The Red Mystery Box

This item was terrific

Loved it

The is a simple little puzzle box that's well made. It's not something that will keep someone entertained for days to solve it. And that's OK with me. I'll tell you why in a minute. But this isn't the thing to give the puzzle nut friend. This is for the average person or kids. Materials - Some reviewers have said this is pine. It's not. It's rubber wood which is a common Asian hardwood used in a lot of furniture coming from Asia these days. This is made in China so that's what I expected and that's what I got. Rubber wood is derived from a renewable source and the grain pattern and color looks a lot like North American Red Oak in its unfinished state. It's often called Asian Oak. It's a hardwood like Red Oak but not quite as hard or dense. It is much more dense and harder than pine. But it is really easy to work with and perfect for this application. The Finish - The box came just as shown in the product listing with a bright red paint on the top section and and a natural look clear polyurethane on the bottom. It looked fine for the intended purpose but it wasn't what I wanted. I know red has a lot of cultural meaning in China but it wasn't the look I wanted. So, as you can see in the attached photos, I stripped the finish off the top and bottom of this box in about 10 minutes with a Ryobi 18 volt finishing sander. The finish came off easily so the wood was not sealed or primed but hey, this isn't some heirloom, it's a $15 novelty. Quality - The wood cutting / machining is very nice. Clearances are about right for something like this. Not sloppy but not as tight as a piece of steel could be machined. But everything lines up well and the "magic" part works well. I'm thinking super tight tolerances are not something you'd want in wooden moving parts. OK, so why did I strip off the finish and ditch the red paint? Because it looks like a kid's toy. I want to use this for close up magic in say, a bar setting as an ice breaker. So, I wanted something that looked a little classier and something that would feel a little better in the hand. I want to be able to use it to do a coin vanish into the box then hand the box to the observer and let them play with getting the coin out of the box. The fact that this isn't a super complex puzzle box means that an average group of people with a few drinks in them will be able to open it without too much trouble or too much time. So the first picture is the box after about 10 minutes of sanding. That's what natural rubber wood looks like. The second picture is one coat of Valspar "Summer Oak" stain on the bottom. It has just a slight amber color that looks almost like natural wood but the grain pops much better. On the top is one coat of Minwax "Red Chestnut" stain and one Coat of Minwax "Red Mahogany" stain. It maintains the two tone look of the box but the wood grain shows through for a little more natural beauty that makes it more interesting to look at. Once I got the color right, I decided to use an oil finish rather than polyurethane. The oil finish is more of a flat or satin look rather than the shiny look of poly. It's also less slippery and just feels like wood rather than the slick, plastic feel of a poly. In addition, an oil finish is more durable and won't show nicks and scratches but it will develop a rich patina over time. It's also really easy to apply and polish to a finished result. Once the Danish Oil finish is done , I'll post another photo of the finished product. EDIT: OK I think I'm done playing with the finish. The 3rd photo is at the 4th coat of Danish oil and here I began wet sanding with a 220 grit sanding block right after I applied the Danish oil. It knocks down any high spots on the wood and the tiny sawdust grains get caught up in the oil and fill in the low spots for a glass smooth finish. Once I've wet sanded, I recoat and let sit for 15 minutes before wiping off the excess Danish oil and letting cure for 4 hours. And the 4th photo is after the wood has been given a 6th coat of Danish oil, sanded, recoated, wiped down, cured for 4 hours, and finally polished. The wood is smooth as glass but it stills like a piece of wood in your hand and it's not slippery. There is a flat - satin sheen which looks very natural. And water beads up nicely. I know most people wouldn't go to this trouble but it was a really easy and fun little project with stuff I had laying around the house and I think it really classes up the box a lot. Hope this helps.

I used these to hold paper money for my grandsons, ages 13 and 11, as one of their Christmas gifts. They were huge hit, both boys loved figuring out how to open and reclose them. The boxes are well-made, nicely lacquered, and intriguing for young minds.

It's ideal for driving friends crazy. It also makes a good paperweight. The woodgrain is handsome.