Golden Chessboard Using Glue

Remember when my Mother-in-law gave me an onyx chess board that she got on a vacation years back? And then I tripped carrying it into my house, and shattered the board. I felt so awful! I made sure I gathered up all the pieces in hopes I could fix it with glue.

This week, I was able to piece it back together and thought, instead of hiding the cracks, I would take inspiration from the Japanese art of Kintsugi. The idea is to repair broken pottery by mending it with gold to highlight the cracks and the breaks. Instead of hiding them, it celebrates the imperfections, and tells the story of its history. I thought this would be a lovely way to turn an accident into something beautiful.

First, I made sure all the pieces would still fit together. And then I knew I needed something strong to hold together the heavy onyx. I used Krazy Glue Max Bond Superglue, and was amazed at how strong the bond was just after a few minutes.

Glue + Supplies:

Krazy Glue Max Bond Superglue
Gold Paint Sharpie
Cardboard

Step-by-step:

First, put your broken chessboard back together.

Then, use the Krazy Glue Max Bond Superglue to attach the sides of the pieces together.

After it’s whole, fill in the cracks using the fine tip of the applicator.

Tip: Put the board on top of cardboard so you don’t accidentally stick it to the floor!

Let the super glue dry.

After it is dry, trace the cracks with a gold paint sharpie.

Using gold paint pen to add detail to glued chess board.

Let dry.

Beautiful repaired chess board with gold accents.

Display and celebrate the addition of a new story to an old chessboard. Interested in more crafting with glue? Follow this DIY frame project I made for the Barnhouse, click here.

This post was made in collaboration with Krazy Glue.