Anyone else have kinda weird things they geek-out on? I really admire nice trophies and just spent hours on Pintrest looking at them. (Good gosh, thought sounds kinda pathetic when you say it out loud lol :) I think I like them becasue they are little sculptures with a specific purpose. I’ve had several requests for the sandblasted dog show trophies I’ve made, but just never had the time/energy to tackle orders. I think the GF might change that for me which is pretty cool.
Anyone else have trophy inspirations to share or maybe other odd things that inspire you?
I came across the “Potato Press” company in my search and their stuff blew me away! Really creative, beautiful laser work to inspire. Here are a few of my favorites they’ve done. (You can go to their website for close-ups of the trophies.)
This one is my favorite I think. Seriously, look at this beauty!
I really like the simplicity of this one.
I’m trying to figure this one out. Is the apple painted on the acrylic or is it paper layers sandwiched in between the acrylic? I have a really neat idea using this concept, but I can’t figure it out!
When I look at it, I’m going to speculate that they printed the apple slices on transparency sheets between the clear acrylic, and sandwiched it all together.
Not sure how they got the colored edges on the acrylic? Pretty precise if it’s painted.
If it were me, after cutting the edges I’d engrave a trough inset from the edge and then fill it with an acrylic paint which I could wipe the excess off to keep the lines clean. Keep in mind that many clear acrylic sheets have a protective cover over them, so just leaving that on while you paint the trough acts like a masking tape to keep it in the lines.
The color is on the face of the acrylic. It’s tough to tell, but you can see it if you zoom in close.
Here’s a trophy I make on an annual basis. It’s in support of a program called Junior Stars, which is centered around the Junior (10-15yrs) class of the main international sanctioned jetski racing.
I use a silicone mold to cast these in urethane. The star shape and the base are two separate pieces, the LEDs are cast directly into the resin. I actually just shove the leads for the LEDs into the wall of the silicone mold to hold them in place. Once cast, I solder wires to the LEDs. The base has a recess in it for a battery holder, which gets epoxied into place.
Different colored LEDs are used to distinguish each year, ie: all trophies one year will be the same color.
This one has UV LED’s in it, and the star inside is 3D printed using SLA, turns out the photopolymer resins that SLA printers use also glow under the UV light. The star was sunken into the wet urethane resin, which was fun trying to use toothpicks to orient properly.
Trophies, Awards, and Memorials are some of the most challenging and rewarding things I’ve done. I’m so proud of so many of them, wish I could show pictures of them!
ooooh, I’m inspired now (yet another idea of what to do w/GF?!).
At work, we have paper signs taped to a door, and when someone needs one, we put it on their monitor/desk. The signs are: Hug, BIG Group Hug, High Five (and a pat on the back), My Hero, etc. It’s a nerdy way of showing support. So, once the GF arrives, I’ll ditch the little paper signs and make some trophy-like tokens-of-support
I don’t compete all that often, but I do have one trophy that I am quite proud of. It was designed in illustrator, cut on a CNC, and colored by hand. It is my only original Nickolas Hughes piece (on instagram @nickhugesart)
Ha! Maybe a day off!
You’re too kind. I’m just fabricator who’s had the chance to make some fun and nerve racking keepsakes. Sometimes I wish I could do it full-time, other times I’m glad I don’t.
I can’t wait to make some laser etched plaques to go on some future works, especially excited to have hand written notes of appreciation and signatures on plaques. I still like the machining, welding, and hand crafting of one of kind items. Maybe some laser embellishments too.
) I think I like them becasue they are little sculptures with a specific purpose. I’ve had several requests for the sandblasted dog show trophies I’ve made, but just never had the time/energy to tackle orders. I think the GF might change that for me which is pretty cool.
