Today we’d like to introduce you to Fey B King.
Hi Fey B, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
The story is kind of winding… I’ve been a crafter and maker for as long as I can remember… I started out with more “oddities” flavored crafts, which I still do on occasion, which ended up leading into resin work.
My husband (who was just my roommate at the time) got me into gaming, which led into TTRPGs and eventually into TCGs.
In addition to being a maker, I am also quite the magpie, and love to collect shinies, so it was no surprise when the introduction to tabletop gaming led into amassing an impressive dice hoard!
Shortly after we moved from Colorado to Kansas City, I was gently informed that I probably owned enough dice… any dice goblin will disagree, which I did, so I turned to my resin crafts and taught myself to make dice.
There’s a fantastic community online about it, and a few good dicemakers here in KC, that were all happy and willing to give advice and tips, and with their help I now make dice for a variety of games from D&D to Magic the Gathering, as well as 3d printing gaming accessories, making dice trays with a vinyl cutter, leather and crochet dice pouches, and all sorts of other stuff!
I think my husband was extra excited about the transition, because he now owns more of my handmade dice than I do!
These days, Mile Hi Con back in Colorado is still the convention I travel home to, otherwise I like to do small conventions out here in Kansas City, and a couple of large ones each year
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely has not been a smooth road! Working with resin is a lot of trial and error, and the precision needed for dice was beyond my initial capabilities…
I watched so many youtube videos, tried a dozen different brands of resin and dyes and pigments, ordered different molds from Amazon, basically running through every possible combination to try and get the process correct.
After talking to the community, I bit the bullet and got a pressure pot and compressor. After that, nearly every dice set I made ended up coming out clear and gorgeous.
There was still more trial and error, trying to find the right resin, good pigments that work well and store well, the correct tools for post-curing cleanup and polishing, and I ended up getting a vibratory tumbler and a sander with very high grit sandpapers, all to get beautifully polished, shiny dice
I had worked with another dice maker to get good molds, far better than the Amazon molds I had used previously.. but after about a year, I realized that continually purchasing molds would be unsustainable, so I reached out to the community again, learning how to make silicone molds, which meant I needed dice masters.
Getting dice masters wasn’t too difficult, but there were obstacles
Eventually I realized I’d need to be able to make my own masters, so I reached out to the community again for advice
I watched youtube tutorials on dicemaking software, downloaded and learned how to use it, and eventually got a resin printer
That was one heck of a learning curve… some resins shrink when you use them
You can’t use it unprotected near sunlight
You need to keep a washing bin full of cleaner (fortunately sealed) for easy washing of your prints
They’ll need additional curing in a special curing box after printing and cleaning
Then those will need polished to perfection, packed gently and babied in-between uses making molds
It’s a very winding and time-consuming process. Fortunately, properly cared-for resin masters will last a long, long time, and are well worth the investment!
Even today, sometimes prints will get a little weird. The software will hiccup in a way that seems invisible until the printer fails, or your print just comes out weird for no discernable reason
But over the last couple of years I’ve gotten it down pat, and I can make just about any design on the dice I want!
I have designed specialty die for D&D, and even some fun and chaotic dice for other games and general use
On top of all of that, since about 2016, I have been battling ongoing, and growing, health problems, diagnoses of chronic illnesses and degenerating conditions until we got me a wheelchair.
Now it’s a matter of working around mobility aids, using the wheelchair to do conventions and events
It’s all absolutely doable, and having the making and crafting as ways to keep myself busy has been a lifesaver
At the crux of it all, though, is my incredible family… Without the help and support of my husband and son, I wouldn’t be able to do any of it. They are so much more than physical help when I need it (loading & unloading my wheelchair, helping out with setup etc at conventions, etc) they are my emotional support, my moral compass, and my heart. The two most important humans in my life, and they both are my biggest cheerleaders
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
To be frank, I do too many things! I craft-hop with the best of them, but I would say I specialize in luxury dice. My booth at the various conventions is often surrounded by people, vendors and attendees alike, admiring the glittery math rocks
I’d say my designs set me apart from other dicesmiths, especially my custom geodes and chaos dice!
I offer D20s in a variety of sizes, from “Dice Seed” tiny dice, standard size, Jumbo size (explained in a tic), Chonks, Superchonks, and Heckin’ Chonky Bois!
I’m also the only dicesmith at this time that offers sharp-edged 3-sided dice, custom dice for so many different TTRPGs, dice for Magic the Gathering, as well as dice specially designed for gamers with either mobility or vision issues. They’re approximately 20% larger than standard dice… Smaller than what would normally be considered “chonk” size, but the increased size of my Jumbo Dice makes them easier to pick up off of tables, and the larger numbers make them easier to read.
So far, I haven’t seen any one else making dice aimed for an audience that may need specialty dice for health reasons
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Honestly I’m hoping it grows… Even aside from the business aspect, I make things for gamers, and I think we need more nerds and geeks… They’ve been some of the best people I’ve ever met. The most understanding, the most supportive, and the most welcoming.
The ones within the community who aren’t the above, are a vast (but loud) minority.
Pricing:
- Basic 7-pc Dice Set $55+
- Basic 8-pc Dice Set $65+
- 8-pc Geode Dice Set $75+
- 3D Printed Dice Tower $30+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://littlenerderyshop.square.site/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nerdery.shop/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Little.Nerdery/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@little.nerdery.shop
