10 letter Cryptex by MasonStonehenge

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

Introduction
This is a re-programmable 10 character cryptex tube.
I made it for a puzzle challenge that I was running. I couldn't find a 10 character one, so I made this. It is re-programmable so that I can use it again another day with a different password.
The plastic springs give positive feedback to assist with lining the letters up - I'd imagine that printing them with a different filament would change their 'clickiness' - the PLA made for quite a robust click! :)
It does not hold a lot, but I think it looks cool!
All parts are printable without supports as long as your printer supports 45 degree overhangs or the occasional bridge.
Disclaimers
It is made using inspiration from all over the Internet.. Hopefully no toes were trampled in the making thereof.
It makes a good chunky paperweight! 300grams or so!
You will need
10x Letter rings (with or without grip)
10x Letter encoder rings
30x spring
1x Outer Core (with or without pattern)
1x Outer Core Retainer (with or without pattern)
1x Inner Core
1x Outer Core decorative top (optional)
1x Inner Core decorative top (optional)
Putting together
Most of it should be self explanatory. The inner core and the inner core decorative top need to be glued together with some decent glue (I used 2 part epoxy). The outer core decorative top also gets glued on to the outer core for decoration purposes.
To put the sprint clips in place, put one side into one of the side holes, then compress it and push the other side of the spring into the other side hole. It should pop in with no major effort.
When putting the letter rings and encoding rings together they should only fit one way, then when sliding them on to the outer core with the spring clips in place you might find it useful to rotate the ring so that it rides over the springs.
The outer core retainer is there to keep all the letters in place and should be screwed in making sure that the slot lines up with the key slot. When the inner core is in place the retainer won't be able to unscrew.
Happy printing!
Update
I see that a few versions of this have popped up and a few things are often changed: The grip on the letter dial and the pattern on the outer core are removed and the letters are replaced or made inset instead of outset.
To make it easier for people to make spinoffs I've uploaded variants without the grip and pattern. I've also added a letter dial with no letters or grip in case you want to use wingdings or egyptian hieroglyphs or whatever!
Just a note: If you do make a remix - please link to this original? Seeing makes and remixes makes the design effort worthwhile! :)
Happy remixing!