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Lost your stylus? Seeking more precision for your tablet or touchscreen artwork? Before buying a replacement, explore this helpful guide on crafting your DIY stylus pen suitable for nearly any screen—Android, iPad, Nintendo 3DS, and more!
Instructions
Understanding Your Touch Screen
Identify your device's touch screen type. Different screens require different approaches, and your homemade stylus might not work with all of them.
- iPhones, iPads, Androids, Kindles, and many other devices feature capacitive touch screens, which rely on electrical conductivity (like the human body) to detect touch points.
- Nintendo DS, The 3Ds, the Nook, and select phones and e-readers use resistive or infrared touch screens, registering touch based on pressure. Almost anything can serve as a makeshift stylus, but take care to avoid scratching the screen.
Check your screen if you're unsure. Tap the screen with the end of a pen cap. If the screen reacts, it's likely a resistive or infrared touch screen. If there's no response, the screen is inactive.
Crafting a Sponge Stylus (For Capacitive Screens)
Collect your supplies. Get a clean dish sponge (not a scrubbing pad) and a ballpoint pen with a removable tip.
- An inexpensive plastic pen is ideal, provided you can easily remove the plastic tip and extract the ink cartridge.
- A slightly translucent pen can aid visibility during the process.
Trim a piece of sponge to match the pen's width. You can estimate this by aligning the pen with the sponge and marking the width with a marker, or you can gauge it visually.
If the sponge has a rough, abrasive side (like a Scotch-Brite sponge), remove it. Abrasive surfaces can potentially scratch and harm your screen. You want only the soft sponge part.
Clean and dry the sponge thoroughly. If the sponge contains soap, rinse it with warm water to ensure no residue remains. Squeeze out excess water and allow the sponge to air dry completely.
Disassemble the pen by removing the plastic tip and its internals—such as the ballpoint, ink reservoir, and spring if it's a retractable pen. You should be left with the pen's empty shell.
- The plastic tip can usually be removed by hand. If it's stubborn, try using needle-nose pliers for assistance.
Insert the sponge into the pen's base. Pinch the sponge to compress it slightly, then insert it into the bottom of the pen.
Leave about 1/4 to 1/8 inch of the sponge protruding from the pen. Gently fray and separate the sponge fibers with your fingertip.
Hold the stylus close to its tip to ensure functionality. Your fingers should make contact with the pen's base, which touches the sponge. Avoid holding the hollow part of the pen, as this prevents the electromagnetic signal from passing through the sponge, resulting in the touch screen not recognizing the stylus input.
Crafting a Stylus with Aluminum Foil (For Capacitive Screens)
Collect your materials. You'll require approximately one foot of aluminum foil, any type of tape, and an unsharpened pencil. Optionally, have a sharp knife on hand to shape the pencil tip.
- If a pencil isn't available, alternatives like a pen, chopstick, or dowel can be used. However, pencils or wooden objects are preferable, especially if you intend to carve the tip into an angled shape.
Shape the tip of the pencil to a slight, flat angle using a sharp knife. Avoid sharpening the pencil as if preparing to write. The angled tip should maintain a surface area of at least four millimeters, approximately the size of a pencil eraser or fingertip. Many capacitive touch screens require a minimum touch area for recognition.
- This step enhances comfort but is optional. Holding the stylus vertically without the angled tip remains functional.
- Exercise caution when using a knife, ensuring cuts are made away from the body to prevent accidents.
Wrap the pencil entirely with at least two layers of aluminum foil. Ensure the foil covers the tips neatly.
- For pens, maintain the cap on while wrapping.
Smooth the aluminum foil over the angled tip of the pencil. The tip should be flat and free of wrinkles or bumps to ensure optimal functionality.
- Irregularities in the tip may hinder the stylus's effectiveness.
Secure a strip of tape around the pencil's midpoint. This helps hold the aluminum foil in position.
Shield the stylus tip with a layer of Scotch tape. This precaution safeguards your screen against potential scratches from the aluminum foil.
Test your stylus to ensure functionality. If it's not responsive, attempt to further flatten the tip. Remember, it should be at least as large as an eraser for proper recognition by your touch screen.
Crafting a Stylus from a Wooden Chopstick (For Resistive or Infrared Screens)
Collect your materials. You'll require a single chopstick, sandpaper, and a tool for sharpening the wood. While a hand-operated pencil sharpener is ideal, a sharp knife can suffice if a sharpener isn't available.
- Avoid using an electric pencil sharpener, as it may cause breakage.
Refine the tip (the slender end that contacts the food) of the chopstick using the pencil sharpener. Ensure it's less pointed than a pencil—aim for a blunt, rounded tip.
Polish the tip with sandpaper. A sharp tip could harm your touch screen (or you). Gently rub the tip with the sandpaper until it's rounded. It shouldn't cause discomfort if pressed against your skin.
- Smooth any rough areas of the chopstick to prevent splinters.
Personalize your stylus with Washi tape or paint. Adding a few layers of tape around the stylus might enhance its grip.
- Remember: this stylus will not function on an iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire, or any device with a capacitive screen.
Insights
Precautions
- Exercise caution whenever handling a knife. Always push it away from your body while carving or whittling—avoid pulling it towards yourself!
Essential Supplies
Crafting a Sponge Stylus
- Clean sponge
- Ballpoint pen with a removable tip
- Scissors
Crafting an Aluminum Foil Stylus
- Aluminum Foil
- Tape (Scotch, duct, etc.)
- An unsharpened pencil
- Sharp knife (optional)
Crafting with a Chopstick
- Chopstick
- Sharp knife or Hand-held Pencil Sharpener (not electric)
- Sandpaper
- Washi tape, paint, or markers for decoration
