Nothing is more American than our American flag, baseball and apple pie! So I thought I would mix them for a great July 4th artwork…well, technically the apple pie is just on the side, but I’m mixing America and baseball! The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays, and I love all things Americana…including our beautiful flag. So I’m creating a flag out of baseballs and baseball bats. Here is how to get started!
You Will Need:
- ¾” plywood, cut to size
- 1”x3” pieces of wood, cut to size
- 10 (Ten) 32” Baseball bat halves (you can find these on Etsy or eBay)
- 15 Rubber balls that look like baseballs
- Red satin spray paint
- White satin spray paint
- Blue satin spray paint
- Water-based stain in the color of your choosing (I’m using a stain and poly blend)
- Rag or paint brush
- Pencil
- Straight edge
- Blue painter’s tape
- Miter saw or hand saw
- Wood glue
- Hot glue and glue gun
- Nail gun with 1 ¼” nails
- Scissors or craft knife
- Measuring tape
- OPTIONAL: Sand paper (to use on cut edges and the baseball bats if they are stained or finished)
How-To:
1. Your plywood will serve as the place to hold your American flag. The 1×3’s will be the frame. Have the hardware store cut your plywood and 1×3’s to the following sizes:
(2) 1×3” at your desired length (shorter rectangle sides)
(2) 1×3” at your desired length (long rectangle sides)
(1) ¾” plywood at your desired length
2. In the top left corner of your plywood, measure the part you will have the balls (this will be the top left of the board, think of the blue and stars area of our American flag). Mark off with a pencil and straight edge.
3. Take the painters tape and tape off the parts you do not want painted blue.
4. Spray paint the blue section. Set aside to dry.
5. While waiting for it to dry, stain the 1×3”s. Set aside to dry.
6. Once plywood is dry, remove the painter’s tape and stain the front of the remaining un-colored plywood. (Leave the blue alone)
7. Take your bats and spray paint 5 red and 5 white. Set aside to dry.
8. Take your wood glue and glue the backside of a white bat and set it horizontally in place at the bottom of your plywood. Secure with a nail on each end. The wood glue will hold the bat, and the nail just keeps it in place until the glue dries and holds.
9. Do the same action with a red bat, laid horizontally going the opposite way (see picture).
10. Continue this process until you have 6 total bats on the bottom half of your plywood.
11. With a pair of sturdy scissors or a craft knife, cut the rubber baseballs in half. It may be uneven on the back/cut side but don’t worry…that will be covered up when you attach it to the board. (Basically, don’t buy 8 balls and think that you will get 16 good pieces…you will want to purchase all 15 that you will need!)
12. Take your hot glue and glue down the back/cut sides of your baseballs in the blue section of the plywood.
13. Measure the area from the blue paint to the edge of your plywood. This will be the part that you will put additional red and white bats, but you need to cut them with a miter saw or hand saw. Cut them to size.
14. Continue this process until you have the last red bat at the top.
15. Take your stained 1×3”s and add them to the plywood as a frame or border. To do this, add wood glue to the sides of the plywood then attach 1×3”, and secure with a nail from a nail gun. If you don’t have a nail gun, you could use screws…carefully!
16. Add a French cleat to the back side of the plywood.
17. Enjoy your baseball flag art!
Tips:
- If you didn’t want to use bats that are already cut in half, you can try cutting them yourself, but it is VERY dangerous. I’m pretty comfortable with a table saw and hand saw, and I’ll still wouldn’t cut it myself! My recommendation…buy them already cut!
- You could also use real baseballs and cut them in half, instead of buying the rubber ones but again, it’s VERY dangerous! Once the rubber balls are cut in half and it’s hanging on the wall, you can’t tell they are fake! So, stick with the fake ones and be safe!
- If you are using baseball bats that have a finish on them (either paint or stain or varnish), you want to make sure that you sand them down with sand paper before you apply the spray paint.
- If you have a surface that you want to cover up on the baseball bat, prime the bat first with primer (paint). If you want to skip that step, find a spray paint that is “primer and paint in one”.
- You can have your hardware store cut the 1”x3” and the plywood, but they will NOT cut your bats. You will need a miter saw or hand saw to do this.
Happy 4th of July every body! If you missed the episode or want to see it again then check it out here. Tell us what you think in the comments below and remember we want to see your DIY’s on Instagram so follow @PaigeHemmis #PaigeDIY