Deck of Cards in a Bottle (It's a Puzzle!)

The purpose of this instructable and the spirit in which it was written is to encourage readers to engage in a bit of experiential learning: to learn by doing.

This is done by showing a conceptual puzzle, and challenging the reader to duplicate it without directly spelling out how to do so.

I admit this is a fairly unorthodox instructable and it demands a lot from the reader, but I hope many people will appreciate the thought and effort that went into it.

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I have a puzzle for you:

Can you put a full deck of cards into a completely unmodified glass bottle?

Obviously a wide-mouthed bottle provides no challenge . . . nor does using a tiny pack of cards.

The trick here is to take a standard boxed deck of playing cards and put the whole thing (box and cards) into a glass bottle whose mouth is far too small for such a thing.

Are you up for the challenge? Read on!

This is what people call an "impossible bottle," but in essence it's just a really cool one-time puzzle.

The complete object is a work of art similar to model ships in bottles.

Harry Eng is credited as the modern pioneer of the style, and there are several people that now practice the art form (a couple of good sites worth checking out: link, link). They make some amazing things, and I've become fascinated with the concept.

The idea is basic enough: Put objects into completely uncut, unmodified glass bottles, where the mouths of the bottles are seemingly too small for the stuff to fit in.

The completed bottles are visual puzzles / conversation pieces / art, that are simply intended to make observers think.

This instructable is here to get you to take the next logical step: do!

A while back I made an instructable called Golf balls in a Coke bottle where I show how to put four golf balls into a glass Coke bottle. This was absolutely not an impossible bottle, since I "broke" the number one rule of impossible bottles.

It was an interesting project to me for the creative challenges it provided, but I came away with the strong desire to make a legitimate impossible bottle.

The most simple impossible bottles contain decks of cards, so I figured this was a good starting point to get my feet wet. I bought a few decks of cards and gathered up various styles of glass bottles.

Then I sat down and stared at them for a while.

Eventually I worked out a way to put a deck of cards inside one of the bottles. Then I did it again and again, and each time I got faster and figured out new techniques. Whether my methods are the same as other bottle artists, I really don't know.

But when viewed as puzzles, these bottles present a terrific exercise in critical thinking and mechanical problem solving. I think everyone should sit down and try to figure these out.

Read on to see what you need to get started.

Here's what you need:

• suitable bottle (small mouth with a wide enough body)
• deck of cards

There are several types of bottles that will work for this. Here are a few options that work great:

• carafes (I got a few at a thrift store)
• 32 oz. glass juice bottles (the style in far right of photo). These are common across several brands.
• Calypso brand juice drink bottles (a pretty tight fit, but my favorite option)
• Heinz vinegar glass bottles
• various wine and liquor bottles

Putting a deck of cards in a bottle requires you to think critically and be willing to test your ideas.

If needed, I've shared some hints to get you going in the following steps.

Okay, here's a hint:

You may need (to make?) some tools.

Some of the things shown in this photo will be helpful.

Many of the things shown in this photo will not be!

Here are some things you could consider using as well:

• blowtorch
• very cold freezer
• dish soap
• table saw or band saw or chain saw or an industrial wood chipper
• several heavy weights
• hair dryer
• lots of clamps
• hammer
• shrinking machine
• enlarging machine
• transmogrifier
• particle accelerator and/or soldering iron

You will probably need to open the box and remove the deck of cards.

Stare at the empty box as well as the empty glass bottle.

Think.

Make a plan.

Act on it!

Put the box in first.

Stare at the stack of cards.

If needed, play a game of solitaire to distract your mind for a while.

Put the cards in the box. Bonus points if you put them in their original order.

Close the box and recap the bottle.

If you successfully put a deck of cards in a bottle, I'd love to see the results. Please share a photo in the comments.

If you're up for another challenge, try to put some tennis balls into a bottle. I've got full instructions on how I do it here, if you get stuck: Tennis Balls in a Bottle (How-to!).

Thanks for reading.