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Fossil Chess Set


Bev

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Hi All,

I am considering "building" a fossil chess set - the pieces being fossils I have collected.

For me, the challenge is coming up with small enough pieces and then mounting them on something suitable for playing pieces.

I'm been thinking... Maybe...

Prasopora bryozoans for pawns

Perhaps Hormatomas for queens

Trilobites for kings

Maclurites for knights

Cephalopods for rooks

Perhaps a branching bryozoan for bishops

Other fossils I have available are small brachs and hash plates of all kinds. My recepts tend to be larger pieces. And I do have columns of Silurian crinoids, but I'd kind of like to keep this to fossils I personally have found. Although, I do love blastoids! Maybe I'm being too purist?

These would be just "junk" fossils, but still nice.

I've been considering wooden blocks, but would prefer rock. I don't have a rock saw, so something readily available and inexpensive would be good. And then, how to attach them??? Expoxy? But that seems so irriversible.

Has anyone done this before?

Suggestions?

Ideas?

Am I totally crazy?

Bev :)

The more I learn, I realize the less I know.

:wacko:
 
 

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...Am I totally crazy?

Everyone here knows that this is totally beside the point :P

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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You have quite the imagination when it comes to fossils. Jewelry, chess sets, etc. What next?

SWard
Southeast Missouri

(formerly Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX)

USA

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Bev, You should check out the "tile" section of your local hardware store. They make 1" x1" tiles that are held together with mesh you could just cut them apart for bases. You might want to consider tile adhesive, or some type of grout to attach them as well. It will give more of a "rock" appearance than glue.

Ramo

For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun.
-Aldo Leopold
 

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Yes, you're completely bonkers Bev... and it's a great idea. :D

Crinoid calyxes would make lovely Queens. How about Pleistocene horse molar knights? Orthocone nautilod rooks? Belemnite pawns?

Roger

I keep six honest serving-men (they taught me all I knew);Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who [Rudyard Kipling]

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You guys are soooo creative!

Ramo LOVE the concept of tile. I even have a tile cutter!

Painshill, AWESOME ideas! The horse molars would be so cool! But I don't think we have them around here. That is where I might be too much of a purist. And crinoid calynes - don't I wish! :)

Bev :-D

The more I learn, I realize the less I know.

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A fossil chess set is a pretty creative idea. Reminds me of those mammoth ivory chess pieces.

I would reccommend using vertebrate fossils for the kings and queens. If you don't have access to those, I guess you could use trilobites or cephalopods for that.

You probably don't have access to it, but it might also be a fun idea to contact a Moroccan fossil dealer and see if he can make a chess board out of polished orthoceras.

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These trilobite pieces are from the fossilmall.com website:

post-6208-0-52075900-1383520816_thumb.jpg

post-6208-0-87224800-1383520831_thumb.jpg

Roger

I keep six honest serving-men (they taught me all I knew);Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who [Rudyard Kipling]

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Very Cool, Painshill! THANK YOU! :-D

Out of my price range, but truly inspirational!

The more I learn, I realize the less I know.

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A fossil chess set is certainly an ambitious project! You might also consider a set of Elrathia checkers as they are very abundant cheap trilobites typically free from matrix. It should be fairly easy to get a bunch of loose Elrathia that are uniform in size to make a nice set. Another big plus is all the younger kids will enjoy a fun game of checkers a lot more than chess.

I want one too! :envy:

post-4301-0-10830300-1383532536_thumb.jpg

image.png.a84de26dad44fb03836a743755df237c.png

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post-9628-0-15264100-1383600401_thumb.jpg

I absolutely loved the idea of making the board and mounting the fossils on tiles.

So here is what I have chosen for the project. For the board I chose a very rough "rocky" tile in 2x2 squares already of alternating colors! <$7 per 12x12 square - I needed two squares, just hope my math is right!

The "pebble" mat I will cut apart and use as the bases, seems pretty natural and again color coded. I can add matrix if needed. <$10 for the single mat.

The glass rectangular tile I'm thinking of for the sides, but I don't know yet. They were on clearance at $2.29 for the pack so it wouldn't be a great loss if I decided not to use them. :)

I have leftover 3/4 inch plywood to create the board to put the tile on to. It may turn into a table! I'm getting pretty excited about this!

This is an over the winter project, so I will just keep you updated.

And any more ideas are WELCOME! Perhaps I will even make different chess pieces over time as I collect and opportunity presents itself. Like, I like the horse molar idea for knights. And maybe I could get my hands on some belemites. And those inexpensive trilos for a checker board sounds great!

Bev :)

F

The more I learn, I realize the less I know.

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Cool idea, but the real challenge would be to choose fossils so both players can easily tell the pieces apart once they are spread out all over the board. We played chess on the whiteboard at work (no games allowed.... um.... :) ), but even then, it was a challenge to come up with adequate symbols, especially with white vs. black.

Short crinoid column segments could work for pawns, but I'm struggling to think of any of the rest. :)

Context is critical.

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I'm pretty exclusively Ordovician. I LOVE horn corals, but don't seem to find many.

By going with 2x2 inch tiles I have more options.

I can see that this is going to be a very organic build. I'm now thinking of buying a used table to tile so there is an area below for storage of the pieces. And even the pieces may change over time. And this evening I was thinking about composites of say bryozoans as pawns instead of just a single, that would be another way I could really differentiate the pieces.

What a fun challenge though!

Bev :)

The more I learn, I realize the less I know.

:wacko:
 
 

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So, I've been researching chess boards and playing pieces.

64 squares - let's not go into the squares within squares...

16 pieces per side = 32 playing pieces.

And then I hit upon the outdoor chess sets. I've always wanted one, but being on the edge of the prairie those plastic pieces would be down in the creek within a week.

But, just imagine those junk fossils being displayed, and used, on an outdoor chessboard, or checker board!

64 landscape blocks (32 of each color) in whatever size would fit your fossils. Most of the landscape block I see that I would be willing to handle are under $1 a block. And the fossils are a byproduct of fossil hunting.

Ah, a next summer project for sure!

Bev :-D

The more I learn, I realize the less I know.

:wacko:
 
 

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  • 5 months later...

So I thought I would update you on how my chess board is progressing. I'm still not happy yet and looking for suggestions. I took Painshill's idea of the trilobites and attempted to replicate it in a manner that was affordable for me.

post-9628-0-87591600-1397057212_thumb.jpg

So here is an overview of the chess set still on my work table.

post-9628-0-93441500-1397057259_thumb.jpg

When I went to MAPS, I wanted crinoids for queens but just couldn't afford the large ones so I settled for a model and then molded with Amazing Putty and a plaster of Paris mix with mortar. There are small crinoids on the backs of the queens, but I just can't get my camera to take a real good closeup for some reason. I used a piece of petrified wood as the model for the base of the trilobites. And no, I'm still not happy with the colors.

post-9628-0-24356000-1397057473_thumb.jpg

Kings

post-9628-0-44431700-1397057492_thumb.jpg

Fossilized horse molars for knights and Archimedes screws for bishops. Not thrilled with the bases, but everything I've done is reversible. I noticed that the angle of the camera makes everything look skewed - don't know what that is about...

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

I will probably build more pieces as I acquire more fossils and become inspired. I would like a straight Ordovician set of playing pieces. But I'm obviously struggling with enough nice pieces to do a decent build. Perhaps this summer I will be able to collect enough quality, uniform pieces to do it.

The more I learn, I realize the less I know.

:wacko:
 
 

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Have you ever worked with Super Sculpey? You can sculpt a desired base with it, bake it, paint or apply a wash, then glue your fossils into it. I love the stuff!

Just food for thought.

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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Have you ever worked with Super Sculpty? You can sculpt a desired base with it, bake it, paint or apply a wash, then glue your fossils into it. I love the stuff!

Just food for thought.

Hmmmm, I haven't heard of that product. I'm not sure if I want to bake it as I would like to set the fossils in it, but like you said I could just glue them in.

After re-reading this post I'm thinking of the grout idea that Ramo suggested.

The more I learn, I realize the less I know.

:wacko:
 
 

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Im not sure of your skill level, but you can put as much detail or texture you want with Super Sculpey, it just takes time.

Here's a quick example of a piece im working on. It's about the size of a fist.

post-14584-0-55115500-1397063332_thumb.jpg

But your chess set is turning out great so far! Im sure you'll do a good job with whatever you do.

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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THAT is Incredible! What is it supposed to be?

My skill level is an infant's compared to that!

The more I learn, I realize the less I know.

:wacko:
 
 

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THAT is Incredible! What is it supposed to be?

My skill level is an infant's compared to that!

Thank you. It's just a random monster that evolves as i go.

It's very easy to work with. It's not too hard or soft. And you can make molds with it for a texturing tool if you want that gritty sandstone look.

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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