January 20th, 2007

DIY Keychain

I have this problem with keychains: they are usually too bulky and, worst of all, they make an annoying tingling noise. That is why I decided to make a keychain myself. After a long period of intense research looking for the right material, techniques and design (yeah, as if!) I came up with a solution.

You see, I carry my wallet/notebok (image above) around with me all the time, so I thought my keychain should somehow be there all the time.

This wallet-thing has compartments for cards and whatnot. So I made a card-keychain.

The thing is very simple and easy to make with a small piece of cardboard and a knife. First you’ll want to make your keys become 2D, or stick them together so that they stay horizontal relative to one a nother. Then cut the shapes of the keys throught the first and middle layers of the cardboard making sure not pierce throught the third one (the other side). Finally remove the middle layer from the inside of the cut area. And that’s it! I added some scotch tape on the sides to make it more rugged.

All in all it works, but there are some problems with the current “prototype”, those are:

• the shape of the keys was excessively precise, now I can only fit them in one exact position; next time: make the shape fit the keys in all 4 possible positions
• the cardboard was cut too smal and the keys didn’t fit right; next time: shape the keys before cutting out the card-size cardboard
• it is rather inconvenient because it requires you to use both hands to get a key; next time: try something different, maybe more like swiss army knife type of thing.

If you have any other ideas or solutions on how to solve this problem that afflicts mankind, don’t hesitate: comment here!

Filed by rhwinter at January 20th, 2007 under DIY
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