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I searched for this, and didn't see a thread on it.

A young woman, who I assume is studying engineering, designed dice to be precision machined for perfect balance. Sides with more pips are drilled shallower so that the center of mass stays in the rotational center:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/124127689/precision-machined-dice?ref=home_popular

I like that you can get product for reasonably cheap (two basic dice are $12 shipped) and that she's actually designed these around the tolerances of a CnC machine. My gut says to stick with the aluminum, but I don't see a ton of value, outside of novelty, for the rest of the metals.

Aluminum is a rather soft metal... a reason why I avoid it when buying notebooks and other stuff.

Speaking from a purely engineering standpoint....

If the material isn't varified in some way be it, x-ray, ultrasonic or eddy currant, to be free of voids then its pointless to machine them to any strict tollerance. In fact the center of mass should be calculated for each cube with the rest of the details worked out from there.

Further more, some of the properties of aluminum make it a material not suited well to be the source material for dice...

I'm backing this project though. Regardless of the validity of whatever she is saying, metal dice are cool.

I'd be really tempted to get a pair of titanium dice from this kickstarter...

I'm in for four aluminum and two stainless dice, which is pretty much all I need for Warmachine (a game to use machined metal dice if there ever was one).

I'm less intrested in theoretical precision than I am in the sheer niftyness of machined (as opposed to cast) metal dice.




Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Catyrpelius wrote:
Speaking from a purely engineering standpoint....

If the material isn't varified in some way be it, x-ray, ultrasonic or eddy currant, to be free of voids then its pointless to machine them to any strict tollerance. In fact the center of mass should be calculated for each cube with the rest of the details worked out from there.

Further more, some of the properties of aluminum make it a material not suited well to be the source material for aluminum...

I'm backing this project though. Regardless of the validity of whatever she is saying, metal dice are cool.

I think she's thought that through, at least superficially:

"All of the above issues led me to design a die that closely approximates a perfectly weighted ¾ inch cube. The variations from the ideal Centroid are: rx=0.0003, ry=0.0012, rz=0.0007 Variations in the material density homogeneity could half or double these figures."

I agree that this is not exactly an application that requires strict tolerances.

Interestingly, the biggest complaint on the site comments has been the sharp edges, and what they will do to board games. With felt and hardboard gaming tables, I think minis gamers are less likely to see that as a problem.

 Polonius wrote:
I'm in for four aluminum and two stainless dice, which is pretty much all I need for Warmachine (a game to use machined metal dice if there ever was one).

I'm less intrested in theoretical precision than I am in the sheer niftyness of machined (as opposed to cast) metal dice.

I agree, metal dice are cool. I backed the project but I'm probably going the Brass or Copper route.

 Polonius wrote:


I think she's thought that through, at least superficially:

"All of the above issues led me to design a die that closely approximates a perfectly weighted ¾ inch cube. The variations from the ideal Centroid are: rx=0.0003, ry=0.0012, rz=0.0007 Variations in the material density homogeneity could half or double these figures."

I agree that this is not exactly an application that requires strict tolerances.

Interestingly, the biggest complaint on the site comments has been the sharp edges, and what they will do to board games. With felt and hardboard gaming tables, I think minis gamers are less likely to see that as a problem.

What she considers precision machining adds a considerable amount of money to the finished project. If the material isn't varified by some meens other then weight, then adhering to any kind of precission is pointless. It's all well and good that she has taken into account variances in density, but if she doesn't take steps to identify manufacturing defects and voids in the raw material then the added cost of the "precission" is pointless. This problem is magnified when she begins using metals like Copper and Brass that are prone to voids in the manufacturing process.

But this is just a technical point and doesn't so much reflect my thoughts on the project so much as me being an Engineer with a love of manufacturing.

Additionally it should be noted that Aluminum has a considerable amount of bounce to it when comapred to other metals, so just a heads up.

The brass dice sound like they should be used for Warmachine, will keep my eye on them.

It might be the first chance many wargamers will have to have some brass in their pockets!

I know she put the weights on there, but I dont have a handy scale. How much heavier than 'normal' dice will these aluminum ones be? Significantly? Or just enough that you feel the weight in your hands?

 cincydooley wrote:
How much heavier than 'normal' dice will these aluminum ones be? Significantly? Or just enough that you feel the weight in your hands?

I don't own any aluminum dice, but I do have some brass dice as well as a set of stainless. Those are MUCH heavier than normal dice. For 16mm dice, it's not a case of just feeling different, it's a case of potentially denting the table. (And of the dice edges and corners wearing much faster than plastic polys.) I'll be watching this and probably jump on board for a set of the stainless, but it'd be because they look cool, not because I'd actually use them.

 Catyrpelius wrote:
Further more, some of the properties of aluminum make it a material not suited well to be the source material for aluminum...

You sure there, mate?

 Bolognesus wrote:

 Catyrpelius wrote:
Further more, some of the properties of aluminum make it a material not suited well to be the source material for aluminum...

You sure there, mate?

It sounded perfectly resonable in my head.... changed it in my original post.


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A quick google search puts the weight for a 16mm D6 at 4.1 grams.

 Catyrpelius wrote:

A quick google search puts the weight for a 16mm D6 at 4.1 grams.

With that information, her statement of weights is very interesting;

The estimated weights for 1 die are as followed:

Aluminum 18.4g (0.65 oz)

Brass 58.0g (2.05 oz)

Copper 60.7g (2.14 oz)

Stainless Steel 54.5g (1.92 oz)

Titanium 32.2g (1.14 oz)

Tungsten 129.5g (4.57 oz)

I have distinct feeling that any of these dice would be very hard on furniture/surfaces. Those tungsten dice would probably destroy tabletops (seriously, 4 of them would weigh more then a pound!). Especially as they are going to be machined without rounded edges.

That said, still interested, heh!

I already own a few metal dice, they are very nice to look at. They are however, more of a decoration then something I'd actually want to use in a game.

I'd actually be a bit supprised if she is able to deliver actual Tungsten Dice. That stuff is really hard to work with, its actually the stuff that machine tooling is normally made out of.

Metal dice are going to do terrible things to the surface of a scenic gaming table. I wouldn't use them for miniatures games without a dice tower or separate tray or area for rolling them.

Khorne is pleased by only 4 things:

1.) The taking of skulls
2.) The spilling of blood
3.) precision-machined dice of brass
4.) figure skating

Too spendy for me, but I like the idea a lot.

1.) I don't like precision edge d6 because they don't roll well, making it easy to cheat with them BTW.
2.) I don't like metal dice in wargaming, because they might easily damage table and miniatures.

Dice Rings sound so much more fun and so much less practical.

http://kck.st/TxhHWR

I still don't see how you get a perfectly balanced die when you're cutting holes in it. The six side will always weigh less than the one side. I'd want to see these dice spun in a caliper.

They say the holes will be different depths so as to remove identical amounts of metal from each face

 Breotan wrote:
I still don't see how you get a perfectly balanced die when you're cutting holes in it. The six side will always weigh less than the one side. I'd want to see these dice spun in a caliper.

This is actually dealt with quite well. Different depths and precision placement of the holes is the key.

I think metal dice are cool, and if that is the point (i.e. cool dice) then thats great!

However, if you are questing for more precision dice....I can already get casino dice for much cheaper.

Is it wrong that I want tungsten dice just to throw at people?

 Breotan wrote:
I still don't see how you get a perfectly balanced die when you're cutting holes in it. The six side will always weigh less than the one side.

Somebody didn't watch the video...

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
Is it wrong that I want tungsten dice just to throw at people?

Should I worry that you quoted me immediately after asking that? o.O

Still, I agree with davethepak. Casino dice are cheaper, already perfectly balanced, and will leave a nasty gash in someone's forehead when thrown at them. Oh, and they generally damage terrain just as quickly as these will.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
Somebody didn't watch the video...

It was that video or "Epic Rap Battles of History" Moses vs. Santa. Guess which one I went with.

Play like you got a pair!!!


Then we need to start tlking about four, six, eight, ten, twelve, and twenty siders.....


Brass and Bone, FTW.

So the edges won't be bevelled at all? That's a dealbreaker for me... also, the creator seems a bit inexperienced, if problems arise.

Cool idea, though!

I wonder if she took into account current upward trends in the metal market.

RiTides, bevelled edges would complicate the machineing process quite a bit, and would most likely be done by hand, by a guy using either a belt sander or a grinding disk.

Interesting project. I'm a little surprised at the shipping costs, though. $7 for two dice?

Metal dice are cool, I think, in the grand scheme of things, this is all that matters.

I've already got aluminum, brass, steel, wood and stone dice. Tungston and titanium are interesting but just too expensive a novelty.