Big News (and more big news I forgot to post earlier (oops))

 Hello all!

I've been so caught up with life, work, and projects that I've already promised people that I forgot to update you on Mastering Tak: Level II. It's out and available! (Now also in Kindle format, though, just like Level I, I cannot guarantee readability on all devices).

For interested parties in the US, you can get it here. If you live outside the US, try going to your local Amazon site. For example, amazon.de is the German site. Since the book is printed on demand, you can potentially save a lot on shipping and also get it much sooner than buying it from the main Amazon.com site.

In related, but newer news, I have started on some opening supplements that will explore the main lines of each of the three main openings currently popular in Tak: The Hug, The Knight, and Center Claim. I plan to publish in that order, starting with The Hug, due out in Spring of next year.

Unrelated to writing, I have FINALLY been granted a craftsman license for Tak!!!

What this means is that I am approved to sell my capstones, boards, and full sets at cottage industry quantities. I have delayed announcing this (and honestly should continue to delay) because this unfortunately comes at a time when I am in the middle of a bathroom remodel for a coworker, handmade Christmas gift production for friends and family, the incoming holidays, a work trip, and PAX Unplugged.

That is not to say that I am not completely thrilled to get the license. It is just that my shop will not be tooled up for Tak until the end of the year or early next. I already have a few commissions once that happens, and if you would like to get your name on the books for one of my offerings, or discuss a completely new idea, please drop me a line on my website via the contact form.

Thanks everyone!

General Update - 1st Half of 2023

Hello all!

It's been a while since I used this medium to communicate with the community (I'm primarily haunting the Discord these days, with a smattering of Instagram (@rabbitboy84) crafting updates). 

I thought that this halfway point of the year would be a good time to dust off my keyboard and get to it. Not that my keyboard is actually dusty since I have been pecking away at it all year while working on Mastering Tak Level II, my intermediate guide. I am in the proofing stages now -- writing is done, cover art is finalized, and copyrighting is in progress. I will update the community when it goes live in another month or so.

Quite the size difference between I and II

That's one rather large iron that I have in the fire, but I've still been trying to get smaller projects/objectives accomplished along the way. Besides the general US Tak Association administrative duties and Beginner Tournaments, I am getting ready to represent Tak at GenCon in August. We are running 12 events this year and adapting our format slightly based on feedback and observations from years past. I highly encourage anyone reading this to attend this convention -- GenCon is an incredible experience!

For GenCon prizes, in addition to our USTA coins, Playtak stickers, and commercial sets provided by Greater than Games, I have been out in the garage making some capstones. 

Our new playtak.com logo on a swag sticker.

This challenge coin was delayed and missed GenCon last year, but will be a hefty piece of swag for tournament participants this year.

I got a lathe for Christmas and have finally gotten it out of the box and spinning. Turning wood and wood/resin is surprisingly relaxing -- I only have three turnings under my belt at this point, but I can see this becoming an important part of my future creations.

Maple and Purpleheart in the classic style.

"Water" - carved and turned olivewood, oil paint, and resin.

Although the lathe is awesome, it just cannot match some of the other methods that I use. Here are the non-turned capstones for GenCon:

The companion to the last shown capstone ("Water"), this is "Fire"- carved ebony with oil paint and resin.

And here they are together, steaming up the board.

"Cat and Mouse" - carved soapstone. These need final details and polish, but they are almost there.

These were to be a set called "Epic Fail" which was an attempt to capture the point of failure of a steel cable and a fuse...but the resin failed to cure. So they lived up to their name :)
I may or may not have the time to redo these in time for GenCon. If I do not get them in time, I will probably remake for a future tournament of some sort later this year.

Those are what I have so far for GenCon but if we walk back in time to earlier this year, I created these for the Intermediate Open Tournament:

"Sci-fi" - suspended objects in resin. These are some of my favorite resin ones to date.
 

As you rotate them, the scenes and colors change due to the layout of the facets and layers.

"Kilvin's Lamps #2" - copper, paint, glass, and steampunk bits.

And they light up!

That's been my Tak year so far on the crafting side of things. Stay tuned for updates. I'm not the most consistent, but hopefully what I do put out is worth taking a minute to browse :)

Thanks for reading, and happy Takking!

If you have any questions, feel free to find me on the Discord or Reddit (rabbitboy84) or shoot me an email (bill.leighton1@gmail.com).

Latest Craftings

Hello all!

GenCon prep and then the convention itself really got me pumped for crafting. My prizes were well received, and I got to unveil the Castle Tak Set. You can see the unboxing here. So, riding that high, I've been in the garage some on the weekends tinkering away. Here's some of the latest:

Castle Tak Set (built just for fun):

Sun & Moon (prizes for the upcoming Intermediate Invitational):

Kilvin's Lamps (prizes for the upcoming Intermediate Invitational):

Wire tree (unfinished) (just playing around this morning with a piece of soapstone too small to use by itself as a capstone):

I also got some birthday gifts that I'm putting to good use. My wife got me the supplies to make Kilvin's Lamps. My parents got me a vacuum chamber and some exotic wood blanks, which I used for the first time this morning. 

Stay tuned to see how they turn out! You can stay up to date with my projects on Instagram @rabbitboy84 (or Discord, same username, homemade sets channel).

Thanks for reading!