Three Monkeys Puzzle

Three-into-One Monkey Puzzle

My son, Mike, mentioned something about making a couple of puzzles that could then be intertwined for a larger puzzle. Good idea! For Christmas I would give a set like that to his soon-to-be three-year-old daughter Elisabeth. I set about designing a trio of puzzles with monkeys as a theme.

The first monkey would be up a tree…

First of three monkey puzzles

First of three monkey puzzles

The second swinging…

Have a banana!

Have a banana!

and the third sitting on the ground…

Thank you

Thank you

Trio of monkeys

Trio of monkeys

I was going to use a brand of colored dyes that I bought a few years ago for these puzzles. But in researching I discovered that the company that made them is no longer in business. I hate when that happens!

So, I ended up just using watercolor tube paints that I watered down for a translucent look. The thing about using a water-based anything on the baltic birch is that it will raise the grain. Not to worry, just put it on as dry as posible and plan on giving it a light sanding before finishing. I have found that using a scrap of a brown paper shopping bag works wonders… it “sands” down the grain without taking off too much paint.

I used a black Sharpie marker to put in the details. When thoroughly dry, I sprayed with a clear gloss.

I had fun making them… I hope the kids have fun putting them together, individually or all three together.

 

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