It Took Two Years to Make This Complex Puzzle Box From Scratch, and It'd Take You Even Longer to Sol

For many, toasting bread without burning it is a lot of work, but not for metalsmith Seth Gould. This mastermind uses the power of heat and fire to convert raw steel into creations of beauty, like this lock box which has a series of complex steps which must be perfectly followed in order to crack it open.

Gould, who was a resident at North Carolina’s Penland School of Craft at the time of crafting this masterpiece took almost two years to design, forge, and build "Coffer" from scratch, using iron, steel, brass, and lots and lots of heat. The process was documented by Jesse Beecher, a filmmaker who attested to the fact that watching the whole process from the ground up was very satisfying, just as watching the process of opening the box.

Gould was inspired by the study of the creations of lock masters who sharpened their designs between the 17th and 19th centuries, before the industrial automation took over and reduced the art and creativity of the process to almost zero. However, he did more than copy classic designs; he used what he learned instead as a stepping stone to redefine the mechanisms of his Coffer box, making it more complex. He created something original, not something that can be cracked with tricks and techniques seen over a million times.

It’s highly unlikely that Gould will sell his puzzle box in the future, or that you would be able to afford it if he made one specially for you. It took important years of his life to make this creation a reality, so maybe the best you can get is this video while you play around with a Rubik’s Cube.

It’s highly unlikely that Gould will sell his puzzle box in the future, or that you would be able to afford it if he made one specially for you. It took important years of his life to make this creation a reality, so maybe the best you can get is this video while you play around with a Rubik’s Cube.

It’s highly unlikely that Gould will sell his puzzle box in the future, or that you would be able to afford it if he made one specially for you. It took important years of his life to make this creation a reality, so maybe the best you can get is this video while you play around with a Rubik’s Cube.

It’s highly unlikely that Gould will sell his puzzle box in the future, or that you would be able to afford it if he made one specially for you. It took important years of his life to make this creation a reality, so maybe the best you can get is this video while you play around with a Rubik’s Cube.

It’s highly unlikely that Gould will sell his puzzle box in the future, or that you would be able to afford it if he made one specially for you. It took important years of his life to make this creation a reality, so maybe the best you can get is this video while you play around with a Rubik’s Cube.

It’s highly unlikely that Gould will sell his puzzle box in the future, or that you would be able to afford it if he made one specially for you. It took important years of his life to make this creation a reality, so maybe the best you can get is this video while you play around with a Rubik’s Cube.