Karate Belt Hanging Display
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I and my 3 kids are in karate classes. I thought it would be nice to have a hanging belt display. These usually retail anywhere from $25 to $80. Granted, mine did not come out like an $80 display, but for next to free, I'm pretty happy with it :)
I wanted to make this as simply as possible, with room to grow... which this has...
I and my 3 kids are in karate classes. I thought it would be nice to have a hanging belt display. These usually retail anywhere from $25 to $80. Granted, mine did not come out like an $80 display, but for next to free, I'm pretty happy with it :)
I wanted to make this as simply as possible, with room to grow... which this has...
Supplies
For this, I needed a pair of scissors, a tape measure, a roll of electrical tape, and about 15 feet of paracord. I had all of this laying around, but just for reference I got the paracord at a military surplus store $7.99 for 100ft. As a rough estimate, you need about 4 feet of paracord per belt (2 ft per side). You could use string, or heavy duty thread, or even fishing line.
If you're planning on going all the way to black belt, feel free to add enough cord for all of the belts in between where you are and where you will be, we'll deal with that at the last step ;)
...and of course, karate belts...
If you're planning on going all the way to black belt, feel free to add enough cord for all of the belts in between where you are and where you will be, we'll deal with that at the last step ;)
...and of course, karate belts...
Belt Preparation
In order to get each belt ready, I folded them in half, then folded them in half again.
I laid the belt on its front (the side to be displayed) and put a band of electrical tape on each end. This will keep the belt tight, and looks kind of neat, plus the paracord blends into it.
I laid the belt on its front (the side to be displayed) and put a band of electrical tape on each end. This will keep the belt tight, and looks kind of neat, plus the paracord blends into it.
First Belt Wrapping
I slipped the end of the paracord into the underside folds of the belt, right up against the tape on the left. Next I wound the cord around the tape twice, then fed the cord up through the folds towards where the belt above will be.
Second Belt
For the next belt, I repeated the process
Top Belt
Repeat the previous procedure until you get to the top belt of your presentation. Once you wrap the top belt, bring the cord up through the folds and leave a few inches of slack. This is going to be the hanger later.
Bring the cord over to the right hand side, down through the folds of the belt. Wrap the end, then come back through the top of the folds down toward the next lowest belt in the display (the second, orange, belt in this case)
Bring the cord through the folds of the next belt. Before you begin wrapping it, make sure the distance between the belt and the one above is the same on both sides (so that the belt will hang horizontally)
Bring the cord over to the right hand side, down through the folds of the belt. Wrap the end, then come back through the top of the folds down toward the next lowest belt in the display (the second, orange, belt in this case)
Bring the cord through the folds of the next belt. Before you begin wrapping it, make sure the distance between the belt and the one above is the same on both sides (so that the belt will hang horizontally)
Planning for the Future
Remeber our formula of 4ft of cord per belt? Well, if you're planning on going all the way to black belt, feel free to add enough cord for all of the belts in between where you are and where you will be.
When we get to the end, all of your excess cord will be hanging out of the bottom of the first belt. I made a small weave out of mine, and stowed it in the folds of the first belt, and secured it with another band of tape in the middle of the first belt.
Once we have another belt to add to the display, I can simply unwind all of the right side of the belts and add one to the top, then rewind.
Total time to build: 10 minutes ... rewinding will be a breeze.
https://www.facebook.com/westcoastkarate
When we get to the end, all of your excess cord will be hanging out of the bottom of the first belt. I made a small weave out of mine, and stowed it in the folds of the first belt, and secured it with another band of tape in the middle of the first belt.
Once we have another belt to add to the display, I can simply unwind all of the right side of the belts and add one to the top, then rewind.
Total time to build: 10 minutes ... rewinding will be a breeze.
https://www.facebook.com/westcoastkarate