Mindscanner #55 

IKV Kahless Ro'  Event Recognition

  Month 6, year of Kahless 1001 [June 1999] Recognition of our crew members' participation is important. KAG has a battle notches and kill stripes, but often we participate in activities that don't quite fall into these types of awards. We wanted to award something to crew members that participated in an event, without the cost of molding special pins. Printing certificates is nice, and generally inexpensive, but you can display only so many framed certificates and for a club as active as this one, our members would be wallpapering their homes with activity certificates. Certificates also require someone to have a computer, design software and a decent printer. Well, not everyone has that. Recently we came up with a solution - arm bands. For each event we will make a custom arm band that our members can wear at the event, and then retain as recognition of that service. Several can be displayed in a frame that once held only one certificate. And, because this doesn't require a computer, or sewing skills, it is something that can be done by a member eager to contribute but with minimum of skills. Here's what you need: Ribbon. Just your basic fabric store, nylon ribbon around 1.5" wide. Black is a nice color, so is dark red, grey and most of the basic Klingon colors. Each ribbon will be about 18" long in order to leave enough length to tie it around the arm. Ink. Liquid ink like the kind used in fountain pens or calligraphy pens. This can be purchased in a small bottle at most craft stores that sell calligraphy pens and drawing supplies. Be sure to use contrasting ribbon and ink colors. Silver ink on a black ribbon looks nice. Dark Red on light grey. You get the idea. Stencil. This can be cut from most any thin plastic. Transparency sheets are available at office supply stores. If you are on a really tight budget then you can save those window envelopes that your bills get mailed to you in, and cut the stencil through the cellophane window. That craft store that you go to for the ink should also have precut stencils for numbers, letters etc. This can be nice if you want to put the date on the arm bands. Airbrush. Don't panic. This does not have to be expensive. First ask around your group. Lots of people try their hand at airbrushing. Someone may have a rig in a closet. Next, watch the garage sales. Lastly, Toys R Us and most hobby stores have the inexpensive Testors® beginners airbrush kit for about $20. It is a simple brush that connects to a can of propellant. This can be nice to use while at an event because there is no electricity involved. Just be sure to barely open the valve on the can so you are using a very low pressure. Doing something like this while at an event can help draw people to your booth and give you a starting point for conversation. Hobby (Exacto®) knife. Lets look at the steps for making the ribbons. In this example we made ribbons for the wake that was held for the closing of Deep Space Nine. 1. Think about what you want on the ribbon, and be sure it fits in the space around one arm. We chose a small picture of the station, with the opening year and ending year on either side (see picture of the final band). 2. We then traced a picture of the DS9 station onto the stencil material. 3. The year numbers were then traced from a purchased template. 4. Using the Exacto® knife, the stencil was then cut out of the plastic. 5. Cut the ribbons to length. (you might want to use a lighter to seal the ends so they don't fray. 6. Using a surface that can be easily cleaned like a kitchen counter, tape the top edge of the stencil to the counter. This will be the hinge, and keep the stencil from slipping. 7. Slip the ribbon under the stencil. 8. Airbrush the ink. Remember that it is easier to add a little more, than take some away. Apply slowly and evenly. If you are unfamiliar with using an airbrush then practice using paper or scrap cloth. 9. Lay the ribbons carefully to the side to dry. That's it! Using a different color ribbon for each event can distinguish the events. Or, if there is more than one ship in your area you can all settle on specific color combinations that set you apart from each other. After the event, the ribbon can be added to a cardboard and displayed in a frame. A standard certificate frame is made for an 8.5x11 paper. If your ribbons are 1.5" tall then you can place 6-7 ribbons in one frame These ideas and techniques are the result of combined work of the CO of the IEV Empires Revenge and the CO of the IKV Kahless Ro'. This is a good example that playing well with others, inside or outside of KAG will benefit your ship and make the Klingon Empire that much stronger. Taj - c.o. Empires Revenge (a.k.a. Lt. Tribble, official mascot of the IKV Kahless Ro', but I didn't tell you.) [email protected] tlhIn'toq - c.o. Kahless Ro' [email protected] Glory to the Empire!