Harry's Nails, IPP21 (2001) Exchange Puzzle by Harry Nelson and Rick Irby

Rick Irby's fame stems from his incredibly high quality heavy-duty metal puzzles.  "Harry's Nails" was created in 2001 for the late great perennial IPP Puzzle Exchange participant Harry Nelson (of Lawrence Livermore fame, discoverer of the 27th Mersenne prime), and used by Harry as his exchange puzzle at IPP21 in Tokyo in 2001.  "Harry's Nails" contains five increasingly difficult challenges. The object is to balance increasing numbers of nails on one another in a free-standing structure. When a solution is reached, only one end of a nail may be in contact with the table surface.  "Harry's Nails" is made of highly polished stainless steel.  The puzzle is as received at IPP21 in 2001.  The nails are packed in a cloth which contains all of the instructions for the puzzle.  I will include a copy of the solution to "Harry's Nails" from the IPP21 booklet.

Note:  The presentation of "Harry's Nails" is unique in that all of the instructions are printed on the cloth that is used to wrap the five nails together.  I did not want to open my package --- which has never been opened! --- for fear of not being able to fold it together as neatly as it was presented at IPP21.  I've included a picture from the IPP21 booklet as an illustration of the unfolded cloth and the five nails.

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