I make my own chess pieces on my lathe. I use self-adhering felt and cut out the appropriate sizes on my laser cutter then apply them to the pieces. Works great. Thanks for the video.
Your video is very helpful. I am currently refelting a set. It’s your typical triple weight plastic tournament set. I got it on sale because it had loose weights. Well the rattling started to annoy me very quickly. It’s my mostly used set for analyzing and taking it everywhere. I chose some burgundy felt from Jo Ann Fabrics. It was a remnant and a steal at $4.00 for a 36” x 50”-ish piece. I work at an industrial sign shop and mated (pun intended) the felt with a 3M adhesive film. After regluing the loose weights ( I recommend 2-part epoxy) the felt was attached and trimmed with small sharp scissors. It’s gonna look great and is a cushier improvement from the standard felt. I made it “my own” with my preferred color choices. Thanks for the great video!
That's great! Loose weights would definitely annoy me too. I use two part epoxy to glue in some weight myself, I feel it would give a stronger and more lasting hold. Burgundy felt sounds really nice, I think you chose well with that. Now you have a great reflected set you are happy to play with. I am glad this video was somewhat useful to you! Thanks for watching!
I think most of the high-end sets use "billiard cloth" which is just the cloth felt fabric used to cover billiard tables. It's higher quality and more durable than just plain "craft" felt. Billiard cloth is at least $70 USD for a piece big enough to cover a billiard table, which is plenty for a bunch of chess sets. The problem is cutting out perfect circles from it. I don't like the method of gluing the pieces to the felt first and cutting to fit after the glue dries because I think that risks damaging the bottom edges of the pieces, particularly if they're made of wood. There are general use die cut craft machines that you can buy for other felt crafts that would work, but they're not that cheap. - EDIT: ok, I wrote the above before I finished the video, and now that I see the adjustable circle cutting blade device you used, I see that it works pretty darn well! I'll have to get me one of those.
Hey Everyone, thanks for watching and commenting, as always I am happy to see people with similar interests coming together to join me on this channel. One thing I wanted to mention is that for some reason the comments posted here, I used to be notified about every comment so I could read and respond to them in a timely manner but for a couple of weeks now I am not getting any indication that anyone is commenting, seems to be some kind of youtube change maybe, so a bit frustrating since I missed some great questions a couple of weeks back that I wish I could have answered then. Either way, thanks for watching!
I just got into chess and into buying chess pieces. Very helpful video, clear, honest and also I like the way you way off things and explain in an effective way. Thank you!
Nice video as usual. Try laying a sheet of felt on a piece of cardboard, then spray the felt with 3M Super 77 spray adhesive. Then put several chess pieces on the sprayed sheet of felt. After that, cut the pieces out in squares, bigger than the chess piece, and trim the edges around the chess piece with scissors.
I feel that the felt should match the colour of the pieces. So a dark red piece would have a dark red felt, white/beige piece would have a beige felt (not white, since that would show dirt too well), brown pieces would have brown felt and black pieces would have black felt etc.
I just glue the bottoms, place the pieces on a mat of felt. Later, when the glue has dried, I cut the felt to roughly separate each piece and finally I refine each piece by trimming the excess.
the easiest way i've found to re-felt my own pieces is you can buy big sheets of A4 felt or similar size. with regards to glue, i use a glue stick called super sticky or extra strong Pritt Stick this is basicly a glue like substance but not watery so will not leak through the felt. with regard to the process i use, i first remove the old felt with a stanley blade, then i scrape off any excess felt or glue on the piece, after that, i then apply my glue directly to the edges of the piece but not the inner part where weights would go. i then sit the piece on the large sheet of felt making sure the is a good 1/4 - 1/2 inches space around the base of the piece. apply a little bit of pressure, wait for the glue to set firmly. i then cut out a square around the base of the piece to those measurements, i then use a very sharp pair of scissors to cut off the excess felt and then use the scissors gently to shave any further off excess felt, i can usually do a complete set in around 3-4 hrs
Felt is fibrous, not unlike plywood. Any blade cutting will dull faster. I would never send pieces in . You could just as easily build a compass like this using a real box knife blade (designed to cut fibrous material) for around the same money. If a friend has a 3D printer, they could probably design one. Goodness knows that there's hundreds of 3D Chess Sets out there for free. Someone could probably make a circle cutter (assuming someone hasn't already).
Quick question: which chess set is better for blitz and rapid games? "The Queen's Gambit" Inspired Chess Set, Box, & Board Combination or The Club Series Chess Set, Box, & Board Combination or The Library Grandmaster Chess Set, Box & Board Combination or The Championship Series Chess Set, Box, & Board Combination or The Grandmaster Chess Set, Box, & Board Combination?
That's a good question, I haven't personally had the experience of reviewing the Club or the Championship set as of yet, all I can say on the matter is that you need a set that will have a broad stable base for quick play, pieces probably shouldn't be too small, as you would need something that will be easy to grab, smaller sets, in my opinion are not as ideal as larger sets. I wouldn't look for anything too elaborate for blitz and rapid.
thankyou really much for the response! :) I think that "the queens gambit" inspired it's the best for bliz and rapid for the comfortability of the pieces and the perfect weight and size (all learned from your video) , thankyou:)
Hi. I'm looking on buying a beautiful wooden chess set around £300. The only bottom available is felt and i am looking on replacing them with faux leather, as you can't see it as much, and i like the clack on movement of the pieces, which i prefer. Previously before seeing these vids my idea was to soak my pieces in literally 2-3 mm of soapy water to help with the removal of the felt, before basing them with the leather. Do you think this would work or would it ruin the pieces or the weights in the piece? What's your opinion please.
at the beginning of this video you show a bag and a mouse pad board from a set you showed in a previous video does that video have a link to purchase that set and do you have a link to the previous video please? ❤
Another good video, but again I would encourage you to tighten up the video's so they're a little less long. For example you spend about 6 minutes on the pink cutters, really you just needed maybe 2 minutes max to show the sizes, 1 poor cut and move on. I wind up fast forwarding quite a bit. Also if you're looking to monetize, perhaps put affiliate links to the products your reviewing in the description.
I make my own chess pieces on my lathe. I use self-adhering felt and cut out the appropriate sizes on my laser cutter then apply them to the pieces. Works great. Thanks for the video.
Wow, good for you, that's better than approximating like I do, I am sure your sets come out great!
@@AlSuChessI cast loads of chess sets in moulds I sand the bases down sit the pieces on felt draw around them cut it out then stick it on the piece
@@AlSuChess Where did you get the green board? Is it possible to find a blue one?
Your video is very helpful. I am currently refelting a set. It’s your typical triple weight plastic tournament set. I got it on sale because it had loose weights. Well the rattling started to annoy me very quickly. It’s my mostly used set for analyzing and taking it everywhere. I chose some burgundy felt from Jo Ann Fabrics. It was a remnant and a steal at $4.00 for a 36” x 50”-ish piece. I work at an industrial sign shop and mated (pun intended) the felt with a 3M adhesive film. After regluing the loose weights ( I recommend 2-part epoxy) the felt was attached and trimmed with small sharp scissors. It’s gonna look great and is a cushier improvement from the standard felt. I made it “my own” with my preferred color choices. Thanks for the great video!
That's great! Loose weights would definitely annoy me too. I use two part epoxy to glue in some weight myself, I feel it would give a stronger and more lasting hold. Burgundy felt sounds really nice, I think you chose well with that. Now you have a great reflected set you are happy to play with. I am glad this video was somewhat useful to you! Thanks for watching!
I think most of the high-end sets use "billiard cloth" which is just the cloth felt fabric used to cover billiard tables. It's higher quality and more durable than just plain "craft" felt. Billiard cloth is at least $70 USD for a piece big enough to cover a billiard table, which is plenty for a bunch of chess sets. The problem is cutting out perfect circles from it. I don't like the method of gluing the pieces to the felt first and cutting to fit after the glue dries because I think that risks damaging the bottom edges of the pieces, particularly if they're made of wood. There are general use die cut craft machines that you can buy for other felt crafts that would work, but they're not that cheap.
-
EDIT: ok, I wrote the above before I finished the video, and now that I see the adjustable circle cutting blade device you used, I see that it works pretty darn well! I'll have to get me one of those.
Yeah, I like that circular cutter, I just think the blade tends to dull rather quickly, that's the only downside to it! Thanks for watching! Cheers!
Hey Everyone, thanks for watching and commenting, as always I am happy to see people with similar interests coming together to join me on this channel. One thing I wanted to mention is that for some reason the comments posted here, I used to be notified about every comment so I could read and respond to them in a timely manner but for a couple of weeks now I am not getting any indication that anyone is commenting, seems to be some kind of youtube change maybe, so a bit frustrating since I missed some great questions a couple of weeks back that I wish I could have answered then. Either way, thanks for watching!
I just got into chess and into buying chess pieces. Very helpful video, clear, honest and also I like the way you way off things and explain in an effective way. Thank you!
Nice video as usual. Try laying a sheet of felt on a piece of cardboard, then spray the felt with 3M Super 77 spray adhesive. Then put several chess pieces on the sprayed sheet of felt. After that, cut the pieces out in squares, bigger than the chess piece, and trim the edges around the chess piece with scissors.
Probably an easier approach all around!
I feel that the felt should match the colour of the pieces. So a dark red piece would have a dark red felt, white/beige piece would have a beige felt (not white, since that would show dirt too well), brown pieces would have brown felt and black pieces would have black felt etc.
I just glue the bottoms, place the pieces on a mat of felt. Later, when the glue has dried, I cut the felt to roughly separate each piece and finally I refine each piece by trimming the excess.
Yeah that seems pretty straight forward, and easier than my approach! Does It come out well in the end?
@@AlSuChess Yes! You only have to be careful not to damage the piece with the scissors when trimming it.
That's what I do
This channel deserves more subscribers 🎉I subscribed
Thanks a bunch!!
the easiest way i've found to re-felt my own pieces is you can buy big sheets of A4 felt or similar size. with regards to glue, i use a glue stick called super sticky or extra strong Pritt Stick this is basicly a glue like substance but not watery so will not leak through the felt. with regard to the process i use, i first remove the old felt with a stanley blade, then i scrape off any excess felt or glue on the piece, after that, i then apply my glue directly to the edges of the piece but not the inner part where weights would go. i then sit the piece on the large sheet of felt making sure the is a good 1/4 - 1/2 inches space around the base of the piece. apply a little bit of pressure, wait for the glue to set firmly. i then cut out a square around the base of the piece to those measurements, i then use a very sharp pair of scissors to cut off the excess felt and then use the scissors gently to shave any further off excess felt, i can usually do a complete set in around 3-4 hrs
Felt is fibrous, not unlike plywood. Any blade cutting will dull faster. I would never send pieces in . You could just as easily build a compass like this using a real box knife blade (designed to cut fibrous material) for around the same money. If a friend has a 3D printer, they could probably design one. Goodness knows that there's hundreds of 3D Chess Sets out there for free. Someone could probably make a circle cutter (assuming someone hasn't already).
Quick question: which chess set is better for blitz and rapid games?
"The Queen's Gambit" Inspired Chess Set, Box, & Board Combination or
The Club Series Chess Set, Box, & Board Combination or
The Library Grandmaster Chess Set, Box & Board Combination or
The Championship Series Chess Set, Box, & Board Combination or
The Grandmaster Chess Set, Box, & Board Combination?
That's a good question, I haven't personally had the experience of reviewing the Club or the Championship set as of yet, all I can say on the matter is that you need a set that will have a broad stable base for quick play, pieces probably shouldn't be too small, as you would need something that will be easy to grab, smaller sets, in my opinion are not as ideal as larger sets. I wouldn't look for anything too elaborate for blitz and rapid.
thankyou really much for the response! :)
I think that "the queens gambit" inspired it's the best for bliz and rapid for the comfortability of the pieces and the perfect weight and size (all learned from your video) , thankyou:)
Hi. I'm looking on buying a beautiful wooden chess set around £300. The only bottom available is felt and i am looking on replacing them with faux leather, as you can't see it as much, and i like the clack on movement of the pieces, which i prefer. Previously before seeing these vids my idea was to soak my pieces in literally 2-3 mm of soapy water to help with the removal of the felt, before basing them with the leather. Do you think this would work or would it ruin the pieces or the weights in the piece? What's your opinion please.
Great Video My Chess Friend!
Where you get green soft chess felted pads. What is your ranking Sir.
Hi Love your stuff. I added "Fender Washers" from the hardware store to the bottom to weight then felted. Just an idea for your group. Thanks again.
I used brown felt for my plastic set and have them colored with Lakers colorway,,its nice to the eyes🤩🤩
Yeah I agree, brown does look very pleasant!
at the beginning of this video you show a bag and a mouse pad board from a set you showed in a previous video does that video have a link to purchase that set and do you have a link to the previous video please? ❤
easier way glue the pieces on the felt then you can cut with the cutter "not the one you used"
I'll go ahead and try that method too, thanks for the advice!
Which type of fabric u use plz tell me I want to buy for my chess pieces
Another good video, but again I would encourage you to tighten up the video's so they're a little less long. For example you spend about 6 minutes on the pink cutters, really you just needed maybe 2 minutes max to show the sizes, 1 poor cut and move on. I wind up fast forwarding quite a bit. Also if you're looking to monetize, perhaps put affiliate links to the products your reviewing in the description.
Definitely great advice on all points my friend! I'll take it into account as I make and edit more content!
Use the micrometer on the inner circle (since some pieces have an inner ridge).
32 minutes dude you’re killing me. Great video. 10 min would have done the trick buddy
Lol, yeah probably! Thanks for watching either way!
Can you make a Video Where you show your whole colletion? 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Yeah! for sure, I wan't to get a whole batch of brown felt and then refelt it first.
Love your videos! Can you add the direct links to your products too?
Thanks a lot! For sure, I usually try to!
You should do some carmatta collection pre Staunton reviews if you ever decide to get the, from house of Staunton
Yeah I would love that, I'll see what I am able to come across!
Brown felt are 😍😍😍
Yeah Brown felt, especially dark brown, would be nice for any set in my opinion!
Where u buy this fleting?
Maybe one of those handheld electric can openers. LOL!
As much as i love this game ,i wish i was good at it.
I think we could all wish we were better at this game!
Billiard cloth is not that good for felting,
:-)
These are useless. You just wood glue the bottom of the piece onto the felt you want. Once dried. Trim around with sharp scissors.
Yeah I agree, seems like a lot of people are doing your approach, just have to be careful not to scratch the pieces while trimming.
👍🏽👍🏽