| Author |
Message |
| eebrull |
 4 Mysteries for me about ISIS
Magnet???? & Maze???? Detents [16 or 48]??? & OIL=NOOoooo!
1] You mention "A"[1] magnet! I have some magnets the size of 2 nickels that can lift 30 pounds each. I moved a magnet around the sphere and there seem to be magnetic material in both top & bottom hemispheres. FMI (For My Information) (2 magnets)/(1 magnet & something containg iron) FMI??
2] You mention MAZE! I know what a maze is all about! BUT, how will I know I am in a maze and generally what machinations and indications I'm progressing? 1-2-3 balls at a time [regulations for maze?]
3] The top and bottom rings each have 8 hieroglyphs with a detent under each. There are also 2 detents between these hieroglyphs for a total of 24 on each hemispheres. Are only the 8 detents under hieroglyphs needed OR do ALL 24 detents on each hieroglyph and in-between on both rings necessary for solving?
4] OIL IS DEFINITLY A NO-NO!!!
Warning!!! DON'T OIL THE RINGS!!!!!!!!!
I emailed SONICWARP™ about the difficulty in turning the rings.
I had been using surgical gloves which gave good traction,
but inconvenient. SONICWARP™ erringly suggested[!!!] using a small amount of OIL[!!!] into the crevices on top & bottom rings - NOT WD40™ or any penetrating oils! lamely I used a small amount of ELGIN™ WATCH OIL that I have had around and, YES[!!!], the rings became easier to turn "TEMPORARILY!!!" With the surface of the sphere wiped free of any residual oil and my hands washed thoroughly, rotation was very easy. However, within a few minutes a miniscule amount of oil wicked out to lubricate the rings and my fingers (gloved or not) and by then, this had the earmarks of having a disaster & ruined the puzzle since oil kept wicking out indefinitely no matter how many times hands and ball were cleaned/wiped. Only a microscopically molecule thick layer of any oil [even body oils from our fingers are sufficient to lose traction.]
ALL IS NOT LOST! I have graduate degrees in chemistry & physics and plus working on the Mercury, Gemini & Apollo programs. Some of the nitty-gritty tricks-of-the-trade resurfaced and provided a solution.
SOLUTION! We need to dissolve & drain the oil in the sphere or make it thin enough to let gravity wick & evaporate the oil out of the rings to be absorbed by a porous medium. [And, Yes! At a relatively moderately elevated temperature PLUS TIME will thin these oils enough to evaporate & lower their viscosity for flowing easily. One possible remedy would be to soak the ISIS in a degreaser solvent (or utilize a vapor degreaser.) BUT, since the sphere is made of aluminum and most degreasers use only non-flammable chlorinated or fluorinated solvents like Freons™ or chlorinated hydrocarbons, the risk is high to destroy (corrode) the the internal (and external) surfaces. ADDITIONLY, Aluminum reacts with these solvents which are great for removing oils and the like but a high probability of an explosive reaction. Other solvent like acetone, alcohol, ethyl acetate, lacquer solvents, etc. are great too, but are very flammable and extremely dangerous from that perspective.
WHAT WORKS? hat?": [Note: We are just talking about ridding the sphere of any oil that was applied per Sonicwarp's™ erronious suggestion.] Heating is a very good way to thin the applied oil(s). I used an absorbant paper kitchen folded into 4 or so. I placed the sphere on its side so that the thin spaces between the rings touch the paper and placed them in a standard kitchen oven at 120°C (250°F) [USE A THERMOMETER]
for 4 to 6+ hours, tilting a few times (with kitchen tongs) the sphere so that all slits between rings touch the absorbant paper towel. This temperature is also helpful in slowly evaporating these oils. At 6 hours, I took out the sphere out of the oven and let it cool. The paper showed a slight coloration on the paper indicating removal of the oil. There was a considerable improvement in ring freedom, but after a while (6 hours) I discovered that more oil wicked out to lubricate the sphere and my
fingers. Mind you, barely 2 drops [total] of oil were used in the
attempt to lubricate the ISIS. With all the nooks & crannies, oil [deep
inside] was slow in reaching the outer slits. I then reheated the sphere on the paper towel to 150°C (300°F) and letting the sphere cook for another 6+ hours with rotating & tilting the sphere every hour or so. After removing from the oven there was a much smaller indication of oil pooled on the paper towel. It has been 96 hours and the rings are still free, but skin oil is the major problem [and always will be!] as it was in the first place before the oil treatment!
SOOOOO!!! Surgical gloves are one choice for turning the rings. These are inconvenient and problematic with what material composition if they are latex [allergy] but other materials ARE available. I remembered seeing people using "Rubber Finger Tips" while they turned pages or counted [money]. It took me a while to find these but SWINGLINE™ [Acco™] make "RUBBER FINGER TIPS". They come in various sizes in boxes of 12 for about $2.00 per box. I had no real way to equate their sizes with my fingers. I could cover ALL of my fingers, but the thumb and index fingers on your dominant hand are the minimum you need. I ended up purchasing 4 sizes:
SIZE Swingline # Where Used
[Medium] 11-11½ 54035 'Pinkie'
[Med./Lge.] 12 54032 Next to 'Pinkie'
[Large] 13 54033 Index/middle fingers
[Extra Large] 14 54014 Thumb
Swingline™ [1-800-820-6220] www.swingline.com
Search on "Finger Tips" [Regarding Latex, Contact Swingline.]
From someone who thought the one-minute 'lube job' was a good idea - that good idea lasted less than 10 minutes and needed a 'one-week' "UNLUBE"!!!!
e.brullSPLATverizon.net
 Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:44 pm
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| MeCon |
Weirdness
Thats interesting, there is also no cutout for the key on your Isis.
It seems to be quite common for Isis puzzles to have typos on the outside, but I have never heard of one with no code.
That seems like a pretty important thing to forget.
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:16 pm
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| MASTERJON84 |
no 10-digit code
sux
SonicWarp's office manager, Erica Owen, assured me that this is "highly unusual" and will reimburse me or any postage if i send it back to the UK and have them engrave the number, THEN ship it back out here. That is so lame. I wonder if they don't put numbers in a lot of them because they don't think they will be solved anyway. I'm going to try to exchange it at sharper image and just open another one to see if the new one has a code. By the way, here's pics of the opened isis with no code...
| Description |
no code!!! |
| Filesize |
769.08KB |
| Viewed |
164 Time(s) |
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 12:38 pm
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| cobrafast1 |
Re: solved isis and i dont see any key or 10 digit code...
where's the special code inside?
| MASTERJON84 wrote: |
| I just solved my friends isis and can't find any 10-digit code inside that he is supposed to enter in some website. There is no key either...wtf? am i missing something or is the code the "series" of depressions on the bottom side of where the 2 BBs fit into? please help |
The code should be veiwed right next to the key holder. Very plain sight. Not down under in the 2 bb chamber. Sounds like SonicWarp has a guality control issue.
I requested the key to be sent to me last year as I didn't have a key either and I haven't seen it yet in the mail. Hmmmmm I wonder what that means? 
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:15 am
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| cobrafast1 |
| jigalsky wrote: |
I am having a lot of trouble getting the 3rd BB through the maze. I've been at it for probably an hour, which I'm sure is WAY overkill? I hear it hitting into the walls, so I'm pretty positive it's still in play.
I'm "swirling" (I think) the ISIS counterclockwise while pressing the plunger 1-2 times/second, but it never depresses only half-way. What could I possibly be doing wrong?
If it's any help, my top placenta is about 2-3 millimeters to the left of the bottom one so it doesn't line up perfectly.
Thanks! |
As you swirl, shake it up and down a bit. Not to hard, just enough to great gravity. Good Luck
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:10 am
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| MeCon |
WTF?
Haha, thats pretty funny. of all the typos ive heard of on the isis that seems to be be the strangest one.
There should be a code on the top half of the Isis. it is impossible to miss, so apparently they forgot to put one on your friend's Isis
Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 4:04 pm
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| MASTERJON84 |
solved isis and i dont see any key or 10 digit code...
where's the special code inside?
I just solved my friends isis and can't find any 10-digit code inside that he is supposed to enter in some website. There is no key either...wtf? am i missing something or is the code the "series" of depressions on the bottom side of where the 2 BBs fit into? please help
Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 3:30 pm
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| qwertyuiop |
backdoor
info
| Magicroundabout wrote: |
Just found this forum and was wondering about 'the back door' method.
I've had the little blighter for some time and it's finally getting to me.
Do I push the plunger in before or after I turn it upside down and arc it over?
Also should the BB's be quiet before I turn it over or doesnt it matter? |
| Spoiler (Rollover to View): |
| Ok just hold it upside down in your hand, and swirl till the bbs go quiet. then without changing how your holding it move your hand up, turn it over by arking you hand, arm, and isis, then slam it bottom side down on something hard. you never need to push the plunger in.
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 8:16 am
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| Magicroundabout |
Just found this forum and was wondering about 'the back door' method.
I've had the little blighter for some time and it's finally getting to me.
Do I push the plunger in before or after I turn it upside down and arc it over?
Also should the BB's be quiet before I turn it over or doesnt it matter?
Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 6:15 am
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| MeCon |
you dont have to unscrew it while its upside down, you know.
Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:31 pm
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| e^(i*pi) |
Re: by the way
help request
| new wrote: |
| stuck wrote: |
by the way...
When I go back through the maze, it seems to work, except no unscrewing either direction. the placentas are on almost opposite sides, and there is a small gap between the halves. how do i get unstuck? and then which direction do i unscrew. THANKS! |
hey you should try what Charlief222 said to do earlier on in this forum. write back if it works |
Here's something else to try:
| Spoiler (Rollover to View): |
1. Go back through the maze. Depress the plunger and keep it depressed.
2. Turn plunger side down. Keeping the plunger depressed rotate the Isis until the remaining two ball bearings go quiet. Depress the plunger the rest of the way.
3. While keeping the Isis plunger side down and keeping the plunger fully depressed with one hand unscrew it with the other.
This position is somewhat awkward, but since your Isis is partially open the maze/lock will probably not latch into the unlock position even with the plunger fully depressed. It must be held there by keeping the plunger fully depressed while unscrewing.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:42 am
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| new |
Re: by the way
help request
| stuck wrote: |
by the way...
When I go back through the maze, it seems to work, except no unscrewing either direction. the placentas are on almost opposite sides, and there is a small gap between the halves. how do i get unstuck? and then which direction do i unscrew. THANKS! |
hey you should try what Charlief222 said to do earlier on in this forum. write back if it works
Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:34 pm
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| stuck |
by the way
help request
by the way...
When I go back through the maze, it seems to work, except no unscrewing either direction. the placentas are on almost opposite sides, and there is a small gap between the halves. how do i get unstuck? and then which direction do i unscrew. THANKS!
Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:32 pm
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| stuck |
stuck unscrewing
help request
I got through the puzzle to the unscrewing stage -- now my placentas are on almost opposite sides, but it froze up again. Can't turn either direction. Repeated maze, but still stuck. Any suggestions would be deeply appreciated!
Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:26 pm
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| master t |
 opened it
yesssss
| Spoiler (Rollover to View): |
I finally opened it thanxs to charlief222's trick. i had to hit it a lot harder than he made it seem, but it opened right up. try arking it up and coming down really hard on a wooden desk or something. when it finally opened i thought i had broken it, but it didnt break it was just an amazing back-door.
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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 3:07 pm
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