Ok, since I posted the videos and pictures of the Pro-Minx and Master Tetrahedron that i've been playing with, i've been getting way to many people asking me about my tiles. What it's made of, how they're cut, how to apply them, do they wear, all that fun stuff. So I figured i'll just make a public post about this so I don't have to answer any more tile related questions.

This method definitely has it's benefits and drawbacks, so here are the main ones.
Pros: Inexpensive, easy to do, no machines needed, super long lasting (never wears), and very nice look and feel.
Cons: Time consuming, and some plastic plates are slightly transparent.

Ok, just some quick things you'll need to get before you start.
1) Plastic plates. You can get these at any party store, usually I goto a place called iParty. Most party stores will have a pretty good selection of colors. Be prepared for looking like an idiot when you buy a pack of every color they have .

2) X-Acto knife, box cutter, sharpened stick, you get the point.

3) Non-wood ruler. Idealy this should be a soft backed (cork / rubber) metal ruler. Because wood and plastic rulers tend to get little slivers cut out of them over time.

4) Sheet plastic. This needs to be thicker then your plates by a good deal, this is what I use to make my templates out of.


Now that you've got everything, time to start making some tiles.

First thing you'll need to do, is make your stencil. For this demonstration I'm going to use my Master Tetrahedron. First what you need to do is measure the size of the tiles. We don't want to include the space between the tiles though. This can be done by printing a 2D plot from your computer. Once you've figured out what your stencil is going to look like, go ahead and cut it out of your sheet plastic. Make small slits along the sides where your cut lines are going to be, this will make the process go alot faster in the long run.
(See pic 6930. Those lines on the stencil itself are just scratches to help me remember what stencil goes to what puzzle because I have a lot of different puzzles that i've tiled).


Take your time with the stencil, if you don't, then you'll end up with low quality tiles (take a look at my prominx, i did that at 3 in the morning and didn't take my time with the stencil). Once you've got the stencil all finished, grab some plates and start cutting the centers out of them. (See pic 6925 & 6926).


No place your stencil on your colored plastic (i like to use double sided tape so it doesn't move) and trace around it to create your basic tile setup. Use the marks on the edge of your stencil to mark the sides of your sheet plastic. (See pic 6930).


Now just play a quick game of connect-the-dots, and you're ready to go! (See pic 6931). Take out your super glue, and stick them to your puzzles


Done.



Some of the other puzzles that I have tiled that are not included in the 6933 picture include the Gigaminx V1, Pentagonal Domino, Mastermorphix, Trajber's Octahedron, and Master Trajber's Octahedron.

Great tutorial! I like the idea. I gotta try that.

Guess I made mine the hard way.

Nice pentagonal domino spindle.

thanks, and awsome tutorial. i just dont understand what you mean by 2d plot from your computor? can you explain?

the only thing is that i dont feel like downloading and learning how to use a new program, but is there any way i can scan one face of my puzzle, and take off from there?