Very nice. I have considered one of the firefighter's tartans. One of my best friends is a San Bernadino County firefighter, and my cousin is a fireman in Colorado.
If your badge is too heavy, make one...it's easy. Get Super Sculpey from WalMar or an art supply storet. It's easy to work with and requires no special skills or equipment. Basically...Knead it until soft. Lay out a pancake about 1/2 inch deep. Sprinkle it with baby powder(to prevent sticking) and push your badge into it to make a mold. Don't worry, it won't damage it at all. Bake the mold in your oven according to the directions. Let it cool, then sprinkle it with baby powder and press clay into it to make a new badge. Pull it out of the mold and bake it. Attach a pin back to it and hit it with some paint. Not a perfect replica, but it will look good and impart the idea. There are a lot of good tutorials online that will walk you through the process.
I did this with my Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist pin from the Navy. I found two benefits--first, it was lighter, and second it cost about a dollar, counting the pin-backing, so if it was lost or damaged I just made a better one.
Just a suggestion. Polymer clays are pretty cool for this sort of thing because they are easy as pie to work with and cheap as heck. A five dollar box of clay allowed me to sculpt about thirty original prototype kilt pins before I was happy with it. Then I made a mold from it and made 10 more--quite a few became gifts, mostly magnets--and I still have a lot left.
The kilt looks good. As a fireman you should wear it with pride!!
The grass is greener on the other side of the fence...and it's usually greenest right above the septic tank.
Allen
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