adhesive question

[Tony MartyrParticipant @tonymartyr14488]

I am making a set of chess pieces, all have brass turned bases onto which I need to glue a disk of green baize material so there is no scratching of the board surface.

I need an adhesive that doesn’t soak into the material and harden the bottom surface or change its colour but that bonds onto a turned brass surface.

What would you recommend?

Tony

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

Might be worth trying one of the self adhesive felt baize materials that are available just google , loads of suppliers. Some are thicker / better than others. Or failing that one of the spray can contact adhesives.

John

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

I would use a double-sided tape, Tony

MichaelG.

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

Journeyman John beat me to it!  Another approach might be the aerosol spray adhesives used by upholsterers. I imagine that would adhere without soaking the base material, but maybe will require a certain amount of experimentation.

John

 

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I’ve used the self adhesive baize a number of times and would suggest that as John has.

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Spray adhesive would not soak the baize, but it is intended to fix large areas so the spray pattern is large and cobweb like. Great for reattaching the 70/80s Range Rover head lining that falls on you. Not so for small items.

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Another vote for self adhesive baize.  But beware!  I bought some recently that was very fibrous, very sticky, and ridiculously difficult to cut cleanly.  I would maybe suggest requesting a sample before you buy.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

I had presumed that Tony would be using a better quality of Baize than the ready-mades.

MichaelG.

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

There’s  a good selection of suitable materials at Hobbycraft.

Rod

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Hobbycraft is a good suggestion.  At least you can see what you’re buying.

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

I use the adhesive backed baize with great effect. It can be brought in various colour. With this job I used a very fine sand paper along the edges sanding outward to produce a clean edge.

If you go for the spray type adhesives, make sure which you are buying. Some are semi-permanent, like the ones used by those that frame photographs.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Spray pattern need not be a problem. Cut a hole in a bit of thing card as a mask, hold over end of chess piece and spray then simply stand stick bottom on you circle of baize and push down.

I actually ptefer the shorter “pile” of the adhesive backed to the fabric which can be a bit thick at times but does have a bigger choice of colours. Black stickbacked on the bottom of this draw, stick to bottom before assembling in the draw then it’s easy to trim.

[OldironParticipant @oldiron]

I used Prittstik to line a small wooden box with some baize about 5 years ago. Still stuck well to this day. Might be an idea for small pieces such as the bottom of chessmen.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Epoxy will work well, if you roughen the bases, use slow set epoxy and warm the chess pieces, you can paint on a thin layer.

Neil

[Tony MartyrParticipant @tonymartyr14488]

Thank you all for your suggestions and experiences. I was unaware of self adhesive green baize and concerned that the material I have is quite thick high quality stuff that might make the smaller pieces unstable. Cutting the circles out with cheap circle cutters has been a bit of a pain. So I tried double sided tape but that increased the thickness too much, so araldite is being tried tomorrow. A thin cheap self adhesive material might be good provided it stays in position so I will trial that too.

incidentally all the chess pieces, made with bits of old model engines or fitting were straightforward designs except for the knights which are the old asymmetrical pieces and have been a challenge. I will post a photo when all is complete and my grandson has beaten me in the first game.

[Tony Martyr]

On Tony Martyr Said:

… I tried double sided tape but that increased the thickness too much …

I hope you weren’t using the foam-cored product, Tony

… What I had in mind is only a very thin film: tricky to measure, but I would guess it’s typically less than 50 microns

Good luck … whatever works best for you

Sounds like a good project !

MichaelG.

[Kiwi BlokeParticipant @kiwibloke62605]

Late to the party (as so often…)

Holts Gasket Cement is excellent for this type of application. It seems to be a very thick shellac, so you could make your own (shellac is so useful in the workshop – all sorts of applications). My little pot carries an Auckland address – I don’t know if it’s available in the civilised world. (When set, it resists oil and petrol – so important for chess pieces…)

[Tony MartyrParticipant @tonymartyr14488]

These are the unfinished white pieces. The bishops and rooks are made from parts of a Mastif 4 cylinder engine I built many years ago that was a real pain to set up and run and would have been thrown out when I go – the family might actually keep a chess set!

[Tony Martyr]

On Tony Martyr Said:

These are the unfinished white pieces. The bishops and rooks are made from parts of a Mastif 4 cylinder engine I built many years ago that was a real pain to set up and run and would have been thrown out when I go – the family might actually keep a chess set!

That is a really nice set. Great thinking outside the box. Well done

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

Carpet double sided tape is thin and made for sticking things like felt to smooth surfaces, the only downside is that a roll would last for a thousand chess sets.

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

Copydex could be another alternative. I glued some engravings I did on stainless steel 30+ years ago onto velvet covered board, framed as pictures and they are still happily hanging on the wall.

pgk

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