Creating a Ping Pong Singles Championship Trophy

 (I forgot I documented this in pictures until today so I am presenting them now) 

Ping Pong Tournament at work a few months ago - since we were hosting a singles as well as doubles contest this time around and we didn't have a singles trophy, we needed one. Even if I wanted to spend money on it, it would probably be cheesy and stale so I checked to see what I had on hand.

• a paddle
• ball
• an old trophy base (sorry Brandon)
• hardware
• adhesives

now to attach them I have a bit of hardware that I rounded which should fit in the handle and secure a threaded bolt shaft to tie it all together

stick the paddle handle in a vise and drill a neat hole as centered and vertical as possible

 test cram the hardware in the hole

 add the assumed finishing hardware

 eyeballing the assembly shows i need to shorten the column (since I don't have a longer bolt)

we'll cut that later - first prep for hardware securing by taping the areas I don't want to get goo on it

we'll be using reliable old jb weld

 mixing equal parts resin and hardener

 mix with a wooden paint stick

until a consistent grey color

it will be fairly liquid to start but it hardens quickly so I must drip and cram as much as I can get into the gap between hardware and handle quickly

 it tends to settle after a bit so I keep adding more using gravity as a helper

I have also prepared a place to hang it as it hardens completely 

it hardens pretty quickly

 as it hardens I begin to cut away the excess

 it has a somewhat leathery consistency at first but is much harder after curing, so I find it best to trim excess before fully curing

need to get it nice and clean so the parts mate up flush

 then it is ready to cure overnight

now to cut the column

first thought: easy hacksaw cut

 kinda looks crooked 

 yup - it's crooked

 breakout the chop saw and get it straight

test assemble the pieces, clear the tape and final assembly

Add a drop of clear auto adhesive to secure a ball

 let it cure overnight

 ready for labeling 

 Ping Pong Singles Championship trophy!

see the lucky 2011 trophy recipient here