How To Make a Cryptex

Step 6 Finishing

Paint and varnish the sides, and you're finished! Also add some traingles, arrows, or something else on the sides to show where the password should be.

Now you can make a riddle that looks old. Stir some coffee powder in water(You can also do it with normal coffee but I think this works even better), and drench a poem/riddle in it. Take a candle and gently burn the edges. scratch off some grey ashy stuff from the edges and your riddle looks old.

Here is an example of a riddle you could use:
He who makes it, sells it.
He who buys it, doesn't use it.
He who uses it, will never know...
see the answer here

I tried to make my riddle a little Da Vinci Code-like, but my rhyming in English is bad I think. The answer to my riddle is 'oyster'.

Comments

[yaly]

okay cool, now how do you change the password?

[Gossey2002]

I have given this thought with several designs, the best way to describe it is to make the lettered part have a piece under neath it that is an internal gear (http://www.rushgears.com/images/internalIMG.gif), with this you can adjust where the keys letters are on each letter ring. While I cannot describe this in great detail I suggest looking up how to change the code of your cryptex (the small ones Google distributed as part of their give away), the descriptions will show you all the internal workings and give the information you need.

Also, what he said " v ".

[jvan den bergen]

I'm going to make one of these for my hard materials class next term. I'm going to make it completely out of copper pipes with wooden balls for the end caps. I'm just going to tweak your version a bit on my one. looking forward to seeing how its going to turn out. VERY GOOD INSTRUCTIBLE.

[merijnvw]

wow great! There have been some commenters who also announced they were going to make one from copper completely, you could search for them, maybe they have tips. good luck! and thanks

[csim85]

I Just had an idea for a multi-cryptex. It would use less pins spaced closer together and the notch that the pins slide though would not be a straight line. The rings used to input the code would be staggered every other ring depending on how many codes were implemented. Sort of like a renaissance nuclear missile launch. It would take multiple people with different parts of the code to unlock. I'll try to draw it out on paper first to see if it's plausible.

[merijnvw]

wow that's really interesting1 I don't completely understand it, but if you have drawn it on paper please show it to me!

[Phsycoduckie]

I'm a very picky when it comes to what I like and what I dont like. And this I really like! Good job. Their is two small falts in it. The first about easily being able to decode it. I agree with 'ch5' on what they sayed. The second is I would have like a bit more explanation in how to make it. But thats okay. Im sorry if I seem a bit rude. I hope I hope im not but the only reason Im saying this is because like me some people may not be the smartest crayon in the box sometimes. But other then that Im talking to my dad about letting me make this. I hope to get back to you soon with pictures and any tweaks i may add on the way. ^.^ thanks much!

[merijnvw]

Okay cool, thanks! Yes I had some questions about it, but when I made this instructable I thought I couldn't explain it better, which is of course hard because in the beginning it can be hard to understand which tube is for what. I would indeed encourage you make faux notches, it was stupid I forgot them! Several people told me about it. I added a line about it in the step too, I believe. But on the other hand, I tried that trick with my cryptex and it wasn't so easy as it seems. With one ring it was easy but the other rings were tight together so I could hardly feel the click. good luck!

[king kolton9]

would you sell one?

[merijnvw]

depends on what you offer

[Mr_Starrr]

Great instructable!
Just about to start the dremel trick for the ends.
Happy with the way it's turning out

[merijnvw]

thanks, and good job!

[caturro]

Formidable trabajo, Congratulations!!!!! Excellent explication!!!!

[mariusviktor]

Best Ever!!!! 5 Stars!!!

[ch5]

Veeery nice :) I like it, and it makes me want to go back to my thrown away blueprints and finally make the one i never had time to finish. Might I suggest a small security improvement tho ? Right now your design seems vulnerable to the basic decoding technique for such locks: If one pulled gently on the opening end while turning the rings one by one, beginning with the most 'binding' one, he'd probably be able to feel it when the corresponding nail falls into the gap , meaning proper alignment. The easy way to defend against such attacks would be to make 26 small notches on the inner rings ( the white ones from step 4 ). One in front of each letter. That way, every step on the rings would provide a small gap for the nail to fall into but without unlocking, which would effectively fool such a decoding :). Excellent work btw.

[ajburne]

great thought!

[Iridium7]

 that is just plain INGENIOUS. If I made one I would never have thought of that! thanks!

[merijnvw]

thanks a lot!

[merijnvw]

O wait, I didn't see you wrote a reply to ch5.
Yes there some people who suggested this, I believe I also said something about it in the text but I didn't do it myself. It is indeed better but in my cryptex you can hardly feel the notches.

[Mr_Starrr]

AHH
I already have the 3rd tubes glued into the 4th tubes, trying to figure out how to add faux notches this far along >.<

[Iridium7]

 I was thinking of building the small one first then making the bigger one around it.

[adriangeorgescu]

If it's not built using state-of-the-art precision techniques, I bet I can open it in less that a minute (without destroying it). Beautiful tutorial though.

[betarafa]

muy buen manuel o tutorial de como hacer un cryptex espero lo pueda entender no soy muy bueno con el ongles pero muchisimas gracias e estado buscando algo de esto hace un buen tiempo. nos vemos espero serles tb de ayuda a ustedes.

[merijnvw]

 has pueblos, el hombre de paella e uno taco per favor.

[Morriscow]

 lol

[gaucho5n]

FANTASTIC! 5 stars, I'll try to do it!

[merijnvw]

Thanks and thanks for subscribing and good luck!

[OnyxxStone]

AWESOME isn't enought to express how great this is, Cudos my friend, 5 Stars Indeed

[Heiro]

Awesome, 5 stars. I planed out an identical version of this Cryptex after seeing reading the book. However according to my Engineering teacher creating one was "Impossible" and my plans were flawed, needless to say he did not specify what these flaws were. After reading this Instructable I cannot help but feel a small victory. Thankyou :)

[merijnvw]

thanks and you're welcome!

[chosenangelx]

where do u put thge vinegar/ink /etc??

[merijnvw]

In a vial in the inner tube. I didn't do it in my demonstration, I also don't have such a vial.

[Einsteins Bro]

were do u get those steel end caps?

[merijnvw]

the end caps are made from wood because I didn't have metal in such a shape that I could make that from it, I only had the metal tubes.

[vivianar]

awesome :O

[liquid008]

great, very well documented. Trying on a full metal version. Stainless steel anybody?

[abhijeet9020]

AWESOME
5 stars

[hviniciusg]

Excellent, ill totally love it, CUDOS

[Gonazar]

This is surprisingly well documented, nice instructable! 5 Stars!