I made a slightly classier version of my travel set

[u/GingerAki]

I know it looks like two different shades of red but it’s actually too thin layer thickness of the stripe on the board.

That said, I do think I should have gone with a darker shade of red in the first place.

PLA print on a Prusa MK3s. 122 neodymium magnets.

[u/RimmingABubble]

Cool set and cool pics

[u/GingerAki → u/RimmingABubble]

Thanks. I wanted to get some close up shots of the pieces too but I left my macro lens at home.

The pieces aren’t quite as polished as I’d like them to be yet so it’s probably for the best.

[u/Brilliant_Fold_2272]

Very nice

[u/GingerAki → u/Brilliant_Fold_2272]

Cheers. I’m very happy with how the pieces have come out.

I know they seem a little crowded on the board but it’s a travel set so I’m not too worried. I think the pieces need to feel good to hold more than they need to look correct.

[u/Brilliant_Fold_2272 → u/GingerAki]

You using Felt on the button of each piece?

[u/GingerAki → u/Brilliant_Fold_2272]

At the moment it’s just straight PLA on PLA. They slide nicely but make a harsh click on contact. I’m not a big fan. I’m thinking I might try printing something PETG on the very bottom of each piece to see if that helps.

I’n theory there’s no need to ever worry about the colour fading or getting rubbed off on either the pieces or the board, so I’m just going to concentrate on getting the feel/sound feedback right.

[u/Brilliant_Fold_2272 → u/GingerAki]

Good to hear. Always something to improve

[u/ManutesBowl]

very cool!

[u/GingerAki → u/ManutesBowl]

I’ve got a few other slightly different versions in different colours but no decent photos as I only had the one with me.

Carrying more than one travel chess set in this day and age seems a bit excessive.

[u/DarthPapercut]

Very nice. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish the bishop from the pawn in small travel sets. I like the look of this. Are you selling the design somewhere?

[u/GingerAki → u/DarthPapercut]

Yes! This was one of my little gripes with travel sets. Things like mismatched pieces and half-assed horses.

I’ve tried to fix every problem I could think of with this set and I don’t think it has come out too badly.

I’m not sure with regards to selling it yet, I’ve been toying with the idea of a kickstarter. So maybe I could offer the models in one of the lower tiers. I don’t know, I’ll have to look into it.

[u/Mmusic91]

Well done, OP - I'm a sucker for the red/white combo.

How much was it to make?

[u/GingerAki → u/Mmusic91]

There’s something timeless about the red and white isn’t there?

I’m not sure how much it cost as I haven’t stopped to work it out. The PLA probably didn’t break the bank but 120 odd N52 magnets don’t come cheap in this economy.

That and it took bloody ages to print at 0.1mm on my little MK3s, probably at least a day all-in.

[u/leighonsea72]

The pieces are far too big for the board, kings base (let alone pawn) should only be just over 70% of the square

It looks like 90-95 on the board

[u/GingerAki → u/leighonsea72]

Good eye. The pawns come in at 13.7 mm (68.5%), while the majors are 16.3 mm (81.5%). So the pawns sit within spec, but the larger pieces are technically over.

That said, and you’ll have to take my word, it works. The pieces are taller than on a standard travel set, so I had to scale the bases up too.

With magnets in both the board and pieces, everything snaps into place and self-centres, which make the tighter proportions feel clean and functional.

Or at least I think so.