Go problems: how to restore a Go board and game set? (Goban, stones, and bowls)

A discussion about the game of Go, with a focus on some potential ways to improve the parts of an old set, including: shell and slate stones, turned bowls, and a Goban. This set has found its way here from mid-20th century Japan, so it was quite a find! It also has problems. I want to restore it as much as possible, but I want to invest an appropriate amount of myself in doing so. This video provides a brief overview of the game, thinks out loud about what could be done to improve it, and then asks your opinion about how far to take it.

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Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

[HonzManly]

For the grid they should be spaced 22 mm apart left to right and 23.7 mm apart top to bottom. A Go board is not meant to be square. When seated in front of a square board, it would look wider than tall. Therefore, for reasons of perspective, they are longer in the direction from one player to the other than from left to right.

[johnconklin]

I think that I would set the original board aside to maintain its authenticity and make a new board out of 'modern' materials of the correct proportions. You save the value of the vintage finish etc., but still can use it without aggravation.

[MarkWarbington]

Age has taught me not to become emotionally attached to "things". My advice to you is to sell it to someone who will appreciate it for what it is and who believes that the dings and flaws give it character. Then build one for yourself in the same style while correcting the design flaws of the original.

[RaindropsBleeding]

wow, wish I'd found this second channel sooner. if this is an old original set, both the bowls and the board will be cut from Kaya, a very traditional wood for this. This is because it is resistant to temperature and humidity changes (which is also the purpose of that unfinished pyramid in the bottom. It stops the board from cracking as it shrinks) reacts well with the oils in your skin, and has a wonderful sound when the stones are set on it. also, fun fact, the bowls and their respective lids are always cut from the same piece of wood so that the grains will line up if turned the right way. Unfortunately kaya is difficult to find and quite expensive, especially in solid pieces like this (this board is probably valued at over $1000) so really the best restoration you can do is to clean it and maybe rub some oil on it. Traditional boards are treated with an almost religious sanctity, so altering it in any way is kind of taboo.
I would recommend you build your own with modern materials (maybe get some marble stones like we discussed ;)

Also, DO NOT firmly set the legs. They are designed to be removable. This is so that you can play seated on the floor with the legs, or seated at a table without them. DO NOT permanently set the legs of the board.

[IchMacheAllesx]

one thing i know for certain is that people love watching old things restored to a more beatiful state

[justin]

that bump on the bottom of the wood affects the accoustics of the stones when played. It's said to add a bit more of a snap when played on.

[Makebuildmodify]

Man, I've wanted to make one of these boards for a while now. You got a rippin' deal! These are currently selling for over $700.00 on eBay. I have four 16' Western Red Cedar logs in my backyard. I harvested them from an urban lot during the construction of a triplex earlier this year. I also have what was left of the stump. It's about 36" in diameter and 4' long. I should be able to pull a couple boards out of it.

[Nono-hkis]

Modern curators don't restore, they preserve. I imagine they'd clean everything, perhaps fix the shellac without stripping it off, but do nothing to the board except perhaps oiling it and stabilize the grid if needed (something acid free like rice glue?) Anything more would result in an an anachronistic object, because it would represent the efforts of two completely unrelated artists.

But I can relate to your more... visceral need for what others might call perfection, but which i think of as correctness and consistency. My suggestion for the board is you clean it, then you study it. Figure out how to *recreate* it. Then make your own board. Place whatever requirements and constraints on yourself that please or challenge you (e.g. only hand tools, only period appropriate tools, or any tool I that get the job done, etc.) Be completely faithful to the orignal design, or make your own improvements. Then you'll have a board that satisfies your anxieties, while preserving a historic art object besides.

[KiesandNoob]

"So lets find out in real time..."
Joke's on you, I always watch everything at 2x speed because I don't have time to enjoy things!

[jlibb]

That is an amazing piece of work. I believe the entire set has been handmade and given its age it is in good shape. I know there is some damage as you well pointed out but man, it sure is good looking.

Not sure if its an option, but could the "board" be re-hydrated slightly to allow some expansion?

Thanks for sharing this remarkable find...

[rivards]

Don't touch the stones. Resurface the top, and re-do the grid, stretching it in both directions to enlarge the grid out the the edges. Perhaps use the entire surface for the grid, and add a margin by adding four side trim pieces? The outside of the grid might even disguise the join between the board and the trim.

[Ratchet]

In one of your videos you said you thought your water was acidic because it easily removed the glue on the back of those marble tiles. If you still think this, I would caution against using this water with the shell pieces, acid is bad for shells, that's why ocean acidity is such a problem for coral reefs.
Just my thoughts, i'd look into making sure the water you use won't react with or dissolve the pieces if I were you.

[dew-drop]

I did some really rough sketches in illustrator to visualize the problem of the pieces not spacing properly, and it seems like in order to make them fit, the grid would basically have to be the same dimension as the board itself, which I can't imagine would work very well. An option could be to add a half inch of trim on each side and repaint a larger grid. This would also give you the option of fixing/hiding the damaged corner, but at the cost of losing some of its authenticity.

Otherwise building a lathe jig to sandwich the pieces between the chuck and tailstock could allow for quick, repeatable sanding/grinding to get them to a size that would fit. Based on my rough sketch, the pieces would have to be roughly 20mm.

I'm sure other commenters/you will have some better ideas. Anyway, I'm excited to see the board once you've finished restoring it!

[projekt_official]

See if you can resize the grid when you redo it to compensate for the cumulative error. Looking forward to seeing how this project continues.

[Wordsnwood]

If you're willing to remove some wood to fix the corner, are you willing to glue on some pieces to make up for the shrinkage?

[noahf.]

Sometimes i think i enjoy this channel more than your main channel.

[blacktalonbased]

after flattening, I'd consider adding a thick veneer for the top to make a properly sized playing surface. Could also put a veneer on the sides. That would mean you don't need to remove the puppy marks, too.

[BurningTurtle]

I did some reading on cleaning up shell. It looks like you can soak them in water to remove any dirt, and then a light mineral oil should be all you need to get them looking new. Some people use bleach or toothpaste (weaker alternative to bleach), but that's up to you. Hopefully this helps a little.

[anthonyprokos]

Pocket have you considered picture-framing it in a contrasting wood? This will allow you to remove all wood damage at the corners and also widen the board, thus providing enough space to keep a 19x19 grid.

[johncall]

When you repaint the grid, paint it with correct dimensions and leave the margins around the grid un-equal across the four sides.