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View Full Version : Military Coin Display - thanks to Marty!



Dee Gallo
04-26-2010, 4:05 PM
Thanks to Martin Boekers, I was able to get some military coins to fit perfectly into acrylic. I made a clear one first, but decided to try black and I like the effect. The coins are removable, not glued.

Then, I made several bases out of wood, but none of them looked good to me. So, I did not have any thick acrylic, but I layered my 3/16" and here is the result. I cut a slot in the top 2 layers and left the bottom piece whole.

These guys are twins in the service, their parents just sent me these 3 coins to try out.

Not bad for my first attempt and I would have had a LOT more scrap if not for the help I got from the Creek! Thanks especially to Marty for being so nice.

cheers, dee

Mike Null
04-26-2010, 4:34 PM
Dee

Well done.

Dave Russell Smith
04-26-2010, 4:36 PM
Nice job Dee, how are the 3 layers on the base held together or is that a trade secret :o

Martin Boekers
04-26-2010, 4:44 PM
Great Work Dee!

As you can see with a bit of creativity how nice things can work out.

As you can see that's this is why I always keep some bases an sheeting
in stock.

With a little creativity custom gift or awards can be made quickly and effectively.

I'm sure they will love them, and don't be surprised if they recommend friends to you.

Marty

Dee Gallo
04-26-2010, 4:47 PM
Nice job Dee, how are the 3 layers on the base held together or is that a trade secret :o

I haven't glued them together yet, but plan to use Weldon. To keep it from showing on the top layer, I plan to glue the 2 bottom layers together but not the top. Then, I will glue the vertical piece into the slots and hopefully that will be strong enough to hold the top piece on since there will be 3/8" contact all around. We shall see... if it doesn't work out, I'll make the two outside pieces black and put the clear in the middle.

:) dee

edit: in fact, I just looked at it with the clear in the center and it looks better, so that's the problem solved!

Todd Suire
04-27-2010, 9:25 AM
Dee,

That's really nice.

Is that black acrylic, or is it painted? How did you get the outline to cut the hole for the coin on the right?

Again, Excellent work.

Todd

Scott Shepherd
04-27-2010, 9:39 AM
Dee, nice looking job! Just one question- what's with the capital "N" at the end of the last name on the first line. Is that on purpose or an optical illusion?

Dee Gallo
04-27-2010, 10:11 AM
Thanks Todd- I scanned the coin and drew the outline in CD. Had to adjust the little points so they were not too big and not too small.

Scott - that is a mistake - good eye!

;) dee

Steve Kelsey
04-27-2010, 11:29 AM
Those are awesome. Nice job! One thing i thought of for attaching the bases was some sort of brass rivet that would go through all three pieces and act as a foot on the bottom as well as an accent on the top. I have no idea of they make such a thing. The closest i have ever seen are the little stand offs that are used for wood/acrylic plaques.

Regardless, I know that sounds critical. It's not. I'm a newbie and I hope one day to do something that even comes close to these. Again, nice work!

Gary Hair
04-27-2010, 12:33 PM
Very Nice Dee. I especially like the job you did fitting in the coin on the right side.

Gary

Dee Gallo
04-27-2010, 3:41 PM
Those are awesome. Nice job! One thing i thought of for attaching the bases was some sort of brass rivet that would go through all three pieces and act as a foot on the bottom as well as an accent on the top. I have no idea of they make such a thing. The closest i have ever seen are the little stand offs that are used for wood/acrylic plaques.

Regardless, I know that sounds critical. It's not. I'm a newbie and I hope one day to do something that even comes close to these. Again, nice work!

That's a good idea, Steve, and I'm sure someone somewhere makes those. It would certainly eliminate the glue problem as well as give it a nice finished look.

Thanks, dee

George D Gabert
04-27-2010, 5:03 PM
Dee

This is a link to McMaster Carr which has a brass standoff. You could use a brass screw on the top and a plastic screw in the bottom for feet. I have seen them at some of the large BORG's.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#spacers-and-standoffs/=6ui1lu

Regards
GDG

Belinda Barfield
04-27-2010, 5:28 PM
Gee, Dee, for someone retired you sure do a lot of neat stuff!:D

Beautiful work, as always. I wish I had half your imagination and talent.

Dee Gallo
04-28-2010, 5:22 PM
Thank you, Belinda! Just as a follow up, I wanted post pix of the final version. Name corrected and engraved on both sides so it is truly 2 sided.

The edges don't look as bad in person as they do in the picture... they are actually quite smooth. But, as a side issue, has anyone tried flame polishing on black acrylic?

cheers, dee

ps- I decided to change from clear to opaque because as nice as the clear looks in photos, the reality is that the coin must compete with the background and isn't shown at its best, especially if there is writing on the acrylic. Black just seemed like a nice respectful color, but you could play with all kinds of color themes.

Bob Heltibridle
04-30-2010, 11:24 AM
Dee
Great Job
I had a project that needed little legs to raise it off the table.
I found what I needed in the lighting section of the hardware store.