FIRST IN IOWA,USA 4-9-2010

SECOND IN THE WORLD TO COMPLETE THE 24,000 PIECE AND THE SMALLER 3000 PIECE VERSION

I drafted this 2 months ago but I have been trying to upload pictures but cannot. I can email pictures (hoopne1@mchsi.com).

My wife and I completed the puzzle in 9-10 weeks. We decided to take our time and appreciate the many wonders of the puzzle. We may have a record for completing the puzzle on the smallest table that is only 40 inches wide and less than 60 inches long on the sides. We have mounted the puzzle on our basement wall and have produced a "floating" effect away from the wall. The main website has some great tips and I have a number of tips from others and from our own experience. We'd love to share them with you. Email us at hoopne1@mchsi.com with any comments or questions.

First, seriously consider laminating the 38 inch long puzzle map. It can later be hung in your workplace, etc. Also, most people take a few months to finish the puzzle and there is a lot of map handling and the map will otherwise get pretty tattered. The map is so long that it is hard to look at without covering the puzzle. If you laminate it you can gently start to fold in half (it won't crease) and then use strong tape on the top and bottom edges which will allow you to place the map upright on your table and it is easier to share with your helpers. one inch of tape on the top and bottom is all you need.

Second, when you get each 1000 piece section together try putting ordinary shelving contact paper on the back of the sections which allows you to transport the sections back and forth without dropping pieces. They will stack very nicely too. How do you flip the puzzle sections on to their face to apply the contact paper? Get foam sponge board pieces that are 40 x 30 inches and put one under and the other on top. With either 1 or 2 people, hold the sides and middle and just flip over. The sponge boards are great to actually build the puzzle on – you can easily move a section off your table to work on some other section. They make a 60 x 40 inch foam board but each 6000 piece section is 42 x 61 inches!! NOTE: If you want to eventually glue the pieces to a mounting board, the contact paper can be removed, but it may have stick too much to allow it to separate from the pieces.

Third, sorting is the absolute key. With subsequent sections I presorted more and more. I don't like separating pieces into bins or bowls as you'll have to turn them all over again(a major time factor for 24,000 pieces). Paper plates are ideal as they stack perfectly and the pieces will slide off and stay face up when you are ready for that section. I presorted sections 3 and 4 into > 25 paper plates before we began.

Fourth, SPOILER ALERT. Every 1000 piece section( 37 pieces across and 27 pieces down) is identical in the precision cut of the pieces and is a repeating pattern i.e. the 10th piece over in row 6 is the same in each section. This helps in the sea and sky areas if you build one layer on top of one of these templates. But it can hurt you too. Make sure when you have a long stretch of similar area – the sea above the waterline – that your pieces are fitting where they are supposed to. It is very easy to think your sea piece is correct, when in fact it belongs over 37 pieces to the right.

Fifth, the borders of the 1000 piece sections have unique "fat/broad " pieces that are there to support the edges of each subsection. Once you start to pick these out you'll always know they form a section edge. When you are at the end of 6000 piece section, you'll know not to look for pieces that attach until you open the next bag.

Sixth, if you are looking for a type of mounting surface that won't warp, is smooth, fairly light and inexpensive try 1/8 inch masonite 4 ft x 8 ft sheets. $6.50 per sheet and this provides a nice platform. There will be seams where the different sheets connect and you may want to reinforce them on the back with another layer of 1/8 inch masonite. The puzzle itself weighs 26 pounds. You can apply the puzzle sections (with the contact paper still on them) to the masonite with any type of liquid adhesive, like Liquid Nails. This can be put on with a caulking gun and then spread with a putty scraper. We used five rows of 2 x 4s horizontally and screwed them into the wall (nowadays, a 2 x 4 is 1.5 inches by 3 inches) to give the effect the puzzle was "floating". I would not nail it to the wall. Using screws to mount your platform to the wall allows the puzzle to come down without damaging your wall. If I can't upload them, we can email pictures of the mounting process.

Foam sponge board would be an ideal lightweight mounting surface, it won't warp too badly, it is not too sturdy and it costs $16.50 per 60 x 40 inch sheet and 4 sheets will not be enough. You'd do a lot of splicing sheets together.