Elevate your #MedalMonday Celebration with Handcrafted Coasters

Elevate Your #MedalMonday Celebration with Handcrafted Coasters

3/13/2023

Race medals are festive, fun and fantastic. And don't forget meaningful.

Ask anyone who trained hard and finished a race — their finisher medal is more than a participation award. It's a symbol of making a plan, sticking to it, and accomplishing a goal!

That's why I think you may be interested in a new way to display your precious medals.

Check out how Joe at Handcrafted Coasters turned my inaugural St. Pete Run Fest medal into a useful piece of art!

Disclaimer: I received a custom Handcrafted Coaster to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about being a BibRave Pro, and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews

Before and After

I chose to have my St. Pete Run Fest Half Marathon medal made into a coaster because it's from the inaugural running of a favorite local race.

The medal is colorful and fun. I think it will be perfect in a set of coasters with other local races. (I'm looking at you Best Damn Race, St Pete Beach Classic and Gasparilla!)

Let's look at what happens when you order from Handcrafted Coasters.

2017 St Pete Run Fest Inaugural medal for the half marathon.

Here's the original finisher medal from 2017 - the inaugural running of the St Pete Half Marathon.

St Pete Run Fest medal transformed into a custom wooden coaster.

Here's my race medal inlaid into mahogany wood as a GORGEOUS coaster. I love it!

Sending Your Medal to Handcrafted Coasters

It's an easy process. I mailed my medal to Joe and 3-4 weeks later, I received my coaster.

1. First, order your coasters online at Handcrafted Coasters. You'll have a choice of 6 wood types.

The standard size coaster is 4 1/4" square and 3/8" thick.

Larger sizes are available via special order for an additional charge.

Handcrafted Coasters owner working on rough wood.

Say hello to Joe! He's the craftsman behind Handcrafted Coasters.

2. After you complete your online order, Handcrafted Coasters sends you a pre-addressed padded envelope. It includes tissue paper to wrap your medal for extra protection during shipping.

Remove the lanyard from your medal before shipping. If you forget, Handcrafted Coasters will remove it and return it with your completed coaster.

You pay the postage to send in your medal because the cost depends on the weight, size and carrier. It cost me about $5 via USPS to send my medal to Joe. (They send it back for free.)

What Happens Next?

What happens when your medal arrives at Joe's workshop? Joe gets to work.

He prepares your wood choice by cutting and planing rough wood. Then he sands it, cuts it to coaster size, and sands it again. These coasters truly are HAND CRAFTED!

Joe V at Handcrafted Coasters cutting wood into individual coasters.

Here Joe is cutting wood to size for coasters. You can choose from six different wood types, which are naturally finished to enhance the grains and color of the material.

Joe V at Handcrafted Coaster sanding wood for custom made coasters.

Here Joe's sanding the cut to size coasters before routing.

Routing the Wood

Joe carefully measures every aspect of your medal. He inputs the measurements into software that works with his woodworking equipment.

Next, Joe carves your medal into the wood you selected.

Wood router carving medal design in wood.

The router is working it's magic. Here's the start of the shape of a medal being carved into the wood.

Outline of race medal cut out of mahogany wood during coaster making process.

Wow! Can you see my future coaster?! In this photo the initial router work is done.

Fine-tuning the Fit

Joe places the medal into the cut out wood and double and triple checks the fit. When he's happy with it, he moves on to the next step.

How cool is this? Side note: my original medal had moving feet on the pelican. Joe tried a couple of options to keep them, but it wasn't possible. I have to say I love it like this! I mention this as something to keep in mind when choosing which medal you want to use.

Epoxy Pour

Once the medal is inlaid in the wood it's time to seal it in with a protective coating of epoxy.

The epoxy permanently seals your medal in the wood, making it water and heat resistant. Heat resistance level isn't suitable for very high temperatures. For example, you can use it for coffee, tea and soup; but don't use it as hot dish trivet.

The back of each coaster is sprayed with lacquer for durability and strength. Cork pads are added to protect any surface you place your coaster on.

The photo below shows an assortment of medals after the epoxy pour. Check out mine, second from the right on the bottom row.

View of 7 race medals made into Handcrafted Coasters.

The front of the medal is coated with epoxy. The back of the coaster is lacquered.

Removing Air Bubbles from the Epoxy

Joe uses a torch to coax the air bubbles out of the epoxy to create a clear, smooth finish.

All process photos credit: Hand Crafted Coasters. All other photos credit: This Old Runner

Cheers to Your Finished Coaster

After your coaster is cured, it's returned to you. I received my coaster 3-4 weeks after sending in my medal.

Handcrafted Coasters returns your coaster in a secure envelope or box at no charge. Domestic shipping is free.

Pull it out of the package and enjoy your new drink pedestal! I'll be back to show you how I use my new treasure!

St Pete Run Fest Half Marathon medal made into a coaster.

I'm just over here admiring my new Handcrafted Coaster! Isn't it a beauty?

Ready to Upgrade Your Medals?

Click on over to Handcrafted Coasters to turn your medal into a coaster, or set of coasters. Hurry up to take advantage of the online sale on coaster SETS.

Gift Cards Available

If you have a special athlete in your life, this makes an absolutely wonderful gift! Now's the time to plan for a unique Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthday or Anniversary gift.

Gift cards are delivered by email and contain instructions to redeem them at checkout. Gift cards have no additional processing fees.

If you have another idea to mark your achievement, email joe@handcraftedcoasters.com to discuss your ideas. Check out the website to see his variety of work.

Check Out More Handcrafted Coasters

Want to see more examples of a Handcrafted Coaster?

Check out Blue Grass BAMR's write up on her gorgeous Urban Bourban Half Marathon medal turned coaster. It's a beauty!

See She Runs By The Seashore's review of her beautiful Rehoboth Beach Half Marathon medal. Turning it into a coaster is the perfect way to preserve it.

Admire what happened when She Runs By Faith had her CIM (California International Marathon) medal transformed into a coaster. It's a beautiful keepsake now.

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This Old Runner Writes