As a newbie to the craft fair scene, I couldn't afford to buy fancy displays for my table. So I headed over to my local plastics store and poked through their scrap pieces until I found the parts to make my own. Fantastic plastic place, indeed! Everything I bought was pre-cut, and they gave me a sample of acrylic polish for free, because they're nice like that.
How to make an acrylic T-style display stand
For each stand you'll need:
- sturdy rectangular base piece at least 6" by 6"
- 1" diameter acrylic rod (8" long for bracelet stand, 12" to 16" for necklace stand)
- half-round acrylic piece, 12" long
- 2 end caps
- acrylic cement
- hot glue gun and glue sticks
- a ruler
- a marker or scribe
Step 1: Assemble your supplies in a well-ventilated room, or outdoors. The acrylic cement is a bit noxious.
Step 2: Find the center of the large acrylic rectangle and mark with a scribe or marker. If you're using clear acrylic, the scribe is best -- marker will show through. The size of the base piece isn't that important. It just has to be wide enough to make the whole thing stable.
Step 3: Apply a small bit of acrylic cement to one end of the round acrylic rod and press it down onto the mark you made on the base piece. Acrylic cement is easiest to apply with a small syringe, like those used for insulin injections. I didn't have any handy, so I just got a dab on the end of a toothpick. Once the center rod is in place, you can apply a little more cement to the edge of the seam. It'll wick in between the pieces and fill any remaining gaps. Apply light pressure and hold the pieces together for a minute or two.
Step 4: Find and mark the middle of the half-round acrylic rod.
Step 5: Cement the half-round rod to the top of the round rod, forming the arms of your stand. Let the whole thing cure for a couple of hours.
Step 6: Stick something on the end of the arms to keep your jewelry from sliding off. I used a few European coins that I squirreled away after a trip I made a decade ago. Use cement if your end caps are acrylic; otherwise use hot glue.
Step 7 (optional): Polish the acrylic to remove any small scuffs or scratches.
Your stand is now ready to use! The cement bonds will be strongest after they sit for a day or so.
Cost:
Acrylic cement: $5.30 for 4 ounces
12" frosted round acrylic rod: $5.10 (clear is cheaper)
12" half-round clear acrylic rod: $2.35
8" by 6" by 1/4" clear acrylic base: $3.20
end caps: reused = free
Total spent to make a large stand: $10.65 for plastic, $5.30 for a can of cement that I will use on other projects, too.
*****
Other tutorials to check out:
Quick & easy homemade pendant display
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