Might it be broken?

[dwmmkopf]

Hullo all, team chronicler here. We're no longer confident that we can release a third BB. We've put clue 11 into practice many times, very vigorously -- easily vigorously enough that you can hear a bell-like ringing sound if the Isis is placed next to your ear. But whatever variants of this we try, there is no resulting difference in the sound of the bearings that might suggest three rather than two. (We thought we had a difference earlier, but I now suspect we were imagining it -- or something is broken.)

Without BB3, there's no point in continuing, but we've tried anyway. We think we know how to start, and sometimes the plunger exhibits the altered behaviour claimed, but it's very hard to be sure that this is "genuine" and not an artefact of the fact that the plunger is sometimes very stiff (and has a stiff point half way along its travel), combined with the fact that one's thumb is getting sore. The rest of the clues then sort-of work, but naturally the Isis doesn't open (or turn at all) at the end.

Obviously we realise we might be doing it wrong in any number of ways, but what I'd like to know is this: is it possible that the Isis is damaged in some way that's (for example) preventing BB3 from being released? It was a "free" Isis in the first place (I understand these may be seconds), and of course it's taken some pretty hard knocks, besides whatever it endured in the post. Is there any way of determining if it could be damaged?

If not, is there a five percenter out there who's in or near Cambridge (or London) who wouldn't mind just verifying for us whether it's working? Obviously we'd have to trust you not to abscond with the secret key, but we'd be happy to do that!

[Karen_G]

Hi dwmmkopf team

It is extremely unlikely that your ISIS is damage, I think I've only heard of 2 and many 1000's have been sold

As for the sticky plunger, try a very small drop of 3 in 1 oil, that should help (do not use WD-40 though as that's a penetration oil and so bad for the ISIS).

I'm sure you'll get there Just concentrate on the clues given to you, and don't give up

Karen

[ChadH]

My experience was exactly the same as yours. I thought mine was broken too, until one day...

I opened it

Keep going, you'll get there!

[dwmmkopf]

Thanks to those who've replied here and by pm. You were all right: a bit more violence seems to have done the trick. I don't really understand how or what's happened. Anyway, the thing is open! Hurrah!

Er, shame the 10-digit key doesn't seem to work. I've e-mailed SW.

[dwmmkopf]

A somewhat bizarre postscript: it really seems as if we didn't have a third BB -- it's nowhere to be found inside the opened Isis. That explains why we couldn't hear it being released! In theory it should be impossible to open without BB3, so in practice we were very lucky to do so.