This afternoon I was gifted a solid 10-12 lb. solid piece of obsidian, and already my mind is reeling. It is beautiful to look at, and even more astounding to feel.Now I'm wondering what the hell to do with it. Do I even mess with such a marvelous work of natural forces? My first instinct was to practice knapping and make an arrowhead or two.But now the hardest, most stupidly awesome idea my Dungeons & Dragons addled brain could come up with sprung into being; What about a set of dice?My DM is getting married in August, and I cannot think of a more fitting personalized wedding gift for him. I'll still probably need to get something else for the lovely couple to share, but this might be a start.Many problems to overcome, and I need some pointers. So here we go:Can dice be made from obsidian?Quick google check says yes. By professionals that are selling them. Cheaper that I could ever hope to.Not a good sign.Can I do this?I have never worked obsidian before, and have no stone working experience, let alone a fragile material like this.Not a good sign.Do I have the tools to do this?No, I would need to purchase everything necessary to complete this project.Not a good sign.I have little to no access to power tools, meaning everything must be done by hand.Not a good sign.Already, there are far too many red flags before I even begin. So let's dive deeper.Break the obsidian into manageable chunks and select pieces that are about the right size.How?Maybe leather and a chisel/rubber mallet?Sounds unpredictable and dangerous.Shape obsidian on a bench grinder to make facesChange the grinding wheel to ?Sounds unpredictable and dangerous.Getting exact faces is difficultSounds time consuming and disappointingHand sand to mirror finishTime. Lots of time.Paint numbers on facesI actually really like this part, sounds tough but rewardingImperfections are personalFinish it!Some type of sealer that would cover the numbersAlmost any clear sealer could do thisProtect from impact (on a cloth mat) and repeated rolling/wear.There's the kicker.I would love some pointers on this one. Even if it means pointing me to a more reasonable project.Thank you for your time! via /r/DIY https://ift.tt/2rgHZ4R
