Just When Ya Think You've Seen It All !

Alan Dewey had replied to a thread post of mine recenty about chess pieces cracking due to improper weighting. This included not only ebony but boxwood as well. Anyway, just when you think you've seen it all, how about "plastic pieces"-Yep, did my yearly inspection of my safe queens and of all things I found a pawn in one of my low end plastic sets that is heavily weighted and sure enough the base cracked along the seam. New one on me, but hey all the other hi end sets still are minty :))

Robb you got me so parinoid now..! Gads the pic is Frightning.. I guess my plastic unweghted sets will last forever... I hope!

Yep... Triple weighting if not done right can create havoc... Hope y'all sleep well tonight lol. No worries for me cause HOS is dropping one to my mailbox. One good thing ya have to say about plastic is it's not a costly fix...

A little epoxy should work. I just can't believe it happened on a plastic piece.!

Brings up a good question, how do you fix a crack in the base if wood? My Drueke 1964 wooden set has a couple cracks I would like to try to fix myself since the set itself isn't worth much. 

The problem w/ 2x & 3x weighted is when they drop on the floor ?....alotta times they get damaged. That's why merlons are missing from castles, the Queen's tiara is chipped, the horse's nose is cracked....and stuff lie that. 

Just so y'all know... The pawn pictured was never played, dropped, or used. It was a backup set in storage and cracked completely on it's own... notice it is right on the seam...

Thank god you did your yearly inspection of your safe queens.

I think I have lost the heads off off 4 or 5 pawns in one of my more heavily weighted sets due to them being dropped. Also lost the cross on a king too.

                  When it was in storage, was there a large temperature swing??   Also, the wooden post#5--wicsmike, try Home Depot for wood filler, putty, even glue. Talk to furniture makers.

Maybe a chicken will come out of it ?

I didn't drop all of them

back in business...:)

Here's what I have figured out and it has worked well on Boxwood, some Ebonies, and Rosewood:

Sorry I am coming SO late to the party, but I sincerely hope this helps some of you now...

Whenever I get a new set (usually during winter, very DRY here in W Canada!) - I leave the set "season" for a minimum of a week, to let it acclimate at least a bit. I then set up the pieces and leave for a day or two. IF I start seeing onset of some cracking, I use a Q-tip with water and dab the crack - I wait 2-3h, and as the wood re-swells to close the crack, I use Weldbond wood glue in the crack with a fine finishing brush (modelling type) or a fine nubbed paint applicator available through most hobby and modelling stores. Once applied, I carefully wipe the excess, and let dry.

In 90% cases, the applied water closes the crack, and the glue seals it. For darker woods, like Rosewood or Ebony, I tint the glue with either a satin/semi-gloss black or a wine-colored red-brown to match the piece's grain or color. Boxwood I do non-tinted. I then buff with a un-tinted (Boxwood, so clear) or black (Ebony), or light oxblood (Rosewood) shoe polish (wax based) and buff lightly with a very soft CF cloth or light foam brush. Leave the finish and surface VERY close to new!

So far, as I say 90% of the cracks virtually disappear, and I never have an issue again. For those that appear elsewhere, repeat the process. In general, I have gotten to almost near-perfection in repairing these cracks, my early attempts not as good, but certainly better than leaving cracked!

My post-2008 pieces all are pretty much where they are at and very good to excellent in appearance and condition. Most sets are HOS, though I did get two on eBay from another supplier that did crack in three pawns, and a king. Fixed no worries.

For regular maintenance, a light wipe with a lightly dampened CF cloth to remove finger oils and dusts, and then a very light buff with bees or carnauba wax (clear). Store in boxes and safe from extreme humidity changes. So far, so good.

Hope that this helps! Cheers and good chess to all!

Darren (AKA Rookium)