Evergreen puzzle help

Puzzle identification and solving guides

Practical help for identifying, solving and caring for wooden and metal puzzles, plus selected articles preserved from the former blog.

Practical guide

How to Identify an Unknown Wooden Puzzle

A practical checklist for identifying an old wooden brain teaser by its shape, pieces, notches and construction.

Practical guide

Understand key pieces, notch patterns and the assembly method used by classic six-piece wooden burr and cross puzzles.

Practical guide

Techniques for solving wire, ring and metal disentanglement puzzles without bending or forcing the pieces.

Practical guide

Learn how component keys, arrows, colour highlights, turnover symbols and numbered stages work in puzzle instructions.

Practical guide

Safe cleaning, storage and adjustment advice for vintage wooden brain teasers and construction puzzles.

Practical guide

An introduction to the 27-cube Snake Cube, its connected straight and corner sections, and the layer-by-layer solution method.

Practical guide

Identify sliding-panel, trick-drawer, gravity and interlocking puzzle boxes, then use live and Wayback sources safely.

Archive article

A preserved and rewritten arithmetic brain teaser from the former Crafty Puzzles blog.

Archive article

A visual orientation brain teaser preserved from the former Crafty Puzzles blog.

Archive article

Try a letter-moving word puzzle preserved and rewritten from the former Crafty Puzzles blog, with a hint and explanation.