Enigma II Encryption Machine Small | STEM Cryptology Tool

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$36.95

Difficulty: Hard

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Standard orders ship within 1 business day. Personalized items ship within 2 business days, and more detailed personalization, custom work, or larger orders may take longer.

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Description

Write a note only the right person can read. The Enigma II Small is a working wooden cipher machine: you turn three laser-engraved gears by hand to put a message into code, and anyone with their own Enigma II Small and the same settings can turn it back. It was the first design in our Enigma gear-cipher series, designed and built by Dave Janelle and Bob Nolet at Creative Crafthouse, the family-owned wooden puzzle and game company we started in 2003, and we still make every Enigma II Small in our Hudson, Florida workshop.

Our cipher line began with rotating-disk ciphers like the Alberti and Union Army disks. Enigma II was the first one built with gears, inspired by the rotors of the historical Enigma machine. It is not a replica of that electromechanical machine, and there is nothing to plug in. The gears are cut from 1/4 inch wood with a cherry finish, every letter is laser engraved deep into the wood, and each gear turns on an alloy steel pin set in a solid wood base. Made in the USA and designed to last a lifetime. It's quite easy to use, but it creates messages that can be extremely difficult to decode if you don't have the key.

To set the machine, choose an order for the three interchangeable gears and a three-letter keyword, then turn each gear so its keyword letter sits at its arrow. The right-hand gear is the Output Wheel. Turn it to each letter of your message and write down the code letter at the top arrow, going back and forth between the first and second gears. To decode, set the same gear order and keyword and work in reverse, so one machine does both jobs. Send and receive secret messages with anyone who has their own Enigma II Small. In the box you get the base, the three gears, complete instructions, two worksheets and 3 secret messages we encoded for you to crack, so you can practice before you write your own. The board is 9.4 inches long and 3 inches wide and each gear is 2.7 inches across, a comfortable size for a desk or a game table. Just add a pencil.

Customers have built the Enigma II into homemade escape rooms and even a geocache, one bought it for an RPG campaign, and Creative Crafthouse props are used in escape rooms around the world. For your own room, encode a clue, leave the gears in your chosen order and hide the keyword as an earlier clue. It also makes a Christmas gift that works best in pairs: one customer bought two, one for a boyfriend and one for his 13-year-old grandson in another state, and wrote that "they are having a blast sending coded messages to each other." We can laser engrave a name or short message on the base (up to 45 characters), you can add a wood message card to the order, and standard orders ship from our Florida workshop within 1 business day (2 business days with engraving or a message card).

Want more key settings? Enigma III has double-sided gears with a different scrambled alphabet on each face, and the Enigma II Large uses the same gear-and-keyword method on a bigger board with 3.7 inch gears, though we do not claim a Large and a Small can exchange messages with each other. Compare every format in our Cipher Wheels and Enigma Machines collection.

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Product Specifications

Dimensions: 9.4 × 3.0 × 1.0 in
Materials: Wood
Difficulty Level: Hard
Age Range: Teens (13-18 years), Adults (18+ years), Kids (6-8 years), Tweens (9-12 years), Seniors (65+ years)
What's Included: Enigma base (1), Enigma gears (3), Instruction sheet (1), Worksheets (2), Messages to decode (3)
Gift Occasions: Christmas, Birthday, Holidays
Personalization Available: Yes
Puzzle Type: Enigma Machine, Escape Room
Category: Educational Learning Tool
Availability: In Stock

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Customers praised this encryption tool for "great craftsmanship" and smooth functionality. Many enjoy sending coded messages and using it for escape rooms and RPG campaigns. The wood finish is smooth, gears rotate cleanly, and it "feels weighty." One customer noted it's not a true replica. Overall, shoppers appreciate the quality and entertainment value.

Machine (positive)Shipping (positive)Gift (positive)Messages (positive)Gears (positive)

5 stars: 19 (95%)
4 stars: 0 (0%)
3 stars: 0 (0%)
2 stars: 0 (0%)
1 star: 1 (5%)

This enigma machine is so well made! The gears fit together very cleanly and rotate smoothly, and the finish on the wood is very smooth. Shipping was lightning fast. Thanks so much!

its not replica of enigma

Lovely. Just as pictured in listing.

Enigma II Encryption Machine Small | STEM Cryptology Tool

Love it! This is our third purchase of this item (for nieces, nephew, and then for us so we can send coded messages). Great craftsmanship too!

Bought this as a gift for my boyfriend and he loved it!

This was so fun to use. My family now writes secret messages to each other!

I plan to use this for an RPG campaign and I was starting to doubt my abilities, but when I opened it my confidence was immediately restored. This code machine is rad as all get out. It feels weighty and is oh so satisfying to spin!

Nicely made and worth the money. Will be using for several projects

Great workmanship! Looking forward to using it.

I purchased two of these, one for my boyfriend who lives in Maryland, and one for his 13-year-old grandson in Nashville. They are having a blast sending coded messages to each other. The quality of the encryption machine and puzzles are very good and it works great, providing hours of entertainment.

Great gift, fast shipping! Thanks!!

Arrived quickly and very well made. I'm excited to incorporate it into my at-home escape room I'm putting together for friends!

The item is beautiful quality and the instructions were easy to follow. Thank you!

Exactly as described, arrived quickly and had fantastic communication from seller! Love it!

this is amazing. well made, really neat. good customer service.

I am so pleased with this enigma machine! I'm using it in a homemade escape room. Product was delivered quickly, professionally, and with clear instructions and test encryptions. Thank you so much!

Awesome product! Really cool and well made

Perfect! highly recommendable. Good Seller!

sehr schöne EEM :) funktioniert wunderbar. wird als Stage für einen Geocache verwendet.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Enigma II Small?

It is a working wooden cipher machine with three laser-engraved gears that you turn by hand to encode and decode secret messages. Enigma II was the first gear cipher in the Enigma series that Dave Janelle and Bob Nolet designed and built at Creative Crafthouse in Hudson, Florida, and the Small is the compact 9.4 inch version.

How do you encode and decode a message?

Pick an order for the three gears and a three-letter keyword, and turn each gear so its keyword letter sits at its arrow. The right-hand gear is the Output Wheel: turn it to a letter of your message, write down the letter at the top arrow of the first gear, then do the next letter on the second gear, and keep alternating. Coded messages are usually written in blocks of four letters. To decode, set the same gear order and keyword and run the steps in reverse, reading each answer off the Output Wheel.

Is it a replica of the WWII Enigma machine?

No. The Enigma machine used in World War II was an electromechanical cipher machine with rotors. The Enigma II Small borrows the idea of turning wheels that scramble the alphabet, but it is a hand-operated wooden machine you work letter by letter, with no electrics. It suits someone who wants to make and break real codes, rather than a collector looking for a display replica.

What comes in the box?

One wooden base, three gears, an instruction sheet, two worksheets and 3 secret messages we encoded for you to crack. The messages are a good way to learn the machine before you write your own. You supply the pencil.

How big is it and what is it made of?

The Enigma II Small board is 9.4 inches long and 3 inches wide, and each gear is 2.7 inches in diameter. The base is solid wood, the gears are cut from 1/4 inch wood with a cherry finish, and the letters are laser engraved deep into the wood so they will not rub off. Each gear turns on an alloy steel pin.

Can I trade coded messages with a friend?

Yes, as long as each person has their own Enigma II Small. Agree on the gear order and keyword separately, or hide them in a message, and you can trade coded notes back and forth. Because one machine both encodes and decodes, you can also practice on your own first.

How secure are the messages, and can I make them harder to crack?

It is easy to use, but without the gear order and keyword the messages can be extremely difficult to decode. For more security, change the key partway through. One way from our instructions: pick a key phrase such as Pet the Dog and switch to the next word every 12 letters, so the key runs PET, then THE, then DOG, and repeats.

Can it encode numbers?

The gears carry letters only. To send a number, spell it out (5 becomes FIVE), or use the letter code in our instructions (1=A, 2=B and so on, with 0=J) and put a # symbol in front so the reader knows a number follows.

How do I use it in an escape room?

Encode a clue, leave the gears in the order you used, and hide the three-letter keyword as an earlier clue. Players who find the keyword set the gears and decode the next step. It is a cipher, not a lock or a ready-made game, so you design the challenge around it. Customers have used it in homemade escape rooms and as a stage in a geocache, and one bought it for an RPG campaign. Browse our escape room props for more pieces to build with.

Is it a good gift?

Yes, especially for someone who loves codes, spy stories or history. It works best as a pair: one customer gave one to a boyfriend and one to his 13-year-old grandson, and the two of them now trade coded messages. Another family bought three over time, for nieces, a nephew and then themselves. For Christmas you can add a wood message card to the order, or have a name engraved on the base.

How is the Small different from the Enigma II Large and Enigma III?

The Enigma II Large uses the same gear-and-keyword method on a bigger board, 12.75 inches long with 3.7 inch gears, and is sold separately; we do not claim a Large and a Small can exchange messages with each other. Enigma III keeps three gears but makes them double-sided, with a different scrambled alphabet on each face, for more key settings. The Small is the compact first design of the series.

Can I personalize the Enigma II Small?

Yes. The Enigma II Small can be personalized with a custom laser engraving on the base, up to 45 characters. Add a name, date, or short message when you order. See our laser engraving page for details and examples. For a custom logo or artwork, request a quote for custom work.

Where is it made, and how fast does it ship?

Creative Crafthouse makes the Enigma II Small in our family workshop in Hudson, Florida. Standard orders ship from our Florida workshop within 1 business day, and personalized orders, including orders with a wood message card, within 2 business days. Returns are free within 30 days of delivery; personalized and custom items cannot be returned.