Make a Door Latch/Lock

There are two ways to make this: 1) A latch that can be used for doors with broken or missing doorknobs. This latch will keep your door closed, but not necessarily keep people out. However, small pets and insects will be thwarted in their attempts to get in (provided the door is properly sealed). 2) A latch that will be more permanent and will keep your door locked while you are inside. 

Materials:

For a lock:
Knife.
Scissors.
Aluminum Can Scrap.
Super Glue or Epoxy.
Small Metal Loop or Plastic Zip Tie.
Soda Bottle Lid.
Nails.
Small Metal Rod (about the width of a pencil)

For a latch:
Knife. 
Scissors.
Fabric Scrap.
Plastic Zip Tie.
Soda Bottle Lid.
Thumbtacks.
Pencil or chopstick.

Step 1

Latch Version: Take the knife and twist the blade into the soda cap until there is a hole in the center of the lid that is just large enough to fit a doubled-up twist tie snugly. 

Lock Version: You can either keep this step and the next step the same, or you can simply epoxy/super glue a small metal loop (just big enough to fit the metal rod/pencil snugly) to the middle of the soda cap.

Comments

[Kiteman]

Got any actual photos?

[hithernthither]

Sure, if you think that would help. I just use diagrams because I find them simpler.

[Kiteman]

So use both - photos are the norm here.