andy277 wrote:
Just to be rid of this discussion, I checked one of my pieces and I could see the start of the screw thread at the base of the weight. Thus, it has a screw thread and it has no tool marks.
Do you have a picture?
Adding weight to pieces
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TOURNANENT CHESS
LMAO LMAO!!!
Jan 3, 2015
0
#125
MaximRecoil wrote:
SixRavens wrote:
I've just smashed my ebony and boxwood 6" set with a club hammer on the doorstep with the neighbours looking on, and you're right - the lead does not extend in a column in these fine old sets in the manner I suggested for plastic or 3D printed pieces.
Hang-on there's a police officer at the door....
No pieces from any company, wood or plastic, new or old, have weights extending into the column, because it defeats the purpose of stability (i.e., it raises the center of gravity, which would make them easier to tip over). However, I'm more than happy to be proven wrong on this matter; just give me an example of a commercially manufactured chess piece with weighting material extending into the column.
The classic Drueke Player's Choice pieces are the archetype for weighted plastic pieces (they are also where the still-used terms "double-weighted" and "triple-weighted" came from), and those didn't have weights extending into the column either (again, correct me if I'm wrong).
That is a great idea, but I think most people don't have the tool to do that. I wonder about a straight shaft with glue in the bottom.
Don't pour molten lead on wet glue, nor on anything else that is wet. You'll get a very violent reaction.
All you need to do is enlarge the bottom of the hole a bit. It doesn't have to be perfect, just a little larger than the rest of the hole. A Dremel tool with a small cutting disc would be ideal. Also, you can put a groove or grooves in the wall of the hole anywhere; it doesn't necessarily have to be at the bottom of the hole.
Another tool you could use is a bent pick, like so:
http://hostedmedia.reimanpub.com/TFH/Step-By-Step/FH12NOV_COOLTO_15.JPG
Heat the end of it with a propane torch, and burn a groove or grooves into the wall of the hole. Once the groove line is sufficiently burnt, you can scrape the charred wood away, leaving a groove. Repeat until the groove is deep enough for a good mechanical lock on the lead (the groove doesn't need to be very deep; 1/16" deep would do the trick).
I was actually speaking of using the glue on the lead after the metal is solid. It would then hold the felt on the piece.
Jan 3, 2015
0
#126
I've returned to this forum with, what I believe to be, the real reason for the threaded recess in the bottom of the pieces several of us have been 'discussing'.
I'll just get a few photo's to support my evidence - and perhaps a lawyer or two!
Back soon....
Jan 3, 2015
0
#127
Well I'm sorry - the internet in NZ is so bad I'm going to have to pass this time.
3 attemps have been made to upload a concise description of a particular technique used by wood turners that would leave a threaded recess - including photo's. Unfortunately Vodafone and the capitalist banana republic that is NZ have conspired to rob me of connectivity at least 5 times a day!
Google 'Screw Chuck' or 'Screw Faceplate' and you will see a possible reason why there are threads in the recesses of so many chess pieces.
Carl
You don't need to make a threaded hole as long as you can gouge the sides of the hole, whether it be with something like a chip carving knife or a chisel.
Jan 3, 2015
0
#129
I agree, but if the turner has used a screw chuck or faceplate during manufacture then there will be a thread left behind after the finished piece has been unscrewed/removed.
It's a win win! the wood is held securely during manufacture and the resulting recess has a surface well suited to holding molten lead once it has solidified.
Hello everyone, I don't know if the conversation on adding weight to your pieces is still open, but I have made several ceramic Duncan Sets, and I have found that a small ball (about grape size) of Lead Wool inserted into the piece and then glueing the felt on really works well. Lead wool can be found at local hardware or plumbing stores. I have found that the smaller mom and pop type hardware stores are likely to sell it in small portions.
Oct 29, 2018
0
#131
Thanks for the tip. I've never come across lead wool before, but this sounds better than playing about with molten lead. Did you have to glue it in place?
johnmusacha wrote:
I'm pretty sure what you are planning is against FIDE and USCF rules. It's akin to "corking" or "juicing" a baseball bat.
LOL! As long as you don't put a microcomputer inside the piece that tells you the next move...
First off the actual weight of the piece has nothing to do with playing the game. The weight does not give any advantage over your opponent. As to glueing the lead wool this is not necessary. Lead wool is quite heavy and pretty much stays in place. You can use a much as you feel is needed for your personal choice.
Oct 29, 2018
0
#134
Skitziemama wrote:
First off the actual weight of the piece has nothing to do with playing the game. The weight does not give any advantage over your opponent.
I don't think they were being entirely serious
Oct 29, 2018
0
#135
Skitziemama wrote:
As to glueing the lead wool this is not necessary. Lead wool is quite heavy and pretty much stays in place. You can use a much as you feel is needed for your personal choice.
This sounds really good, I'll have to get some of this stuff!
I worked at a printer who had lead font typesetters. Both of then got severe lead poisoning, one after 15 years, the other after 30. The only lead they touch was the type fonts...
Is Bismuth a viable option for weighing down pieces? It melts easily and is quite heavy.
Jun 21, 2020
0
#137
Why not just add tungsten powder? No need to glue in either. Make certain it is sealed at the bottom though. It would move around if tipped but in keeping a small amount as a ballast at the bottom it'd maintain uprightness better than if totally filled. It's about 70% more dense than lead. Even though it is a heavy metal it is generally considered non-toxic as well as bismuth and some other so-called dangerous heavy metals. I ended up in a non-productive brief exchange of words in a job interview upon a manager telling me that heavy metals are toxic. A blanket statement like that is illogical. How could someone be a specialist in the field of metals and spew that nonsense? Oh my, what a world we live in. Investigate the viability of tungsten.
a yes, another 2 year old forum somehow found
May 22, 2021
0
#139
I've just had a go at adding weight to a plastic set. The set was a "Chad Valley" set, which dates to about 1950. A bloke at work gave it to me after he bought it for £1 at a car boot sale (called a "trunk sale" in the US?). These sets can be had cheaply on eBay, at least in the UK.
I found that pennies fit really neatly into the bases, so I glued 3 pennies into the base of each piece. This set is quite unusual in that all of the pieces have the same diameter bases, which makes using pennies ideal. Here are before and after pic of gluing the pennies in:
Just to be rid of this discussion, I checked one of my pieces and I could see the start of the screw thread at the base of the weight. Thus, it has a screw thread and it has no tool marks.