Dice!

I ordered a set of steel dice from Shapeways.

The photo isn't very good, and there is a slightly oxidized patina on the surfaces that didn't get buffed, making them look a bit muted in the photo here.

Most of the dice are surprisingly hefty, except the d4 which is much lighter than you might think looking at it. All but the d4 roll well, but d4 are usually erratic. The truncated points on it help make it roll more consistently, but its light weight makes it a wash. If it had some heft, it would probably be a superior d4 to roll. The d10 is a very solid but rather small die, and the d20 is a bit larger than expected. The truncated d4 and the d6 could have stood to be ever so slightly larger. All in all, I am very pleased with the dice... this is just me playing arm-chair designer.

I am toying with the idea of scrubbing out the oxidization from the number panels and enameling them, so it comes up just shy of flush with the raised face of the number and frame... I will probably experiment with some regular model paint first, just to see what colors I might like. No hurries, just one more thing to distract.

Pentimo Photo

Pentimoes, not rendered!

I finally took a picture of the sample cut pentimoes. My design tweaks are going to be great, and the depth of the etched pips and dividers are going to be slightly deeper too. This will allow me to fill those features with paint and hit the wood with light sandpaper to take off any over-paint, then I can stain and seal them. 

I am thinking I am going to use an espresso or ebony stain, and paint the pips with a white acrylic. The dark stain will match the burned thru-cuts on the edges.

I am going to hold out on ordering those until there is another good sale, so I expect to get them on a 'Dads and Grads' sale in a few months.