How to Sculpt Stone Into Chess Pieces

A homemade chess set could become a family heirloom.

Chess is an ancient game of strategy played by two opponents who maneuver pieces in a variety of ways on a checkered board in order to conquer one another and force submission. The player's pieces are traditionally either black or white, and traditionally resemble the members and features of a royal court: the king, the queen, the bishop and the castle. When making your own chess pieces you have the freedom to stick with tradition or fashion your own original chess armies for battle with each other.

Things You'll Need

• 32 appropriately sized pieces of marble
• Pencil
• Rock hammer
• Chisel
• Fine claw chisel
• Miniature rasp
• 4 bits of sandpaper of descending grading
• Images of traditional chess pieces or designs of new pieces

Instructions

1. Draw a rough image of how you imagine your first finished piece to look on a single piece of marble. Marble is a soft stone, easy to carve and relatively shatterproof. Draw the side of the piece on the side of the stone, the front of the piece on the face of the stone and the back on the back of the stone.

2. Use the rock hammer and chisel to knock off the excess stone around your design. This will reveal the general shape of the piece before more detailed sculpting takes place. Remember, the king and queen must be taller than the other pieces, and the pawns should be the shortest.

3. Refine the piece with the fine claw chisel and miniature rasp. Use the claw chisel to carve out the exact contours of your piece so you are left with a slightly rough-edged, but accurate, version. Use the miniature rasp to add details like the queen's royal crown or the knight's ruffled mane.

4. Sand the piece down so it is smooth and pleasing to look at and touch. Take the roughest sandpaper and give the piece a good sanding. Then, take the next finest grit of sandpaper and sand. Then, the next finest, then the next finest. Each grade of grit wipes out the scratches left behind by the previous sanding, leaving you with a high-quality finish.

5. Wash the pieces to get rid of dust and grit that may be stuck to them from the sculpting and sanding process. Finish off any details with the miniature rasp, and keep sanding and washing until you are sure that your chess pieces are perfect.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear gloves and safety goggles to guard against flying chips of stone that could potentially damage your eyes, and sharp jagged pieces that could cut your hands.

References

• The Best Artists: How To Carve a Figure in Marble