Introduction: DieselPunk Pipboy 4G Wrist Thingy Phone Mount

About: I make things from other things that you wouldn't normally think to make things with.

So, I've been making things for my EVO 4G since I got it last October, such as 4 different Acoustic Amplifying Phone Stands.  I have always wanted a pipboy or wrist thingy because they are cool as all get out.  Recently, I decided that I was fed up with having the idea but not the product, so I set out to change that.

Enter, the Pipboy 4G mount for my EVO 4G.  I thought about doing it up steampunk but steampunk just isn't my style.  I have always loved the Futura Styling that was popular between the 1920's and 1950's.  This is essentially the DieselPunk style.  The lines are smooth, shiny and have some serious style going on.

Step 1: Materials 'N' Junk

So really, I just looked around and found all of the materials for this. Here is a list of the things I used along with tools.

Materials:
3" PVC
2mm Styrene sheet
2 hinges
Altoids Smalls tin
8-32 bolt
2 8-32 washers
8-32 wingnut
Brass fitting
Steel roofing paper disc
Pop Rivets, lots of them

Tools:
Bandsaw
Dremel(with all of the goodies)
Drill Press
Bench Grinder
Torch with hot air attachment
Pop Rivet Gun
Ball Peen Hammer

Step 2: Cut PVC in Half

Now, this is a tricky process. Cutting a round object straight is never quite as easy as it seems. The way I did it was the lazy way.

I grabbed a board that was nice and straight, and put the PVC up against it, used my marker and drew a line across it. This gave me a nice straight line to follow. I then used that board to keep the PVC straight, and aligned the bottom of the PVC with a groove that is in my bandsaw desk. I lined up the line I drew with the cutting blade, and marked on the bottom of the pipe with my marker. This gave me two things to line it up with. I then simply kept the bottom mark lined up with the groove and the top line with the cutting blade. This allowed me to cut pretty darn straight. I was proud. 

Step 3: Hinges, Baby, Hinges!

So, you want to select 2 or 3 hinges that are either identical or close in function. I happened to find 3 that were identical and decided to only use 2, as it would make them easier to line up. 

Once you have your hinges, you need to modify them. Most hinges are flat, so you will need to put the curve in em. There are a few ways to do this, but I did it the Sacrificial Wood way.  This involves using a piece of soft wood and beating on the hinges which curves them. This is a metal working thing, although usually, you use a leather bag/pad. I don't have one of these, so wood is perfect.  I use the ball side of a ball peen hammer.  They make fancy hammers for this, but I'm not a fancy kind of guy, so this works perfectly.  

It doesn't take very many or very hard hits to get a good curve on the metal. On one end, I was only planning on using 2 holes, so I drew an arrow end and didnt bother curving past it.  Have some of the PVC close at hand to check the curve against. When it's good, do the next one.  When you have the hinges curved, you can go ahead and cut along the arrow.  This isn't necessary, but it gives breathing room to the phone and make it look cool.  That's what this is all about, right? After that, I went to the bend grinder and ground some nice bevels on em.  I then took a sanding wheel to them and shined em up. 

At this point, you can line up your PVC halves, lay the hinges on it, and mark some holes. I did one side first, and then riveted it on, then marked and drilled the other side so the hinges would line up.  It seemed easier at the time.  Make sure you mark your holes centered or else the rivets will end up crooked, like mine did.  Oh well, the style gets across and they work. haha.

Step 4: Phone Mount!

This is an important part! Without this, the entire thing would just be a fancy, heavy bracelet. Also, it will need to be sturdy enough to hold my phone well enough that I don't faceplant it on the ground with a slight flick of the wrist. 

This is where I grabbed a scrap piece of 2mm styrene from my materials box. It was sort of an L shape, and the skinny part was about the right width for the top piece, and the large piece was the width of the phone. This just worked out so perfectly, it was scary. 

First, I formed the top piece, which also functions as a clasp. This is how I will get the phone on and off of the Pipboy 4G.  I simply took the skinny piece, and bent the end at 90 degree with a bit of coaxing from my hot air torch. I then cut the piece into an arrow on one end, drilled three holes and attached it with three rivets.  Simple enough.

For the much sturdier bottom piece, I used a much wider piece of styrene and bent a 90 on one edge.  I then had to bend where it would meet the PVC at the opposite angle.  I then shaped the mounting surface, cut it in arrows, drilled holes and riveted it on. 

Step 5: Add a Latch

This is a fairly simple step.  Source a latch of some sort. I used a window latch, for its neatiness. 

Drill the holes, install the latch. Simple enough.

My latch was gold. Dieselpunk doesn't do gold, so I sanded the coating off. You will see the result in later steps.

Step 6: Make Relief for Phone Camera

The camera on the EVO 4G sticks off the back of it a millimeter or so. This cause a little problem with how flat the phone sits. It isn't a big deal, but I like things to be right. 

Simply grabbed my dremel with destructo wheel bit and carved a relief. Refer to pics

Step 7: Add Things!

You know, there needs to be more on this.  I decided to add a sprung tensioner to the clasping mechanism and a compartment to store...things.

For the tensioner, I used a long 8-32 bolt, a couple washers, a brass fitting cut in half, and a wing nut. Drill some holes, make the hole through the clasp into a slot and install the pieces.  I originally used a piece of aluminum tubing cut at an angle, but it kept digging into the styrene and I couldnt get the phone out.  I replaced it with a brass fitting and it works much better.

For the compartment, I used an Altoids Smalls tin, thinking of the instructables world while doing it. I simple marked two holes on the tin, drilled them, drilled the two rivets out, and riveted the tin on top of the clasp.  I then prettied it up by sanding the paint off of the tin, and riveting a steel roofing paper disc on top of it to cover up the embossed word. 

Step 8: Make It Comfortable!

Now is time to add foam to it so it doesn't slip around my arm and so that I can actually wear it! 

I used a scrap bit of those puzzle floor tiles for garages. My dad has used them for all kinds of stuff, so we had some scraps laying around.

I forgot to take specific pictures of this while I was doing it, but I'll do my best to explain the process.

First, cut a piece about the width of the wrist thingy, but slightly wider(about 1/2") so you can trim it later.
Next, slice some lines along the back of the pieces so that it will conform to the curve easier. 
Next, trim the length down so that both pieces(upper and lower) will fit comfortably in the PVC.
Now, grab your spray adhesive and spray the back of the foam, and insert it into the PVC in place.
Grab a can of the right diameter, and close the wrist thingy around the can. This will keep the foam from pulling away from the PVC.
Let it dry for a while. 
Trim the foam to the right width.
I used my dremel with a flapper wheel for this next part.
Shape the foam to fit your arm. This is hard to explain, so I'll let you fine people figure that one out yourself. haha
Try it on. If it feels tight, shape some more. If it feels loose, go to the gym.

At this point, you can cover the foam in vinyl or whatever you would like by using spray adhesive.

Step 9: Mask It Off!

We're getting close to paint, so we need to prep it. 
You could drill out all of the rivets on the metal pieces, and replace em later, but the foam is kind of covering the back of the rivets so I said screw it and masked everything off. I took the lid off the tin and masked the other metal tidbits.

Step 10: Paint!

Paint! I used chrome paint from krylon. So far, so good. Then I add Krylon crystal clear. Never use Krylon crystal clear. It ruins everything and make me hate myself for using it. Oh well, go with it, I must. I would have left the chrome by itself but if you touch it, it leaves fingerprints that don't come out. I really should have used the automotive clear I have. Darn. Anyway, now it's not chrome, it's grey. Good thing grey is another popular color of the 1950s.

Once dry, you can remove the tape and reinstall the lid on the tin.

Step 11: Revel in the Cool!

Although the finish didn't come out how I wanted it, overall, I'm pleased with my outcome. It's a functional thing that I made out of scraps in only a couple of days. I might weather and distress it a little bit to give it some age. 

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