Craft Your Own Stylus with These 4 Common Household Items
Ready to Craft Your Own Custom Stylus for Your Tablet? Here's How!
🔨 DIY Stylus Option 1: Cotton Bud/Q-Tip Stylus
🛍️ Gather Your Materials: You'll need a pen (a ballpoint or biro will work), a cotton bud/Q-tip, tin or aluminum foil, tape, scissors, or a craft knife.
💡 Step 1: Remove the ink cartridge from your pen, leaving a hole where the pen nib would be.
🔪 Step 2: Cut a diagonal piece from your cotton bud/Q-tip with scissors or a craft knife, about 100mm from the end. Be careful not to cut yourself!
🔧 Step 3: Insert the cotton bud into the pen where the nib normally sits. You may need to adjust the size of the cotton bud to ensure a secure fit.
🔩 Step 4: Wrap tin or aluminum foil around the pen to contact the cotton bud tip. Securely tape the foil.
💧 Step 5: Dampen the tip of your DIY stylus slightly. Be cautious not to wet your tablet with excess water!
Now, you've crafted your very own homemade stylus! If it loses conductivity, simply dampen it again to rejuvenate it.
🔨 DIY Stylus Option 2: Cotton Wool Stylus
🛍️ Gather Your Materials: You'll need a pen, tin foil, and cotton wool.
💡 Step 1: Dismantle your pen, cover the casing in tin foil, tape it, and feed a small piece of cotton wool through the pen nib hole.
🔩 Step 2: Push the ink cartridge back into the tip of the pen to secure the cotton wool. You may need to experiment with the amount of cotton wool used to achieve the best fit.
🔧 Step 3: Reassemble the pen, screwing the top back on and then the bottom. Leave a gap at the bottom to avoid obstruction. Trim the cartridge if needed, so the pen can be screwed back together.
💧 Step 4: Shape the cotton wool nib and dampen the tip with a small amount of water (not too much). Begin using your DIY stylus. If the tip becomes dry, dampen it again to bring it back to life!
🤓 Fun Facts
- There are three primary types of stylus: passive (capacitive), active, and EMR (electromagnetic resonance) styluses.
- Passive styluses mimic the touch input of a finger on a touchscreen, while active and EMR styluses have additional features such as pressure sensitivity and tilt recognition.
- Random items that can sometimes work as styluses include chopsticks, knitting needles, and metal straws.
- Be cautious while using a homemade stylus as it may not provide the same experience as a professionally manufactured one and may potentially damage your tablet.
Feel free to show off your DIY stylus creations by sharing them on Twitter or Facebook. Looking to upgrade your creative tech? Check out the best beginner's drawing tablets or tablets with a stylus pen for drawing and note-taking. Want a professionally-made stylus? Find today's best deals!
💌 Subscribe to Creative Bloq Newsletter
Stay updated with daily design news, reviews, how-tos, and more, as hand-picked by the Creative Bloq editors.
- Displaying creativity in design, you can craft a personalized stylus for your tablet from a pen, cotton wool, and tin foil.
- The DIY stylus offers an artful alternative to using a finger, and it works just like a professional stylus for your clever illustration projects.
- As you delve into 3D design or create captivating UX layouts, a custom stylus can help you draw with precision on your smartphones or tablets.
- With the cotton bud/Q-tip stylus or the cotton wool stylus, you can bring your design ideas to life, seamlessly transitioning from drawing to design art.
- Go the extra mile with your design skills and browse through tutorials for drawing and illustration techniques to elevate your creative game.
- Once you're comfortable using a homemade stylus, upgrade your creative tech arsenal by investing in the best beginner's drawing tablets or tablets with a stylus pen for note-taking and drawing.
- Explore the world of technology by experimenting with random items found at home, such as metal straws, knitting needles, or even chopsticks, as potential stylus alternatives.
- Connect with creators from around the globe, share your DIY stylus creations, and stay up-to-date on design trends by subscribing to the Creative Bloq newsletter.
