My latest creation

So, another day, another trophy. This one was a bit challenging, as I didn't have any guidance from the "client", and I didn't want to get caught up spending a wallet of money. However, as usual, my creativeness came through, and I am very happy with the end result.

So, at my local sports club (where I am a social member) there is a running section. Amongst all their miles spent on the road, training or competing, is the annual Comrades Marathon (LIU). And every year, there is the usual challenge between the runners around who's actually going to finish the race, who's coming into the finish before who. Some side bets are taken. I noticed, when they recently renewed their trophy cabinet, that there is no trophy for the winners (club in house challenge), so I decided to see if i could come up with something. Turns out this Saturday (9th Oct) is their annual prize giving dinner, so my creation is completed just in time. No one, other then the chairman of the running section, knows about this trophy, so it should be a welcome surprise. Oh, and as I type this, he hasn't seen it yet either, going to give it to him tonight!

So I started out with what do I have on hand I can use. A Nice piece of wood. OK. Take pencil, and sketch out something. Many reiterations later I had an idea of what I wanted to do.

Search the Internet for images. Blow up to required size, and print.
Next, mark out a piece of scrap wood, and test the theory of cutting a pattern, freehand, with the router. Success.
So, now do the same on the actual trophy piece. Right!1 So, what I did was cut out the profile of the race across the top of the board.

The marathon is run over 90 km. It alternates annually, one year down from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, the next year up from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.

Next was the staining of the wood. I had some stain left over from a project done when we built our home. 6 years ago! But, it works well. A few coats later I achieved the result I wanted. Understand, all of this is done in the evenings, a little at a time, over a period of weeks, if not months. (No pressure).

Then I struggled with the layout of annual winners, and decided that a "table" would work. So, I got some motorbike detailing tape, and sorted out that problem.

The next problem was the logo's. I wanted the Khosa logo, (club), and the Comrades logo. Easy to get these off of the Internet, but getting them made proved more challenging. So, Make them etched in glass? Couldn't find anyone who could. Laser cut out of Stainless steel? Very expensive, and long lead time for such a small order. Embroidered ? Well, this is the route I took eventually. ZAR 50.00 for both (they already had the logos' digitized, so no development cost there), done in 2 days, and they look fine!

The labels were the next challange. So, go down to the usual suspect, the Engraving store owned by a suspicious individual (I joke). Pricing high, and lead time too long (for me for this trophy anyway). So, a friend has recently bought his own, desktop label router.

So, he let me do a bit of test work on it, and I liked the results. Then I went down to the local seller of the required blanks, (sheets of plastic lamination's, of the color of your choice), and bought a half sheet of brushed silver. And they cut it up into the sizes I wanted as well!

Anyway, a few hours one afternoon spent trying different fonts, and sizes, and I managed to get all my labels done on one cut sheet. The cost therefore, is 1/12 of ZAR 170.00! Nothing.

I think you will all agree that the finished product looks damn fine. I finished the back off with a black material (same stuff used for pool tables).

I think the Roadrunners Club will like what they see. Now they can, on an annual basis, proudly display the best Comrades runners from their midst.

What do you all think?

Salagatle!