Counter-Strike Pins Display Guide

How to frame Counter-Strike physical pins in a nice display.

Intro

Physical pins are a great addition to any Counter-Strike player setup! In this guide you will learn how to frame the pins and display them nicely.

NOTE: This guide will not cover the cost of the actual pins as it may change over time. For those that are curious, I paid $1375 USD for all 3 sets of pins (excluding display frames) as of 10/30/2023

Tools

Before you start making a display, make sure you got the necessary tools.

Mandatory:

• Ruler
  
• Scissors
  
• Sharpie/Marker
  
• Fabric glue
  
• Thumb Tacks
  
• Pin Positioning Template (found below)

Optional:

• Exacto knife (if your cork sheets are already cut to size, you do not need one)
  
• Black electrical tape (if you don't want to glue the fabric to the cork, you can secure it with electrical tape like I did)
  
• Exacto cutting board (if you don't want to mess up your working surface while cutting the cork, a cutting board is highly recommended)

Frame

The most commonly used frame for pin displays is the IKEA Ribba 23x23cm. However, this frame size has been discontinued. Here are some alternatives:


IKEA Ribba 20x25cm[www.ikea.com]
This is the frame that I used for my display. While it's not a 1:1 square, it still works quite well because a lot of pins are rectangular.


Framed example of my own set




IKEA KNOPPÄNG 23x23cm[www.ikea.com]
If you prefer a square frame, this is probably the most appropriate size IKEA currently offers.


Framed example by Defnite on X





There is also the IKEA SANNAHED 25x25cm[www.ikea.com] however I don't recommend it due to its very large depth. It looks like a brick hanging on the wall. If you plan on keeping the frame on a shelf/table then feel free to use it.

Framed example by u/TomnomnomCS on Reddit




You can of course go with a different frame if you wish. I would recommend you stay between 20-25cm inner size for the display to look proportional.

Backboard

After you picked out your frame, you need to get some cork material to stick the pins into. Make sure you get the cork AFTER you get the frames to make sure you get adequately sized sheets.

NOTE: Do NOT use cardboard to stick the pins into. Cardboard is not dense enough which will result in your pins constantly rotating when you move the frame.

If you can't find sheets of cork that match your frame size, you will need a sharp and sturdy exacto knife to cut it to size.

30 x 30 x 0.5cm Cork Board[www.amazon.com]

Fabric

You will need some dark and opaque fabric to wrap around the cork sheet. When you cut the fabric, leave about 3-4cm extra space on each side to wrap around the edges of the cork.

The fabric has to be dark, opaque and matte like this:



Avoid satin/shinny fabrics as it will distract from the pins. I recommend buying fabric at a local fabric store so you can inspect the material in person first.

Once you cut a piece of fabric to size (3-4cm extra on each side), wrap it around the edges of the cork and secure it with strong electrical tape or fabric glue.

Template

After you tightly wrapped the fabric around the cork, it's time to poke holes for the pins. For this, I recommend using a template to ensure even distribution and spacing.

NOTE: If you print the 23x23cm template, it will NOT fit on a standard A4 piece of paper. You will need to either print it on a printer that supports larger paper, or draw the template manually.







If you do not have a printer, you can draw this template manually with a pencil and ruler. Simply divide the width/height by 4 and draw a line at each interval.

Ex: 20x25cm template -> 20/4 = every 5cm width and 25/4 = every 6.25cm height

Where to get pins?

Here's a list of trusted pins sellers in the community:

• Radiant NA
  
• burdenbc AS
  
• Alkem1stCS EU
  
• SaS EU

MAKE SURE YOU'RE MESSAGING THE LEGIT SELLER AND NOT AN IMPERSONATOR!

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this guide and found something insightful! If you found this guide useful, I would appreciate a follow on Twitter

[Zebra]

Gold

[Takdar ༝꩜]

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[ᴄʜᴇꜰ]

I NEED THIS

[Aman1ta]

𝓫𝔂𝓐𝓶𝓪𝓷 1 𝓽𝓪 🎔

[lime]

very good guide!

[.SaS ⇄ Genuine Pins]

Very nais

[Kein]

W

[MooNCaKe月餅]

Clean!

[saMZ]

i love you

[Sanizor05]

Thank you for the guide 👏