I have these latex moulds for two different chess sets I ordered from Canada a few months back. One's a "Camelot/King Arthur" Theme, the other is the famous "Lewis Chessmen" (complete set). I was planning to cast my own chess sets and UrofPersia would paint them but then the project ran out of steam because I couldn't find a cheap source for Hydrostone for casting. Plaster and Resin are very common in Singapore but not suitable if you want a good quality set.
UPDATE 7th June 2009
Finally managed to get 10kg of hydrostone from Australia thanks to my sister. Here's my first attempts at casting!
Can't ask 'whodat?' so it'd be 'whatdat?'
ReplyDeleteLOL
Latex moulds for two different chess sets I ordered from Canada a few months back. One's a "Camelot/King Arthur" Theme, the other is the famous "Lewis Chessmen" (complete set). I was planning to cast my own chess sets and UrofPersia would paint them but then the project ran out of steam because I couldn't find a cheap source for Hydrostone for casting. Still looking around for an alternative material but no success yet. Plaster and Resin are very common in Singapore but not suitable if you want a good quality set. Sigh... this project is still KIV for now.
ReplyDeleteAh.. making one's own chess set... how meaningful! :)
ReplyDeletePerhaps you may want to practise with plaster and resin first. If you can't find a cheap alternative source and you still wanna carry on with the project (seems wasted since you've already got the moulds), you probably need to use the Hydrostone. Since it's expensive, better if one has a little practise. (I'm assuming the moulds are re-useable and easily washable)
But anyways, don't think you have much time to shop for moulds and material now... :)
Yes it's reuseable but plaster is too brittle while resin "leaks" over it's lifetime. Won't be much of a practice run since all three, plaster, resin and hydrostone are all cast differently. :p Hydrostone by itself is actually not expensive. The problem is that no one carries it in Singapore. I've yet to find it in KL either. Closest I can get so far is Australia and just mailing cost of 1kg of the stuff is already AUS$10.
ReplyDeleteSigh.
Aiyo Jieming, don't sound so fatalistic. AUS$10 is one and a half MacDonald's extra value meal..lol. Perception perception. How expensive depends on how you perceive it. How many kgs do you need?
ReplyDeleteMany, many kgs! The Lewis set (which is my favourite and the one I want most desperately to cast first) is very large (actual scale to the originals in the British Museum). 1kg of hydrostone is only going to fill something like 4-5 pieces!
ReplyDeleteooo.... I think I'm going to do this..... I may have a supplier in Oz willing to send me hydrostone at the cheapest possible S/H cost.....
ReplyDeletecool, go for it... :-)
ReplyDeleteYay! Took me almost 3 years but I'm finally casting my chess sets! Sis got me 10kg of Hydrostone from Sydney and this is my first test cast. Wasted quite a bit when I didn't realise how fast the darn hydrostone sets but I think I got 1/4 of the Lewis chess set cast. Will de-mould them tomorrow and see how they turned out before casting the rest.
ReplyDeleteStill also need to figure out how to "colour" the other set. I'm casting the white pieces first for obvious reasons.
Wish me luck. Oooo... this is exciting.
Oh yay! They came out Purrrfect! The bases need some sanding and grinding but otherwise, I'm quite happy with the casting. The reliefs are clear and with little if any noticeable bubble-holes. Looks like I can continue with the rest of the casts. I've done 10 out of the total 32 so far. :)))
ReplyDeleteOk. Just found out that water based dyes would somewhat stain hydrostone if applied correctly. Will try and stain one set darker than the other.
ReplyDeleteStill trying to find out what would be used as a sealant/hardener/varnish to gloss the surface a little. Anyone have any ideas?
2nd cast today. This should bring the cumulative cast total to 50% of the chess set.
ReplyDeleteBreaking mould tomorrow.
Arrrghhhhh this sucks! Of the 7 from the 2nd cast, only one turned out ok. :(((
ReplyDeleteAnother lesson in casting learnt. Don't add too much water! Dammit!
Going to try the 2nd cast again tonight.
2nd cast worked good except for the Queen on the 2nd set. Will be using that to test the color staining.
ReplyDeleteDoing the 3rd cast tonight. This should be the 2nd to last cast.
I would volunteer to help paint but I'm not sure what are the skills required - steady hands, good eye?
ReplyDeletelol. Not sure myself. probably not much skill needed since we really just need to color the WHOLE piece. Still experimenting with paints on the cast-offs.
ReplyDeletehehe, anytime you need help, let me know
ReplyDeletelol ok. waiting for Ur to get home from his gallivanting around since he's the dude with the paints.
ReplyDeleteokie, it's a playdate then!
ReplyDeleteplaydate... interesting choice of word.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I still have to finish my casting. I'm still missing 4 pawns, 2 bishops and a rook. I'm hoping to finish that this weekend, after which I'll start casting a set of Camelot promised to my dad.
Done! The Lewis Chessmen set is cast. Next up would be the grinding of the bases and the colouring. I've also started casting the Camelot set. You can see the Camelot Queen standing in the box together with the Lewis Chessmen.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, stayed home today and it took me practically almost all the daylight hours to grind, chisel, plane, chip and sand each piece to consistent heights and stable bases. My hands are reliving the familiar ache I used to have while making the catapults. But at least they are all done.
ReplyDeleteNext up... painting/staining!