Presenting "The Kyiv" set. An original design.

This new set, which I call "The Kyiv" is inspired by various Ukrainian sets from the last century and is designed for 3D printing.

[edit - this set is now available to buy on Kickstarter here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/conorokane/the-kyiv-chess-set/description ]

These pieces are printed in resin then painted with black spray paint, and finished with gold details and blue felt, to match the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

They can also be printed on FDM filament printers. Here are pieces printed in bamboo and carbon-fibre filament.

The files will be available soon on Kickstarter, and after the campaign they'll also be available on my website - http://3dprintedchess.com

Feedback and questions welcome. Let me know what you think.

Nice

Very nice design. 

However I am concerned that the relatively narrow stem of the Knight supporting the weight of the much greater mass of the horse above it may present issues over the long term, depending on how resistant to bending/torque forces (i.e., how soft) the plastic is.  Which also begs the question - is the Knight a single piece of plastic?  Hopefully so.

When printed in resin they're all single-pieces, and when printed in filament the finials on the King and Queen are separate so they can be printed in different colors, and the top of the rook is separate. These parts are glued in place. However the knights are mostly hollow and have space in the bases for weights, so bending or toppling over isn't likely. You can choose to print them with any percentage of infill to make them as heavy or durable as you need.

Filament prints are similar in durability to lego bricks, resin pieces are perhaps a little more fragile, closer to glass or stone in terms of durability and brittleness.

The Knight toppling over was not the concern I was thinking of.  It was the possibility of bending or other mechanical distortion occurring at the stem of the Knight due to its relatively narrow stem having to support a much greater mass above it.  However if the plastic is hard enough, the stem could have enough rigidity to resist the applied torque forces.

Again - is the Knight a single piece?

Yes, the knight is a single piece.

Good.  Thank you!

If the top of the rook is glued on, which I infer by your description, eventually it is almost certainly likely to separate simply as a result of normal handling during play.  Not a good solution in my view. 

Also gluing finials is not a good idea.  The finials will almost certainly come loose eventually and fall off, when the owner will then be confronted with the problem of how to re-attach them - hopefully not with glue again, which would ensure that the problem will very likely reoccur. Better to give the finials small diameter pegs at their base to be inserted into small holes at the top of the King/Queen etc., without glue.

Bottom line - forget glue!

The finials do indeed have pegs to ensure they are aligned properly. They can be friction fit or glued, depending on preference. Should the top of the rook come off, you can always glue it back on, or print another one. However, I've never found super-glued 3D prints to come apart, at least not without the use of a hammer or pliers!

This is a fantastic design, and nice to make use of 3D printing!
My only design feedback (I am a product designer myself) is that the rook needs a bit more body - it's traditionally a very solid piece and this one appears too slender. I would keep the design intent but change the mid-section's curvature and taper angles.

Strength-wise this will work. They may break after 1-2 years of regular use but that's ok to print a new one, right? To improve strength, print them at a 20-40 degree angle to maximize layer bonding contact. It's low interlayer adhesion that's responsible for most 3D print breakages. You can also improve strength by lowering layer height, using reinforced filaments or engineering polymers (Taulman nylon is extremely strong), increasing flow, and slowing print speed.

You should also post these to Cults3d.com or CGtrader, there's a huge audience plus you can monetize. I will buy your designs as soon as I have my Snapmaker running again.

Thank you very much for your detailed feedback! I am currently selling my sets via a Gumroad store, but I think you're right, I'm missing out on a larger audience available at CGtrader and Cults. I'll give them a go too!

By the way.   That Knight's head more resembles a Great Dane (dog) than a horse...

Haha, yes I suppose it does.

If you prefer a more realistically proportioned knight then I recommend my Ecliptic set...

Just thought I'd share that observation, which had just dawned on me!

Absolutely Gorgeous Pieces!

And despite the opinion of old fellows , myself included.

We are moving into new centuries.

This could well be the Dubrovnik of the future!

@conorokane -

Check out the Knight (particularly the horse's head.....which actually looks like a horse!) in the OP's very first post/photo of this forum thread.  It may provoke inspiration...

The William Hallett set now available...

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/the-william-hallett-set-now-available

fantastic design.

For the first half of my life I grew up in USSR and later Ukraine so to me it doesn't really look like anything that I would associate with Kyiv. It just looks like a Soviet inspired set.

In particular I am not a fan of the bishop I see in the picture. If it is missing the diagonal cutout like most chess sets outside of USSR, then it should have a small ball on top. Otherwise when there is no diagonal cut and no ball on top it has certain negative associations.

I like the knight.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

Drawgood - are there any characteristics of chess sets you remember from your time in Ukraine?

I like the bishops from the Latvian style, which also have no ball-top or mitre-cut. This was an influence on the Kyiv bishop design.

Ukranian Orthodox Bishop (aka 'Patriarch')....

https://www.pillarcatholic.com/in-ukraine-a-bishop-comes-into-the-church/

.https://www.google.com/search?q=ukrainian+orthodox+bishop&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjAi-3tttH6AhX3AzQIHYsgC1wQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=ukrainian+orthodox+bishop&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQDDIHCAAQgAQQGFCoDFioDGDPJ2gAcAB4AIABa4gBzgGSAQMxLjGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=tddBY4DdNveH0PEPi8Gs4AU&bih=767&biw=1440