Gluphite: Make A Key Chain Pencil

Gluphite is a fairly strong plastic made from glue. It can be used to make a small thin pencil that can be carried on a ring chain or in a wallet. It is cheap and easy to make and give as a gift.

The intro pic shows the pencil on a key chain.

Step 1 How it Works

Gluphite is a simple mixture of Gorilla Glue and carbon graphite. It hardens into a fairly stout plastic that has some interesting qualities including working well as a pencil body and lead.

Comments

[madrobot3600]

couldn't you just crush pencil graphite into a fine powder and use that?

[PerfectPantaloons]

but the idea is so the stuff doesn't go everywhere and so that you can carry it with you...

[krysteanuh]

I think Madrobot meant using the crushed graphite as a substitute for the store-bought extra-fine graphite, not as a substitute for the keychain.

[madrobot3600]

ya, unconventionalartist is right. so it should work right?

[needs_more_to_do]

unless you're wiling to sacrifice a coffee grinder for the project I would say no. You'd end up with way too manny lumps in your mix.

[krysteanuh]

Well, you could use a mortar and pestle, and that would grind it up pretty finely.

[Warren.Sensei]

Actually, I think that would just coat your mortar & pestle in a smear of graphite, giving you far less actual powder than you would get for your dollar than just buying the stuff.

[verdastel]

Cool instructable!

I am also interested in this sentence: "The white glue can also be mixed with corn starch or fine sawdust instead of graphite to create a hard carvable plastic that can be colored with oil or acrylic paints." 

Does it mean that i can make low-cost customized casing or prototype with the above composition? Won't the corn starch decay? Will the product be waterproof?

Once again, thanks for sharing this nice instructable!

[mikey77]

The starch does not decay, but the gluphite is only water resistant. It also deforms and shrinks as it dries.

For low cost prototypes and casings, I would suggest Oogoo which is waterproof and much easier to work with.

[CaseBoy]

i say make a new design, cover it in some clear nail polish, and you got your self a cool surfing necklace

[CaseBoy]

you know like those surf neckless.

[awz123]

lol?

[awz123]

What the heck your writing with the wrong hand... *tisk tisk tisk* *leftys*

[patricianorma]

what an amazing idea! incredible!

[Edgar]

Neat!