Okay, so I got this idea stuck in my head a while back – I wanted my own US Championship spinner belt. You know, the one John Cena made famous? It just looked cool, and I figured, why not try making one myself? Seemed like a fun project.
First thing, I needed a plan. I spent a good amount of time just looking at pictures online. Tons of ’em. Trying to get all the details right, the shape of the plates, the eagle, the stars, and of course, the spinning center part. I sketched out some rough templates on paper, trying to get the scale about right. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but I wanted it recognizable.
Gathering the Bits and Pieces
Next up was getting the materials. This took some running around.
- The Strap: I needed something that looked like black leather but wasn’t going to cost a fortune. Found some decent quality pleather, thick enough to feel sturdy.
- The Plates: This was a tough one. Real metal was out – too hard to work with, too expensive. I decided to go with a combination. I used some sturdy craft foam, the thick EVA kind, for the base shape of the plates. For a metallic look, I got some thin craft plastic sheets with a metallic finish that I could layer on top.
- Spinner Mechanism: How to make it spin? I ended up finding a simple lazy susan bearing. Small, cheap, and seemed like it would do the job for the center plate.
- Details: Needed gold paint (lots of it!), some red and blue paint for the details, fake gemstones for the bling, and strong glue. Like, really strong glue. Contact cement and maybe some epoxy.
Putting It All Together
Alright, construction time. I started by cutting out the main strap shape from the pleather. Measured it against my waist, left some extra for adjustments. Then I cut out the plate shapes from the thick EVA foam using my paper templates. The main plate, the side plates, all of them.
Shaping the foam took a bit of patience. I used a craft knife and some sanding to get the curved edges looking okay. Then I cut the metallic plastic sheets to cover the foam plates. This part was fiddly. Had to carefully glue the plastic onto the foam, trying to avoid bubbles and wrinkles. Used contact cement for this, applying it to both surfaces, letting it get tacky, then pressing them together. Carefully.
The center plate was the main event. I made it in two parts: the base that attaches to the belt and the top spinning ‘US’ logo part. I mounted the lazy susan bearing onto the base plate section, making sure it was centered. Then I attached the spinning logo piece to the top of the bearing. Getting it centered and balanced so it spun reasonably well took a few attempts. Had to adjust it a bit.
Painting and Finishing Touches
Once the basic structure was glued, it was time for paint. Sprayed the plates gold. Took a couple of coats to get good coverage. Let it dry completely. Then came the detailing – painting the red and blue stripes, the eagle, the letters. Used small brushes for this. It’s not perfect, my hands aren’t the steadiest, but it started looking like the real deal.
After the paint dried, I started adding the fake gems. Glued them on one by one around the edges of the plates. This added that necessary championship sparkle.
Finally, attaching the plates to the strap. I marked out the positions on the pleather strap first. I used a combination of strong epoxy glue and, for the main plate, some bolts that went through the strap and the base plate (underneath the spinning part) for extra security. Didn’t want things falling off. I added velcro to the ends of the strap for fastening it.
The Final Result
And that was pretty much it. Stood back and took a look. Honestly, it turned out better than I expected! It’s definitely homemade, you can tell up close, but the overall look is there. The center plate spins, the colors pop, and it feels substantial enough. Was it a perfect replica? No way. But was it a fun project and do I have my own US spinner belt now? Absolutely. It was a good way to spend a few weekends, figuring things out as I went. Happy with how it came out.
