I usually don’t post follow-ups to ongoing discussions, but this one really took my attention. Having fun solving that lock, from the post below (Lock and Key puzzle)? I didn’t have any, but found out it is originally called Danlock, and was designed by Israeli craftsman, Dan Feldman. Also, I have more pictures and info, I didn’t provide last time. Apparently Danlock comes only with two keys – one attached to the shackle, and the other is broken (no trick there). I also found out, that it’s rather more difficult to get the lock back to the same state as it is delivered to you. It involves the solving of at least 3 quite distinct puzzles.
I searched the whole web to find the solution, and couldn’t find one. Maybe it’s better like this, since it’s much more fun. I believe it would be much easier if I actually had this item in my hands. For now, my best guess is that the lock is infact tricky, and that it can be opened with left part of the broken key itself, then maybe with other part (keyhole not as deep as the broken part), or maybe without key. Cool game! Does that little ring attached to broken key has any role in this? Are the numbers on the key some kind of combination? I emailed Dan Fieldman (the creator), and hopefully he will participate in our discussion. Also, solutions like: “Use the chainsaw“, “Photoshopped” etc… are invaluable.
(9 votes)
Ive just had my puzzle lock delivered today and it is amazing, no idea what to do but the lock and component parts are extremely well made and weighty! Great piece of puzzle kit!, Have given the solution to my girlfriend to keep under lock and key..no pun intended. This puzzle will take pride and place in my collection.
Right what you got to do is stick the teeth end of the broken key into the lock. insert the head and twist, that opens it, then the tricky part, how to get the teeth end out i hear you ask?
http://www.grand-illusions.com/acatalog/Puzzle_Lock.html
If you cant work it out after seeing that you really are thick
I know,…. Melt it down and throw it at fast moving traffic. Problem solved
the broken part of the key has a hole in it. thread some cotton through and then put it in the lock. the key can easily be removed then and you can use the second key next time.
that eassy. they took 2 of the same keys, put one locked, and locked it with the other key and broke it.
The Mystery lock can be opened as follows. The small part of the broken key is long enough to insert and open the lock. The tumblers inside the lock do not run the full length of a key. Now, how hard was that??
ok the key not on the lock looks like a bump key and with one of those if u put it in most of the way and hit it with a hamer while putting some pressure on it to turn it the pins in side the lock may aligne and you will be able to turn the key. a person broke in to my house using this method
It’s very interesting, how some guys are trying to solve a puzzel: “saw it”, “take dynamite”, “just take this or that part and turn the lock, that’s all”, “it’s sooo easy” and so on …
Hey – it’s a puzzle – and you should use your brain and hands to solve it !
1.) The solution won’t be sooo easy, otherwise, it would be a waste of money – and it’s obvious NOT a waste of money.
2.) It’s sold for about 60 bucks, so it’s probably NOT complete out of this world (means: an alien type of work), but an altered regular lock – otherwise, it should asnd will go for more.
3.) There are easy/cheap ways to alter a lock to get a trick lock: f.e. add a gravity locking mechanism or a magnetic type of additional locking or just use only some (the first two ?) locking pins – so no need to push in the key all the way. But there are more possibilities …
Conclusion:
You can not solve this by just viewing it. You have to take it in your hand, turn it to that side, try to push it here or there, take the broken part or the other part an try to push in or twist the keyhole – and so on. So only “Try and Error” and some thinking will lead to the solution. And therefore, it’s pretty useless to get the answer here, as it makes no sense. All you will get is the loss of the chance to solve it by yourselve.
Just my two cents
Jogi, Germany
After reading some of the comments, and taking a second look at the 2 pictures it popped in my head.
There is a shadow covering part of the key that is in the lock… the same part in both pictures.
Could it be so easy as the key isnt really “locked” in at all?
this is suppose to be an illusion after all. And the brain loves to “fill in the blanks” when faced whith an unknown.
I have the DanLock, and highly recommend it.
To dispell some of the theories above:
- This is not an illusion, it is a puzzle. It is a semi-difficult puzzle (around 4 or 5 out of 6, to use the Hanayama scale). The goal is to take it completely apart, and then put it back into the same state – two separate puzzles.
- The puzzle is a modified lock – it’s not just a puzzle that looks like a lock.
- The lock is not open initially.
- The broken key is used as part of the puzzle. Everything you see in the photo is used in the puzzle, except for the ring, which is simply there as a convenient way to keep all the bits of the puzzle together.
- You don’t need anything else to solve this puzzle (e.g. hacksaws, lockpicks, etc.). Sure, you could used them, but that’s like using a texta to solve the Rubik’s Cube.
- The intact key is really trapped on the lock. You will have to unlock the lock before you have access to the key.
- The broken key will fit in the lock. But will that help you?
- Lateral thinking is needed to solve this puzzle.
Since I know Dan, and i have had the honer of working with him, and have opened the lock by myself (Dan brought it to work) I can tell you that the lock is real and working. So stop the speculations, IT IS REAL!!! you can also write dan himself, he doesn’t bite :-)
its easy
i think the solution is : you take the ring of the broken key, make it straight, and try to pick the lock with it. (i dont know if this has already been suggested and i am sorry if it has so)
Well I e-mailed Mr.Feldman, because now I want to buy one, and he said that it comes with a printed solution… so when I buy it I’ll share it with you guys lol
Glue the broken pieces together?
1. The broken key is NABOB, while the locked one is not…
2. The Locked One has a bigger ring hole…
so both keys are not identical… so u can use the broken key back up.
Easy, just take it to a lock-smith, and he can cut a copy of the non broken key. or, put the broken key tinto some soap, to make a template, and create a mold from that, on which to base the new key design on.
It’s a brilliant puzzle!!
It has an unpredictable elegant solution. Actually it contains 3 challenges in it.
You really need to think “out of the box” in order to solve it.
I don’t know why no-one has suggested it. The answer to this is the same as the answer to many of the world’s problems – throw money at it.
All you need to do is to buy two of them. Each will unlock and lock the other.
The above picture as it is stated is an illusion. An illusion is something which looks real but is not.
The curved locking bar is not in the locked psition. take any padlock and lock it and you will find that only the smallest amount possible is left, pretty much where the bar goes from the straight to the curve ie the curve prevents it from going any further they are designed like this to make the locked padlock stronger.
the broken key is a red hearing.
If you can’t see, there’s a hole in the teethed part of the broken key so thread it into the ring so it wont get lost then use the teethed end and unlock the lock and when your done put the ring in the lock bar thingee and now both keys are locked up so unthread the teeth end of the key and open the lock.
WOW. talk about run-on sentences.
the way to do this is to take the RING of the HEAD part of the key and put it in the little hole on the TEETH part of the key and put the TEETH part in the lock get the HEAD part of the key and put it in the key hole (it wont fit} just push hard on it and twist tadaa!!! it opens now pull the ring walaa!! and out comes the TEETH part of the key
What if you just make a copy of the good key, unlock the mechanism and take the original out?
my solution right away was make a copy of the key but you could also just tie a string or somethign to the hole and pull out the teeth later…
Well, I think you are not using lateral thinking… It’s soooo simple: just buy two puzzles and open one with the key from the other.
The key is really locked in the lock. Both keys fit the lock. The other key really is broken. It’s CHEATING to buy 2, take it to a locksmith, blow it up, cut another key.
There is a really easy solution to the puzzle and some-one has already given it.
Take a look at http://www.grand-illusions.com/acatalog/Puzzle_Lock.html and although it doesn’t tell or show you the solution after seeing the larger picture you can easily tell how to do the puzzle. I’m suprised that those who have actually bought the puzzle have not discovered the soulution as easily.
Just put a piece of string into the whole of the Broken part of the key before you insert it. then insert the back part and twist, it will open…then pull the string back and get the broken piece out…
Just make another copy of the key, and open the lock with it :P
The broken key is working just as it was NOT broken:
put in the small part, push it completely in with the large part, and turn….
Oh, by the way, making it in the state it came to you is obvious…. it’s broken.
as a Locksmith, i extract broken keys from padlocks all the time.
The key is broken between the shoulder and the first cut.
Insert broken piece, push the remaining head of the key into the keyway, turn.
To get it out, simply hold the padlock upright and slam it onto a piece of wood, until the inertia forces the broken piece to come back out.
The two pictures are the same picture. Turn the top picture 90 degrees and you got the EXACT same picture. Look at the layout of the parts, the layout of the keys, the shadows, everything. All that is different between the two pictures is the background is changed out.
Now, to solve this puzzle, the key that is on the lock is different than the two parts of the key that is laying on the table or whatever it is. Look at the grooves, the way the key is… Just look at them. There is no key that is made like the broken one. It would be too easy to duplicate.
Now then, look at the “head” of the broken key. There is a part to the key still attached to it. It actually has an identifiable key part. Insert that into the key hole and I bet you it would work.
1. Go to the locksmith and get a new key made, using the one which is on the the lock
2. The keys are not identical.
the broken one is blank, so there has to be the other one.
3. ask a guy who can lock picking to open it for you/ look on youtube “how to pick a lock”
Just use super-glue and join up the broken parts. The rest is quite simple.