I designed the chess set and drew it up on AutoCAD. I started production by lathing resin cylinders to the desired shape and adding details in super sculpey. I then molded and casted each piece, attached tops to bases, painted them and added felt to the bottoms.

My design was based on Kintsukuroi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold or silver lacquer. They treat the breakage and subsequent repair as part of the object's history, understanding that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken.

I designed the hammer, drew it up on AutoCAD, laser cut it and glued the layers together. I built up the hammer head using Isopon P38, sanded, painted and then finished it off with a decorative tassel.

The prop is based on the Uchide-no-Kozuchi, a "magic hammer" from Japanese legend. It's said that the hammer can "tap out" anything that's wished for.