A Piece of Me

Foam Puzzle by Jack Zylkin


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Published: Dec 2, 2009

By: Jessica Kourkounis

Jack Zylkin's Center City apartment was once his workshop, complete with a kitchen-counter drill press and wood chips strewn across his living room rug. The 25-year-old electrical engineer has since found solace as a member of DIY workspace Hive76 (915 Spring Garden St., hive76.org). There, he makes things that help him make things, like a workstation to prototype puzzles. Why puzzles? "When they fit together, it seems so random that a bunch of shapes would interlock perfectly," he says. "For a second, there's some hidden order to the universe."

By: Far McKon

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Making puzzles is kind of badass. Seriously, there are a lot of precautions: Wear safety goggles. Always work with chemicals near an open window. Only use glue made for styrofoam. Turn off hot wires before stepping away from them. Design pieces large enough so that they aren't choking hazards — if they don't fit into a shot glass, you're safe. And lastly, puzzles aren't like TV — children should be supervised when playing with them.

1 Print an image on photo paper or use card stock to draw a design. Use spray fixative to prevent smudges on artwork. Let dry for one hour.

2 Once dry, flip the image over. Draw puzzle shapes with a pencil on the back of the media. Draw the child's name or create funky shapes.

3 Cut out the puzzle pieces with an X-acto knife.

By: Far McKon

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4 Peel off the matte material from a half-inch foam core so only the styrofoam backing remains. Black foam core is easiest to peel; white foam core might need to be soaked in water to ease peeling.

5 Spray styrofoam spray adhesive on the foam core and on the back of the individual puzzle pieces. Dry for one minute. Make sure adhesive is even. Place pieces on foam with design-side up.

6 To avoid getting glue everywhere, cover the pieces with paper and set in place with a rolling pin. Peel off paper. Rub off any additional spray adhesive with a clean finger or eraser. (FYI: From this step onward, things can get a bit complex. Check out the accompanying images.)

By: Far McKon

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7 Firmly attach a Styro Wonder Cutter (available at A.C. Moore for $8) to the leg of a table using zip ties, so that the wire cutter protrudes from the surface at a right angle. Try to use a table with legs flush with the table top. Any metal touching the wire cutter should be covered with electrical tape or the device could short-circuit.

8 Create a flat surface to work on by using a drill to create a 1-inch hole in plywood or a matte board. Unhook the wire from the cutter and line up the hole. Pull the wire through the hole and clamp the wood to the table. Adjust the wire until it is at a 90-degree angle.

9 Guide the wire cutter through the styrofoam at a patient but steady pace, without stalling. Use a fan to control the ventilation. If the wire is cutting too fast, replace one of its batteries with a piece of tin foil. For real.

(editorial@citypaper.net)