"Chuck's 75th Birthday Cryptex " -burled Black Walnut, brass, synthetic ivory, and aluminum

This is one of the more unique and challenging objects that I have created. This vessel is essentially a combination lock box: after dialing in a specific combination code, the center storage tube is released and able to be pulled out of the top of the main body. A turned stopper, complete with instrument-grade cork, is then removed, revealing the stored contents inside.

It is my hope and intention to make more Cryptex in the future on a commission basis. They are intended to be customizable, with the selection of different species of ornate woods for the body, and the inclusion of different metal finishes (such as nickel, or gun-blued steel), as well as various sizes of the overall piece.

Also, up to seven combination rings can be implemented, depending upon the user-specified code word. A mnemonic device, typically in the form of a riddle, can be engraved upon the metal banding encircling the cryptex body.

For questions about commissioning your own Cryptex, please contact me for details.

General notes:

I made a few prototypes, each developing more complexity and elegance. I have around 6 pages of design and fixture notes in my sketchbook, all dealing with the construction details of the various cryptex concepts I have been developing (the above being one of the more simple designs).

To fabricate the combination rings, four specific fixtures had to be designed and built. Some 16 machining steps are needed to complete a ring. Unique to the above unit, the characters on the combination rings are each engraved with an old pantograph engraving machine. Also, I invented a ratcheting detente system for the rings, so the combination rings actually click, and stay in place, as they are spun around.

The idea of a Cryptex was conceptualized by Dan Brown in his novel The Da Vinci Code. I didn't know anyone else had made a functional cryptex until after I built this one, and then started doing some research on the web with the hopes of selling custom made units. It turns out there are a few craftsmen out there fabricating their own versions of a cryptex, but they don't appear to be as complex as the one above...