ABOUT MAZTERMIND
Recreate board games as an art of play
02 years and 9 months in silence of research and development, we created every single detail of the first 10 games basically from scratch. Beginning with just an idea on drawing papers, till the first testing and prototype, to the solid final piece of art in hands. With 70 artisans and over 200 prototypes in total, all together made the launch of the Maztermind brand in 2020.
Our mission is to recreate board games as an art of play. More than just a game, each Maztermind's set is designed to connect people in a deeper way and to implicitly speak out the owner's style in a sophisticated manner. Let's have good times together. To play and display to the next level.
All about the selective “mixed" materials
We have faith in the elegant, one-of-a-kind finished look combined with mixed, high-quality materials of natural woods, fine leather, solid copper, art resin, and more. Those handpicked materials are built to last and sustain.
95% of our products use timber of premium walnut, beech, and pine. Only qualified wood lumbers are chosen. Dense live knots, defects, and dead knots are totally removed.
Yet, the most difficult work that we confidently process is to craft and harmonize those contrasted materials - flex leather, stiff wood, shiny hard copper, under a work of art that still looks great together and conveys the tone of the design language set from the initiation.
We have faith in the elegant, one-of-a-kind finished look combined with mixed, high-quality materials of natural woods, fine leather, solid copper, art resin, and more. Those handpicked materials are built to last and sustain.
95% of our products use timber of premium walnut, beech, and pine. Only qualified wood lumbers are chosen. Dense live knots, defects, and dead knots are totally removed.
Yet, the most difficult work that we confidently process is to craft and harmonize those contrasted materials - flex leather, stiff wood, shiny hard copper, under a work of art that still looks great together and conveys the tone of the design language set from the initiation.
THE CRAFTSMANSHIP
The mixed material inlay crafting art
Parquetry technique
Piece of wood is sorted out and attached by hues and colors so that the surface of the object creates a seamless gradient, well-blended, and on-point look. Backgammon's box, for example, must follow the strict standard: the wood knot’s diameter must be smaller than 5mm, no more than 5 knots on the surface of the box, and the distance between every two knots measured from the center of them must be longer than 3 cm and no more than 3 knots on each triangle piece of wood.
Marquetry technique
Used in artistic craftsmanship, this is a technique of laying patterns consisting of different pieces of wood, leather, copper, etc. on the surface of the decorated item.
For example, the Premium Chess Set walnut board is inlaid with 4 bars of copper and 64 pieces of squared PU leather. The shape and size of each piece and bar must be accurate to each dem (1 dem = 0.1 mm), otherwise, the chessboard surface will be open and cannot be perpendicular.
Hand-finishing
From the roughest to the smoothest sanding papers, each of our products must go through at least 20 steps of surface sanding to assure of the seamless, slick, polished final finish. All woodwork requires a protective layer of staining/mineral oil and lacquer acrylic coating for long-lasting quality.
The resin arts
Molding: This stage of production determines the shape and appearance of the finished product. On average, a qualified mold experiences 10 samples to eventually meet our strict standards which are not only easy to de-mold, stretchy without tearing, but also bubble-free and well-structured to keep every 3D detail intact.
Color mixing: To create the exact shade, our team of artisans spends hours in the workshop searching and mixing every single color together for the beauty of each piece. For instance, a Lumina Ludo piece weighing only 12 grams was tested up to 100 times to finally get the perfectly vivid gradient shades.
Pouring: This technique is especially crucial when one single piece consists of 2 different colors, e.g. Lumina Chess Pieces. We calculate the exact time, even down to the second for each layer of color to dry out and stay in its perfect form, eventually giving the harmonious gradation blend.
Leather crafting
Leather inlay: This is a meticulous and complex work requiring extreme patience and precision by hand. Every piece of leather is expertly measured, cut, arranged, and then crafted onto/with another piece of leather or wood to offer a textured, enjoyable touch for the final surface. For example, we use this technique for The Premium Backgammon and The Premium Chess boards for the classy and charming appearance.
Hand stitching: With delicate pieces of leather, stitching by hand offers the control of sewing, durability, and the most natural, original lines that cannot be replicated by machines (e.g. Dice Shaker Cup).
Edge finishing: To create the polished, smooth, and durable edge for our leather product (Leather Dominoes Set, and Dice Shaker Cup), each piece goes through 4 steps of edge finishing, including cutting leather with knives, sanding, burnishing, and edge painting.
Blogs and News
The Memento Mori Playing Cards from an Artist's Perspective
Recently, Maztermind has just released Memento Mori - a deck of playing cards with an extremely impressive design. Unlike previously released playing cards such as The Historic playing cards and I...
Have you ever wondered “why is it called board games?”. Well, it simply means games played on a board which refers to a surface for playing (either a table, a chessboard, or anything). Many peopl...
Art meets craft: The process of making Trojan Horse Race - Ludo
Maztermind Trojan Horse Race - Ludo is all about the work of passion, the desire to touch aesthetical aspects, and the exquisite footprint on the way to reinvent the originals. To relive the visu...