Making a Chinese Ring Puzzle

A Chinese ring puzzle originally has 9 rings. However, to unlock those rings, we need a lot of time. So in this web-page, a puzzle which only consists of 5 rings will be made. It is believed that once you can solve a 5-ring puzzle, you will understand the algorithm to solve the original puzzle.

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Materials :
6 3/4 inch brass rings
5 pieces of 3-inch wire
1 piece of 15-inch wire

Tools:
a pair of pliers
a ruler

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Step 1

Make a hook with the pliers on one end of the 3-inch wire.

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Step 2

Put one ring onto the hook. Close the gap with the pliers.

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Step 3

Make 4 more in the same way.

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Step 4

Make a longer hook at the other end. The length from the bottom of the ring to the bottom of the hook should be about 2 inches. Repeat for the other 4.

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Step 5

Using the sixth ring as the base, put the hook of the fifth ring into the sixth ring and close the gap with the pliers.

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Step 6

Repeat with the fourth ring, making sure to pass the wire through the ring of the fifth, connecting it to the sixth ring and closing the gap.

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Step 7

Repeat with the third ring but making sure to pass the wire through the ring of the fourth avoiding passing through the fifth ring.

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Step 8

Do the same to the second and first.

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Step 9

Take the 15-inch wire and bend it in half. Push the two ends of the wire through the 5 rings. Make sure the wire of the rings is between the 2 ends of the 15-inch wire.

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