Ornament Stand (5 Minute Project)

This quick project only takes a minute or five, and will allow you to create a custom stand for any ornament you may want to display. As an example, I'll be making a stand for the plaster cast of a European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) hoof print.

• Sturdy wire. I used a 1/16" brass rod (1.57 mm).
• Pliable wire ideally of about the same thickness as the sturdy wire. I used some old solder wire.
• Spray paint (optional). I used Motip Carat Satin Jet Black deco spray

• Pliers

Using the ornament as a guide, fold the pliable wire around it to create a model in the rough shape of the stand. Because the wire is so pliable, it's very easy to play around in order to create a shape you're happy with. Do keep in mind that this also means it's very easy to deform any "good" shapes you come up with!

My cast has a flat back, which makes it fairly easy to shape the wire into something that will hold it snuggly. If your ornament has a curved/round back, you'll want to play around a bit with the shape of that part of the stand.

When you've finished shaping it, test the model to see if the final shape is to your liking. If your ornament is light enough, you can place it in the model during testing. Havier ornaments might require you to support the model to keep it from deforming, but you should still be able to assess the most important aspects of your stand's shape.

Some points you might want to pay special attention to:

• is the stand level and not wobbly?
• does the stand hold the ornament in the desired orientation?
• does the ornament sit securely when in the stand?
• can I take the ornament out of the stand and put it back in easily?

If you want to make any adjustments, this is your last chance to do so.

Start at one end and - bend by bend - shape the sturdy wire in the same shape as the pliable model you made. I used pliers and metal rods in different sizes to help make the bends as clean as possible.

Make sure you're completely finished with each bend before moving on to the next - if you have to go back and adjust a previous bend later, chance are you'll need to adjust later bends as well and your stand will quickly turn into a crooked mess.

When finished, cut off the excess wire. I used a Dremel 8100 with a 402 mandrel and 540 cut-off wheel for this. Make sure to wear protective goggles while cutting metal!

You can leave the stand in the original color, but I decided to paint mine with black spray paint - I figured a black stand would look nice for a pale white ornament like my cast.

This should go without saying, but follow the safety guidelines of the paint you're using (use a mask if needed!) and make doubly sure the paint is completely dry before placing your ornament back in the stand.

Put your ornament in its brand new stand and place it somewhere it can be admired!