[blindwoodworker] Steel Chess board
- From: "JDM" <sunnyday001@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <blindwoodworker@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 4 May 2010 17:46:43 +1000
g'day Dan,
Thanks for sharing the design and construction of your blued steel, walnut
surround and brass inlay chess board, it sounds totally spectacular, and a
pride and joy forever.
I wonder if you can help me identify the Trade or profession which does the
sort of water or laser Brass cutting that was done for your Chess board?
I'm presently building an outdoor garden seat for my sister. the top rail
of this garden seat has a curved or rounded section that is perfect for some
carved design or metallic inlay. basically, I wish to make a design which
would be her name initials in a highly stylised design which could be
inlayed or inset into that curved area of the top rail.
I'm thinking that by using the MicroSoft Paint program, I could create, with
the help of a sighted friend, the design I'm imagining, a stylised design
of her name initials. From inside the program, I could size the design to
the available area of the top rail, and then print it onto an adhesive
backed clear plastic film, such as is used to print CD labels. This clear
film could be then stuck into position on the top rail, and plunge routed
out to a predetermined depth.
But, the problem now is, how to cut some Brass or copper plate into that
precise shape and dimension so it may be inlayed? I've searched google for
some sort of specialist trade or profession who has such skills and
equipment to make such a name plate, but without any success. I need to
find the correct key buzzwords. any ideas?
PS: It has occurred to me, that I could, first of all paint the inside of
the relieved area with Gold paint. then secondly, mix up some crystal clear
casting resin with finely powdered or flaked Brass. Thirdly, pour the clear
casting resin with its suspended flaked brass powder into the relieved area.
And, finally when the clear resin has set and hardened, sand off the excess
resin so it finishes flush with the surround wood. Could this idea work?
Cheers,
John Milburn
Melbourne Australia.
--------------------------------------------------
From: "Dan Rossi" <dr25@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 10:13 PM
To: <blindwoodworker@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blindwoodworker] Re: Plexiglass Chessboard
John,
I do not believe that John was attempting to make a Plexi glass board, but
essentially use the plexi glass board as a template to arrange the wooden
squares.
Your method of making the board is the one I've read about several times
in various places. The eighth inch difference in square height is pretty
helpful for an adaptive chess board.
I'll just take this opportunity to brag about a chess board I have. It
was my design, but I did not build it. The board is made of a sheet of
steel with eighth inch deep pockets every other square. The steel is set
into a frame of walnut. The guys who made it for me went the extra mile
and set my name, cut out of brass, into the walnut frame.
I had designed the board to be steel since a good friend of mine, who is
also blind, had a pottery studio for years. She was shutting down her
studio, and I asked her to throw me a chess set before she wrapped it up.
She made me a lovely classic set of pieces and I glued refrigerator
magnets to the bottoms of the pieces so that they stick to the steel board
and hold them in place quite nicely.
The guys who actually made the board for me, also threw in a set of
classic chess pieces that had been milled on a CNC lathe. One set of men
is steel and one is brass. They are heavy enough to withstand hands
bumping around them, but they glued strong magnets to the bottoms of the
men anyway. They are quite steady and resistant to movement. *GRIN*
Lastly, just because I think it is fun to talk about, the way they inset
my name was to use a water jet cutter to cut my name out of brass, then
use the water jet to cut the negative of my name through the wood, then
pressed the brass into the wood.
Lastly, they used bluing for steel to darken every other square in the
board. It is a really interesting looking set.
Later.
--
Blue skies.
Dan Rossi
Carnegie Mellon University.
E-Mail: dr25@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tel: (412) 268-9081
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