How to Create Games Out of Recycled Goods

Preparing the Pieces

• 1

  Separate the nuts and bolts into the following piles:
  16 nuts and 4 bolts for the king and queen (You may modify this number if you wish.)
  12 nuts and 4 bolts for the bishops
  12 nuts and 4 bolts for the knights
  12 nuts and 4 bolts for the castles
  48 nuts for the pawns

• 2

  Assemble the kings and queens by putting four nuts on each bolt. Create the bishops and knights by putting three nuts on each bolt. Build the castles by putting two nuts on each bolt. For the pawns, glue three nuts together using quick bonding glue or a glue gun and allow to dry.

• 3

  Take a piece of scrap metal. Using thick gloves and safety googles, cut 16 strips 2 inches wide. Spray eight of the strips with gold spray paint, and leave the other eight silver.

• 4

  While the gold strips are drying, divide your pieces into two sets. Put one king, one queen, two bishops, two knights, two castles and eight pawns on newspaper and spray them gold. Leave the other set silver.

• 5

  When the gold strips have dried, weave the gold and silver strips together to form an 8-by-8 mat. To weave, evenly divide each color of strips into two groups. Starting with silver, lay the first group side-by-side lengthwise on a table. Alternate silver and gold until all the strips make a square. From the second group, take one strip at a time and go over and then under the first group of strips until they are all woven into the mat. Be sure to start with silver, and alternate colors.

  If you are left with sharp edges, you may want to fold them under the mat to make the edges smooth. Be uniform in folding the metal. For example, if you fold 1/8-inch back on the top, fold 1/8-inch all around the mat, to maintain the square shape. If the metal is too bulky to fold, try gluing thin strips of felt around the edges of the mat.

  Place quick bonding glue or hot glue on the back of the mat and glue it on the wood frame. Place heavy books on top of it to keep it from buckling and let it dry completely.

• 6

  Use jewlery and a hot glue gun to decorate the pieces, if you like. After the mat is dried on the wooden base, glue moulding around the square. Allow board and pieces to set overnight.