Not Everything is About Tools

[J.A.F.E.]

My best friend, who I have known since we were about 13 likes to try and challenge me. He gets stuff usually two - one for him and one for me to build or assemble. He discovered these little jigsaw puzzles somewhere. Maybe not the smallest ever made but very small - they require tweezers to assemble.  The company is called Lazels and they are all limited to what they can sell when they open sales for one hour. I'm not sure of the details but I think they're sold through Instagram and he announces when sales will open. These are not cheap so when I finish them I frame his and send it to him. They are a titanium sandwich and laser etched. They come in a pouch with a cloth you can use to assemble the puzzle on, a wiping cloth if you get fingerprints on the pieces, a pair of plastic tipped tweezers, an aluminum container that holds the pieces and a note in a small pouch. No picture of the finished puzzle is included. Not sure if he posts one when they go up for sale.

So far I have finished four pairs and framed two. I'm limited to how many pix I can attach to each post so this will take several posts to complete.

First image the set as recieved.

Second image the contents of the set.

Third image the container with the pieces. The lid lists the puzzle name and number of pieces.

[J.A.F.E.]

I sometimes work with a magnifier because some of the pieces are so small. I work in a plastic tray rather than on the provided cloth just because I'm paranoid about loosing a piece.

First image work setup.

Second image in process.

Third image finished puzzle. The coin is a penny for size comparison. This is puzzle that was in the container and is 223 pieces.

[J.A.F.E.]

These are the first two I finished and framed.

For mine I left a piece out partly to show it was a puzzle and partly to show the size of the pieces.

If there's interest I can show the other puzzles assembled but framing is currently in process.

[Uncle Buck]

Oh my, no, no, no, and OH HELL NO! That would drive me insane! However, that is very telling about what a very patient fellow you are Steve, and that is a very, very good attribute indeed! 

BTW: I think those are totally cool and with I had the kind of patience it would take to do that!

[J.A.F.E.]

I find it is a good exercise in patience. Now if I could only figure out how to take a decent photo.

[goodfellow]

Great idea Steve and excellent detailed work! ...and also a wonderful way to keep the old grey matter humming along. My wife does the huge jig saw puzzles that take up an entire dining room size table. She's very good at it. Me on the other hand; not so much.

[slip knot]

Those are pretty cool. I like the presentation in the frame. Very self explanatory.

I used to have the patience and the ability to work with tiny items all day. Now, between the loss of vision and fine motor skills, I get frustrated with myself pretty quickly. Takes me several hours to redo a chainsaw carb. That used to be a 15 minute job.

[TexasT]

ten or fifteen yrs ago I "might" have given it a go but now, as above, my vision ain't what it used to be. and it seems the time to get things done just ain't want it used to be either. my dad told me the older ya get the faster it goes and man was he right. sad part is I can't accomplish near what I did back then either

those are pretty cool little puzzles. good on you for the git er dun for your friend,  can't imagine what they charge for em. I'll stick with tools and car stuff I can see.

[fatfillup]

I agree Steve, very cool. 

I see you have your bench mount magnification light in use.  What a wonderful tool they are.  I have one in every shop and Mama has one on her table too.  Think hers is freestanding.  I buy everyone of them I can.  They sell well enough for me.  They are great if you get a splinter in your finger.

[J.A.F.E.]

Thanks guys.

They are fun although normally I'm not that enthusiastic about jigsaw puzzles. But these are different.

Ray, I agree about keeping the brain busy. I also think it helps a lot with hand/eye coordination.

slip I sometimes have to force myself to be patient. As I get older I have to work on it more.

TexasT I understand they are not cheap. I believe they run between $1-3/piece and typically are about 200 pieces.

Phil I love my magnifiers. I have a bench in the garage with one and the one in my workroom/office has two. To heck with splinters sometimes I need them to see my fingers.

[hickory n Steel]

That is very cool, right up my alley really ( but out of my price range )because I love small things and especially making very small things.
Over the past couple years I've become obsessed with making the smallest functional brass spinning top that I can possibly make, and so far this one is the smallest.

I make them by using a dremel to spin the brass against a file and sandpaper,  really I'm just limited by the little keyless Chuck I have for my dremel because it can not grip anything smaller.

EDIT : that was the wrong picture, this is the smallest one.

I couldn't really find anything online,  but I think it might possibly be a record.
I don't think I can really submit it or anything though and I wouldn't exactly want a camera crew at my house...etc.

[ron350]

 How would you go about spinning a top so small?

[hickory n Steel]

How would you go about spinning a top so small?

With my fingertips, it can be difficult to get a good spin but when I do it'll go for about 5 seconds.
The 2nd smallest one will go for 10 seconds, and I've made them up to sizes that will go for as much as 2 minutes.
I lost the one I made ( about the size of a dime ) that would spin for 4 minutes.

[muddy]

That is cool! However I'm with UB I would go insane trying to put that together.

I have a tough enough time with the 1:160 N scale railroad items.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

[hickory n Steel]

That is cool! However I'm with UB I would go insane trying to put that together.

I have a tough enough time with the 1:160 N scale railroad items.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

It could be a good starting point for someone who's interested in working on watches .