diff --git a/jacob/jni/Variant.cpp b/jacob/jni/Variant.cpp
index 30b59e9..a63c79c 100644
--- a/jacob/jni/Variant.cpp
+++ b/jacob/jni/Variant.cpp
@@ -1040,7 +1040,7 @@ JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_com_jacob_com_Variant_putVariantVariant
  * Added 1.12 pre 6
  * 
  * */
-JNIEXPORT jobject JNICALL Java_com_jacob_com_Variant_getVariantVariant
+JNIEXPORT jint JNICALL Java_com_jacob_com_Variant_getVariantVariant
 (JNIEnv *env, jobject _this) 
 {
 
@@ -1051,24 +1051,14 @@ JNIEXPORT jobject JNICALL Java_com_jacob_com_Variant_getVariantVariant
       return NULL;
     }
 
-    //Construct a new Variant
-    jclass variantClass = env->FindClass("com/jacob/com/Variant");
-    jmethodID defaultCon = env->GetMethodID(variantClass, "<init>", "()V");
-    jobject newVariant = env->NewObject(variantClass, defaultCon);
-	
 	VARIANT *refVar = V_VARIANTREF(v);
-	VARIANT *newV = extractVariant(env, newVariant);
 
 	// we could have made a copy of refV here but we aren't every going to free 
 	// it outside of the scope of the enclosing context so we will just used the
 	// enclosed.  This relies on the java layer to zero out its ref to this
 	// enclosed variant before the gc can come along and free the memory out from
 	// under this enclosing variant.
-
-    jfieldID jf = env->GetFieldID( variantClass, VARIANT_FLD, "I");
-    env->SetIntField(newVariant, jf, (unsigned int)refVar);
-
-    return newVariant;
+	return (unsigned int)refVar;
   }
 
   return NULL;
diff --git a/jacob/jni/Variant.h b/jacob/jni/Variant.h
index b240c17..c9b8d4e 100644
--- a/jacob/jni/Variant.h
+++ b/jacob/jni/Variant.h
@@ -508,9 +508,9 @@ JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_com_jacob_com_Variant_putVariantVariant
 /*
  * Class:     com_jacob_com_Variant
  * Method:    getVariantVariant
- * Signature: ()Lcom/jacob/com/Variant;
+ * Signature: ()I
  */
-JNIEXPORT jobject JNICALL Java_com_jacob_com_Variant_getVariantVariant
+JNIEXPORT jint JNICALL Java_com_jacob_com_Variant_getVariantVariant
   (JNIEnv *, jobject);
 
 /*
diff --git a/jacob/src/com/jacob/com/Variant.java b/jacob/src/com/jacob/com/Variant.java
index 7dc04fa..25e5653 100644
--- a/jacob/src/com/jacob/com/Variant.java
+++ b/jacob/src/com/jacob/com/Variant.java
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ public void putStringRef(String in){
 	 * Added 1.12 pre 6
 	 * 
 	 * @throws IllegalArgumentException
-	 *             if inVariant = null
+	 *             if inVariant = null or if inVariant is a Varint
 	 * @param objectToBeWrapped A object that is to be referenced by this variant.
 	 * 		If objectToBeWrapped is already of type Variant, then it is used.
 	 * 		If objectToBeWrapped is not Variant then <code>new Variant(objectToBeWrapped)</code>
@@ -370,10 +370,15 @@ public void putVariant(Object objectToBeWrapped) {
 		if (objectToBeWrapped == null) {
 			throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot put null in as a variant");
 		} else if (objectToBeWrapped instanceof Variant){
-			putVariantVariant((Variant)objectToBeWrapped);
+			throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot putVariant() only accepts non jacob objects.");
 		} else {
 			Variant inVariant = new Variant(objectToBeWrapped);
 			putVariantVariant(inVariant);
+			// This could be done in Variant.cpp
+			if (JacobObject.isDebugEnabled()){
+				JacobObject.debug("Zeroing out enclosed Variant's ref to windows memory");
+			}
+			inVariant.m_pVariant = 0;
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -400,7 +405,9 @@ public Object getVariant() {
 			if (JacobObject.isDebugEnabled()){
 				JacobObject.debug("About to call getVariantVariant()");
 			}
-			Variant enclosedVariant = getVariantVariant();
+			Variant enclosedVariant = new Variant();
+			int enclosedVariantMemory = getVariantVariant();
+			enclosedVariant.m_pVariant = enclosedVariantMemory;
 			Object  enclosedVariantAsJava = enclosedVariant.toJavaObject();
 			// zero out the reference to the underlying windows memory so that
 			// it is still only owned in one place by one java object 
@@ -423,7 +430,7 @@ public Object getVariant() {
 	 * Added 1.12 pre 6 - VT_VARIANT support is at an alpha level
 	 * @return Variant one of the VT_Variant types
 	 */
-	private native Variant getVariantVariant();
+	private native int getVariantVariant();
     
     /**
      * get the content of this variant as a short