorporated.  In fact, one of them would require Stephen Chin, since he is so good at incorporating electrical components in a puzzle.  In one Biblical description, it had electric properties and killed a guy for touching it, so an electrical component would be fitting.  Of course, in another area, it also created tumors in the Phillistines.  You might not want to go that far and leave out anything radioactive in your box. 

Other than that, do you plan to overlay it with pure gold and place Cheribim on the ends.  It would be interesting if you could make it out of the same kind of wood, but I don't know what Acacia wood is now called today.  (The other Ark - Noah's was made out of gopher wood, and I don't know what that is either).

I will point out one thing however.  I really got a lot of flack about my Cross Box a while back.  I never intended for it to have any religious significance, it just had the geometric shape of a cross on the top, but it did irritate several people and they refused to buy it for that reason.

There are a lot of Jewish collectors out there, and while they would not necessarily be as offended by an ark box as they would by my cross box, they might take offense to a reproduction being made. I don't know, what is the consensus here among the Jewish community.

Overall, I think it is an excellent concept for a puzzlebox.  If you desire to put any intricate carvings on the sides, my carving machine is at your disposal.  Still, I know that you are quite handy with a scroll saw and can easily make your own.

[Canuck]

Hey Ron, 'Oak Island' has some hidden treasures and the 'Arc of the covenant' is reputed to be one of them, along with the original Shakespeare 'Manuscripts', many have tried to dig the 'treasures' out in vain maybe some things should be left alone

[Robert Yarger]

I heard speculation that it was in Etheiopia or under the Dome of the Rock.  Oh, I suppose that Oak Island is in Etheiopia.

[Canuck]

NO, no, no...it's right here in my 'backyard', the problem is no one's been able to solve the mystery of 'digging' it out  
Oak island was a 'pirate' stop for many and there's supposed to be untold wealth buried there!!  A big portion of the island has now been sold, so I would expect to hear about more plans to dig out the treasures

[Robert Yarger]

OK, I will make you a deal.  If they find the Ark in your backyard, I will give you a dollar. 

[Canuck]

You do know we're not talking about 'Noah's Ark', or are we...

[Robert Yarger]

Find any ark and you get a dollar. 

[Stephen Chin]

Ho!, someone mention my name!

Incorporating electronics into puzzles is a modern day concept, giving your puzzle an added finishing touch. Had a flashing and sound module into this years IPP Woo Tuck Fook. Works well, and received well by the guests

Tinkering with those new shocking pens, and disposable cameras flash units, that'll give you an arc or 2. At least, it gets your attention. or curiosity

[Canuck]

'Shocking Pens'   This I gotta' see...although I shouldn't be too surprised by this

[Robert Yarger]

I was actually thinking slightly differently, although receiving a shock every time you make a wrong move would be interesting.

Do you recall those plastic toys (Mcdonalds happy meal toys) they had a while back with two discrete metal brads on the bottom.  When you touched them both, it would complete an electric circuit and the plastic dog would bark.  We had great fun with them, and you could make a chain of several people holding hands, and the people on the ends of the chain could each touch one of the brads and it would still work.

Something like that would be nice as a relay for an internal unlocking mechanism, either touching certain areas in the correct order, or just revealing the brads by movement of the puzzle. 

At one time, I wanted to  make a puzzlebox with brass inlays in the wood, and as you solved the puzzle, the brass inlays would from time to time touch, completing different electric circuits to activate electronic locks.

Stephen, I expect a prototype on my desk by Tuesday.

[Ron Locke]

Steven, did you ever get that shocking device apart? I was wondering if it was just a small capacitor charged by a button battery. It might be fun to incorporate into a puzzle box.

[Stephen Chin]

I only specialise in flashing balls so far, haven't striped a shocking pen down. Till you think of a use for them. The latest flashing lighters have very small units inside. Getting them that flashes and music together is the hardest. Used a voice module for my matchcubes, as xmas is coming, get those cards that gives a 6 second message you can have whatever sounds you like

Basically a few suggestions ,just a finishing touch that makes your puzzle more unique. The latest pic X chips in toys opens a door to almost any application, the worlds your imagination

I use a flashing dummy for the blue arc in a Hellraiser box. It has a hole in the middle, which just so happens to fit a popper, so it can fire hooks and chains, just like in the movies