How to Make Pewter Game Pieces
Many games use small pewter miniatures or figurines to depict characters or markers on a game board. If you lose a piece and want to replace it without buying a whole new game, you can use pewter ingots to make your own. Likewise, pewter can be used to make your own game pieces for an original game design, or even to make your own personalized chess or checkers pieces. Pewter is a great option for these types of pieces, as it easy to obtain and can be melted down in your kitchen.
Things You'll Need
- Mold or soapstone and carving tools Pewter ingots Cooking pan Metal file
Instructions
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Purchase a mold in the shape of the game piece you want or make your own with aoapstone for a custom design. Get a large piece of soapstone and cut it down with a saw into a square or rectangle that is about twice as big as the game piece itself should be. Carve the design for the game piece into the interior of the soapstone.
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Break or saw off a piece of pewter from the larger ingot that is slightly larger than you think you will actually need.
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Set one of the burners on your stove to its high setting and place a pan on it. Put the pewter into the pan and wait for it to melt completely.
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Transfer the melted pewter into the mold by using a funnel or just pouring directly from the pan, if the mold is large enough.
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Place a flat object, such as a piece of metal or wood, over the mold and wait for the melted pewter to cool and harden.
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Remove the flat object from the mold and pry the pewter piece out. Finish off the game piece by filing out any extra designs or segments.
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Tips & Warnings
Remember to carve the numbers or letters backwards into the mold if the game piece is supposed to have writing on it.
Use either a deep pan or a shallow pan with a lid as the pewter may spatter when melting and cause burns or damage to your counter or stove.
Resources
- Photo Credit Midieval Dragon Shop
