Floppy Disk Pen Holder

This is my first instructable so I will do my best. Recycle your old floppy disks into a geek pen holder. Stylish and very functional.

Step 1: Supplies You'll Need

Here are the materials your will need for this project.

- 5 3.5" floppy disks (duh)
- drill
- 5/32 drill bit
- zip ties
- piece o wood (for drilling into)
- scissors (I couldn't find mine)

Step 2: Drill the Holes

The floppy disks already have two holes that are perfectly positioned for our project. At the top next to the metal slider there are dimples on each side where you will drill holes in 4 of the floppy disk. These disks will make up our 4 sides.

For the bottom of our pen holder, the dimples are not quite where we need them so drill a hole above them at the corner.

Step 3: Piece it Together

I find it easier to lay the 4 disks that will make up my sides with the side I want facing the outside down.
Now it's time to use your zip ties! Feed the ties through the what will be the inside of your pen holder and then loop them through the adjacent disk, linking them together on the inside. Continue looping your ties until you have formed a square.
Putting on the bottom of your pen holder is much easier if you tighten all the ties on the sides and snip off the ends.

Step 4: Put on the Bottom

The bottom is the hardest, but it's not too bad. Just feed the ties through the inside (you don't want to have those sharp pieces on the outside when you cut them off) and loop them back through the bottom. Don't tighten the ties until you have them all started.

Step 5: Finish Up

Then reach down into your box and finish tightening the bottom, snip off the ends and presto, a geek chic pen holder.

This pen holder has a much greater capacity than your standard store bought pen holder. It also has a much more stable base and is guaranteed not to tip over and scatter its contents all over your desk. So don't be nervous about putting your heaviest scissors in.

Well, I hoped you liked my first instructable! I enjoyed doing it.

Comments

[dhiru17398]

Cool! I'll Sure Try This! I dont have a glue gun and dont know where to get those zip ties around.. so any thing else i could use?? =D

[camelsamba]

I waited to connect the fourth side until after I attached the bottom to those three sides. My thinking was that it would be easier to work on those if it was still opened up. I suppose I should try it both ways to confirm that suspicion, but I wanted to put that suggestion out there anyway.

[camelsamba]

I covered my floppies with a map to make it more decorative - I have a bigger photo over at Flickr (username: cazatoma) but can't figure out how to make the flickr import option work...

[camelsamba]

Based on this, i thought I only needed to drill holes where those dimples are for the side pieces - two per disk. But from the next step, I now see that I need 4 holes on each. Back to the basement shop for me!

[Vinsu]

Very nice! Finally something to do with my dozens of floppys...

[TSC]

Good idea!!!

[invizibleboy]

This worked out great, minus the fact i didn't drill extra holes on the bottom disk, but it seems to be holding well since i tightened the zip ties.

[g_robb53]

Love this idea - thanks for sharing!

[kantona80]

 Man, you are a genius! :)
Great idea

[completegeek]

I don't know about genius, but thanks. Never thought something so simple would get such a big reaction.

[sandra22]

What a great idea.  Only wish I'd spied it before I threw out a load of old floppies recently, but I know I still have a few somewhere lurking about, so I will definitely make some of these. I have a great skill for loosing pens and scissors etc. Thanks :-)

[owl box]

An excellent instructable, and an enjoyable, practical, sturdy finished project. I would avise only that people attempting this instructable not tighten the ties immediately. Keep it all loose until the end, then pull and snip. Also, I found it much easier to tie the bottom on, if I worked outside the four walls.

[Dux0r]

I've wanted to make one of these for a while so when I found your Instructable I gave it a go. I used a glue gun instead of cable ties, though I actually think the cable ties look slightly cooler. If, like me, you don't know what you're doing, too much glue will look stupid. Cheers!

[babook]

i like this idear it so much good : ) might i will to try it ......

[memyselfand1]

Really good idea. I couldnt think of anything to do with all those floppy disks before i came on this site. My current pen holder is, umm, solid, in that there is no room in it anymore. Brilliant idea.

[Fasteners]

Gotta do somethin with all those floppies! Right?

[completegeek]

I made the Popular Science website. Gotta say I'm pretty proud of that. What's it take to get featured on this site?

Video

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[danimal1234]

I am definitely going to do this. Thank you for posting it!

[adome]

sheers>sissors except for paper.

[someguy1234]

This project was featured in popular science as one of its 5 minute projects!

[completegeek]

Sure was, they contacted me a few months ago about it. Didn't put my name in it like they said they would though.

[burity]

The best...!!!!

[Mike Dixson]

Thanks completegeek. Found about 50 floppies whilst clearing out and moving flat. Just made my first one of these pen holders. Very study indeed.

[devin0]

Great Instructable, I thought it would be Kind of flimsy when I put stuff in it but is actually quite sturdy

[Metaferia]

But will it keeps itbalance? thx

[completegeek]

They don't tip over whatsoever. They are very stable. I made one because my store bought pen holder was constantly falling over and dumping all my pens and scissors over my desk.

[Metaferia]

i see, ok thanks

[bobis1]

I am definitely doing this, I never would've thought of something this simple. Thank god for this site.

[Lasse Rintakumpu]

5/32 in = 4 mm

[d berk]

Cool ,great project made me relive old memory's.

[transplendent]

I swear I saw this somewhere else.. and a quick Google search confirms. Eh, still cool to see it done.

[completegeek]

If you look closely at the bottom of your link you will see that it was posted on August 16th, 2007. Mine was posted on August 13th, 2007. Close, but not close enough. FTW!

[Orchestrapit]

ah... good times

[mmolo99]

Wow! This is great. I have some floppies laying around and i might make one. Great Idea.

[completegeek]

I'm so happy to have made the front page. I'm popular! I posted this nearly a year ago and honestly I almost forgot about it. Thanks again for all the kind comments. I'd love to see any changes that you all have made, too.

[nogoodreason]

I would just like to reiterate a point: DO NOT CUT THE CABLE TIES YET.

I just did this, then moved to Point 4 and am currently thinking "bugger, where's the glue?"

[completegeek]

I should have added that the ties can be quite sharp. Sorry for the omission.

[comodore]

Great project! I have a bunch of floppy disks and this is a great way to use them! rate:*****

[aleroux]

I love this idea, and made one immediately. My wife had some translucent, colored floppies hanging around. It looks great on my desk!

[hellstudios]

i made a cube made out of floppies waaaaay before i saw this....never thought about making a pen holder out of it.....