Making Lost Pieces

So I decided to complete a puzzle I knew was missing pieces and try out a technique for building lost pieces I pieced together from various posts on the web. The first step was to scan the box top at 300dpi and remove all the pieces surrounding the missing pieces and scan them at 300dpi.

Bring these into photoshop and lay the over the background in layers. Adjust the background zoom to fit the pieces, use the magnetic lasso to cut out the missing piece from the surrounding pieces, add a border for your cutting guide, flatten and print on photo paper. Press the photo piece into place upside down, fill with wood epoxy and let dry! Did the whole thing in less than an hour and we are very happy with the result!

The area with missing pieces scanned in from the box top at 300dpi.

Missing Piece 1

Missing Piece 2

Missing Piece 3

The Pieces ready to print and be cut out

Puzzle now complete and drying! You can only really tell on one piece where I cut the piece a bit too small so the wood putty shows in the crack. But overall, I proved the concept so I feel a lot better now if the dreaded missing piece happens.

Julian Askins: Lake Side View, 750pc Completed

Today I finished the Julian Askins 750pc Lake Side View puzzle that has been sitting around the house for a while. Everyone and their brother has worked on it and we knew it was missing pieces. Well today we found it is missing three pieces. This puzzle was shipped down from Michigan and was crushed inside the larger box and our neighbor actually found a piece or two in the street and figured they had to be ours.

So, I think I will try my puzzle piece repair technique I thought up when we thought we were missing pieces for Rizzy. I will let you know how it goes!

When I started today, the sky and water was not done, I always try and do the hard parts for M so she can enjoy the puzzle more. She however, was too hung over all day from the Sangria I made last night for Tessa's birthday party to puzzle at all so I just went ahead and finished it.

Julian Askins' Lake Side View Finished but not complete. As you can see, its missing three pieces, strangely enough, they are all in the same row. How will the fixing go? Stay tuned.