Good report and thank you.
Warped Vinyl Board
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Thank you, qixel!
You should post that review at Amazon where you bought it. Thanks, good job.
Jul 16, 2012
0
#46
Just lay the vinyl board on the hood of your car on a hot, sunny day. You don't need to lay anything on the edges or corners, as Bronco70 suggested (See #10 and #17). After a while, it will be as flat as it was when it was new. It does no harm to the board and works perfectly.
Jul 16, 2012
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#47
The best way to store a vinyl chess board is to roll it up with the squares on the outside and put it in a mailing tube. I tried wrapping them around a PCV pipe. The mailing tube is much better--more convenient and better protection. If the tube is a little too long, just cut it down to the right length with a saw.
Jul 16, 2012
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#48
I've been storing rollup boards forever inside of a PVC pipe, squares on the outside as Sooner mentioned, with a permanent cap on one end. The pipe is also handy as an unconcealed weapon although I've never had the opportunity (thank goodness) to use it that way. PVC pipes are much more durable than any cardboard mailing tube, even the thick cardboard tubes will eventually get "dog-eared" or start to fray at the edges.
Jul 16, 2012
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#49
I keep the mailing tube inside my chess bag. I've never had any problem of any kind with them. The extra strength of the PVC pipe is much more than is needed when you store the mailing tube in the chess bag.
Jul 16, 2012
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#50
@sooner laying something on corners was to keep wind from flipping it.
@nimzo PVC like you say works great especially when stored in a cramped desk or tool box at work
My analysis chess set (12" board and matching size pieces) came in the mail today, and... the vinyl board was packaged folded up, creased pretty badly. Many of the pieces along the middle of the board won't actually stay standing (they're light plastic, though). I'll try the iron thing, and hopefully that'll fix it.
Jul 18, 2012
0
#52
e4e5d4 wrote:
My analysis chess set (12" board and matching size pieces) came in the mail today, and... the vinyl board was packaged folded up, creased pretty badly. Many of the pieces along the middle of the board won't actually stay standing (they're light plastic, though). I'll try the iron thing, and hopefully that'll fix it.
Yes, but be careful.
This will probably never be seen but I found a perfect solution that is extremely easy.
Roll up your mat to the size of a blow dryer and place the blow dryer at the end so that it is shooting hot air through it. It will get very hot (but not so hot that it melts it) and all the wrinkles and kinks will go away.
I did it to both ends of the mat, then rolled it the other direction (90 degrees) and did both ends. This way it was evenly heated but this was probably overkill.
Mar 29, 2018
0
#54
Roll it up squares side out over a piece of 2” pvc pipe. Always store it like that and no problems ever.
I have many roll up viny boards and have never had a problem with warping, wrinkling etc.....because I...
1. Store the boards rolled up in a cardboard mailing tube.
https://www.amazon.com/Duck-Twist-n-Pull-Tamper-Evident-Mailing-1343421/dp/B00383QJP6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1522385335&sr=8-4&keywords=mailing+tubes+2x24
2. This is vital - when storing in the tube, roll the board with the playing side outward. When the board is unrolled for playing it will lay perfectly flat...
Of course, I do this right from the beginning when the board is brand-new, so it never experiences warping/wrinkling forces to begin with.
In the case where a board may not have been stored this way, and which has been subjected to warping/wrinkling forces over prolonged periods, such that the tube storage procedure is not able to easily remedy the problems, then you might try the trick in post #53 of warming the board with a hair dryer prior to storing in the tube - I haven't tried this, but it may work.
Jan 7, 2019
0
#57
Hey all. I have a silicone board which has developed a crease and will not lie flat. Any suggestions on how i can safely remove the crease?
Bronco wrote:
You could try a silicone board. It always lays flat but it's more expensive and it feels slightly tacky(which may be something you might not like). I have seen them at the local chess store but I don't really like the tacky feel.
http://www.wholesalechess.com/chess/chess_boards/unique_chess_boards/silicone_chess_board
After awhile, they also develop the wavy bumps. Plus they attract lots of dust and can rip out your board-holding elastic bands from your chess bag when you pull them out (because they have much more grip on them).
Having used many of both versions, I've concluded that vinyl is much better than silicone boards.
to the people that said just buy a new one.. maybe people like me got their boards back in the 70s 80s 90s and are more sentimental and wanna keep playin on it like mine was giving to me from my dad when i was 5 years old and he used it through out chess club in middle school. my dad isnt alive anymore and my board is priceless ive won state 2 times with this board
I finished testing my silicone chessboard, and here is my report.
I bought the board from Amazon, and it is the one listed as "WE Games Silicone Tournament Chess Mat", sold by Family Board Games and fulfilled by Amazon. It cost $15.
The board is very flexible and thin (approximate 1-mm thick). It has the heft and flexibility of a heavy fabric, but it does not wrinkle or crease.
It does lie perfectly flat when unrolled. When it was shipped, it was rolled up and folded in half length-wise, but despite the fold it still laid perfectly flat. I think it would have to suffer extreme abuse for it to lose this characteristic.
I tested the surface for resistance to common stains. I tested wine, coffee, fountain-pen ink, tomato sauce, mustard, and ballpoint. All cleaned up perfectly using a paper towel dampened with water. I did, however, clean the surface immediately; I didn't let the stains set. The ballpoint did require a little extra rubbing, but that was it.
The surface does attract lint and dust, but not in a major way. (To me, the propensity of a silicone board to attract dust has been somewhat overstated. I expected the worst and it did not happen.) To clean the surface I just used the electronic wipe that I use for my computer screen and keyboard. It worked great. If you take this board to a tournament, you might carry some of these wipes with you.
The ink or dye with which the board is printed seems fairly stable. When I rubbed the green squares with pressure using a damp paper towel, a very very little bit of the dye did transfer to the towel. This did not happen with the electronic wipe or with light cleaning using a towel. Light cleaning is really all you need to remove dust.
Pieces essentially will not slide on this board. I tried many different kinds of pieces, and none would slide. Not even those with heavy felt bottoms. So if you are an inveterate piece slider this kind of board will not work for you. You can lift pieces easily though. They do NOT tend to stick.
In general, I thought this was a great board. To me it is better in every way to the standard vinyl board (except for "piece sliding" as mentioned above.) I thought it was well worth the extra cost. The fact that it can be rolled up tightly and folded is a huge feature to me.
I do like the look and feel of my mousepad board better. But the mousepad board is bulkier and not as convenient for travelling. Also it is subject to staining and the accumulation of dirt.
Amy