Support DIY and Instructables : Become a Pro Member Today!

Maker Tin

intro
step 1
step 2
step 3
step 4
step 5
step 6
step 7
step 8
step 9
step 10
step 11
step 12
step 13
step 14
step 15
step 16
Author:=SMART=
I make lots of different instructables, back at at school now so project output has fallen ! oh no ! I will make some more soon :) I'm in the instructables chatroom a lot I go to school I don't reall...
more »
 

introMaker Tin

Unfortunately we can't always be at our workbench or desk with all our tools at the ready, sometimes we just have to go out and explore the world...

But fear not ! For I have come up with the perfect solution to this troublesome dilemma, thanks to this instructable you can now carry all your favorite maker tools everywhere you go without wearing a cumbersome tool belt !

Housed in the iconic Altoids Tin is an array of useful tools that will enable you to go about your everyday routine with the comforting knowledge that you can open, hack, modify or customize anything you want.

Thank you all for voting !!

Currently the tools in the tin include :
  • Mini Craft Knife
  • Superglue
  • Pencil
  • Notepad
  • Matches and striker
  • Sewing Kit
  • Metal File
  • Button Cell battery
  • Red,Yellow,Green,Blue LED's
  • Resistors
  • Wire
  • Shrink Tubing
  • 2x Crocodile clips
  • Sandpaper
  • Duct Tape
  • Electrical Tape
  • Mini Scissors
  • Magnet (Gmjhowe)
  • Screw/Nail holder
  • Saw (Tobz1122)
  • 2x Zip ties (Yokozuna)
  • Candle (Kiteman)

That my friends is a lot of tools !

If you have any suggestions for more tools check out this forum topic where you could win a patch for helping !

In the instructable i will show you how to make all the individual components and then at the end we will compile them and put them all in the tin.


Maker Tin
SNC14166.JPGYAY NAY.jpg
To View All Steps on one page,  
Go Pro Today!  
 

step 1Mini Craft Knife

Ah the trusty craft knife, a staple tool in any makers toolkit and so obviously it had to go in the tin. I contemplated making one on my school lathe but then I considered…


step 2Super Glue

For this step I tried putting the glue in the small container but it went everywhere, got on my clothes and then dried up in the container. So for this step you need a hal…


step 3Electronics Kit

Many many makers are interested in electronics so i decided to make a small electronic section. I used an old camera memory card box to keep the electronics separate from …


step 4Wire + Clips

The wire and Crocodile Clips can be used in conjunction with the electronics kit in step 3 or on its own to solve an array of simple electronic projects. The crocodile cli…


step 5Metal File

Files are always useful and although the kit also has sandpaper sometimes that just dosent cut it. Unlike the craft knife i couldn't just cut a file in half because they a…


step 6Hacksaw

This Addition was suggested by Tobz1122 !The saw i used was a blade from a jigsaw drill. They are really small blades which have small teeeth which is perfect for small job…


step 7Sewing kit

Another thing many makers like is sewing crafts. Along with being creative, having a sewing kit handy can be very useful, remember that time you ripped a huge hole in your…


step 8Mini Scissors

These mini scissors can be used with the sewing kit in the previous step or for anything else that needs cutting :)I got these mini scissors from a small fist-aid kit, you …


step 9Matches + Striker

Fire is always useful... and cool. The altoids tin can easily take a normal sized match, but if you have the extra-long versions just trim them down with some scissors or …


step 10Candle Wax

This idea was suggested by Kiteman for "sealing small holes, lubricating screws, waterproofing stuff" I used a small tea-light, but any plain white candle will do, simply …


step 11Heat-shrink Tubing

In case you didn't know what it was ; its used in electronics, you put two wires inside the tube and then use a flame to heat the tube which shrinks and holds the wires in …


step 12Note Pad

Every maker needs to write down their project ideas/world domination plans so i decided to include a handy notepad in the lid of the tin. Steps - 1 - Tear about four pages…


step 13Mini Pencil

Now we have our notepad we need something to write with. Obviously we cant fit a whole pencil in the tin so we will cut it in half !! Steps - 1 - First we need to measur…


step 14Electrical Tape + Duct Tape

Makers love tape, it's just so useful ! It took me ages to think of a way to put tape in the tin, i though of sticking it to plastic sheets, wrapping around the tin and ma…


step 15Magnetized !

Not content with it always being in your pocket ? Simply add a magnet to the bottom of the tin. you can now put your maker tin wherever you want. You can now use the botto…


step 16Finished !

There you go that's the end of the instructable !You now have complete maker freedom !!Other Suggestions from the community;USB key with downloaded instructables or compute…


190 comments
1-50 of 190
Jul 21, 2009. 9:59 AMamakerguy says:
Here are some pictures of the one I made. I put my leatherman micra in it, and my mini wrench! Also in my electrical pack then I put a super mini motor.
DSC04672.JPGDSC04673.JPGDSC04674.JPGDSC04675.JPGDSC04676.JPGDSC04677.JPG
Nov 3, 2009. 11:24 AMsharlston says:
where did you get your mini wrench?
Nov 3, 2009. 12:18 PMamakerguy says:
 my uncle gave it to me, I have no idea where you could buy one.. but I bet they are on some gadget online stores or somewhere on the interweb
Jul 29, 2009. 12:09 PMRobert L says:
Sorry to bother you but what is a leather man micra. And will you put up a picture of the mini wrench in your hand .
Thanks in advance.
Jul 29, 2009. 12:51 PMamakerguy says:
sure I will but i got hurt and have 27 stitches in my leg. I will ASAP though
Aug 6, 2009. 10:20 AM=SMART= (author) says:
ouch, how ?
Aug 6, 2009. 10:43 AMamakerguy says:
Well my pants got caught in a shaft of a auger (a drill for posts ) while I was helping my dad build a fence. and a bolt that connects to it cut my leg and it also ripped my clothes off.

Aug 24, 2009. 1:00 AMPie Ninja says:
ouch!

Still, you should be greatful your leg didn't go into the drill itself, that would have been really nasty, allthough, those drills are pretty big and slow, so it might not have been as bad as a drill press or disc sander.
Aug 17, 2009. 8:50 PMTEnglish319 says:
Oww! Feel better soon.
Aug 9, 2009. 12:03 PM=SMART= (author) says:
Ouch !
Jul 30, 2009. 11:32 AMRobert L says:
Thanks
Jul 21, 2009. 10:04 AM=SMART= (author) says:
Awesome, i like the red ductape !
Nov 3, 2009. 11:30 AMsharlston says:

how about a mini butane lighter and some solder?


Oct 17, 2009. 7:02 AM~Sasquatch~ says:
You can also find small ignition/spark-plug files in most auto depts that will fit an Altoids tin. They have more 'bite' than a nail file, too.

Sep 5, 2009. 8:52 PMClockworkDragonfly says:
A small tube (such as a cut down pen or thin marker body) that can be capped to act as a separate container for the matches would be a nice addition for a nominal waste of space. The reason I sat that is the tin is not watertight (though neither would be the tube) but the extra layer of water resistance would be nice depending on where you travel with your kit.
Sep 20, 2009. 12:54 PMmowie says:
once i put some normal matches in a pen tube and i have no idea how but once day my pocket felt really hot so i took it out and all the matches had lit by themselfs and they wer not strike anywhere matches
Sep 6, 2009. 10:44 AMclarsen says:
i recall taking a drinking straw,
1. melt one end shut (clamp with needle nose pliers and heat with a small flame for couple of seconds),
2. insert your matches,
3. cut straw to size with a little left to allow sealing.
4. clamp the open end shut with pliers
5. heat with a flame for a couple of seconds to seal

should provide a nicely sealed compact container.

Don't worry too much -- just a little -- about heating the straw with the matches inside. you're applying the heat on the other side of the pliers and that should be far enough away from flame and shielded by heat absorbing metal pliers.
Sep 22, 2009. 1:00 PMColonel88 says:
Cool container and nice idea. This is very similar to Pixy Stix which is powder in a straw (basically). You could also smuggle heroin or something in this... You didn't hear this from me...
Sep 6, 2009. 3:48 PMClockworkDragonfly says:
I'd probably err on the side of caution and heat the ends of the straw indirectly (like with one of those resistance wire chip-bag sealers), but that is a far better method as far as space in the tin is concerned.
Sep 19, 2009. 1:11 PMMysteriousDragon says:
You could make more space in this by putting some of this stuff on a pocket knife.
Sep 14, 2009. 1:28 PMchopstx says:
Great except for the fact that you cant fit a hammer in a altoids tin.
Sep 14, 2009. 12:42 PMshawntherobot says:
in mine i put in alittle glass bottle too its about one inch long
Aug 9, 2009. 10:48 AMi can go supersonic says:
you should of put a swiss army knife in there but besides that awesome instructable. you get 4 and a half stars
Aug 18, 2009. 1:37 AM=SMART= (author) says:
I diddnt want one big tool in the tin, i can carry that in my pocket anyway.
Aug 23, 2009. 3:17 PMdagenius says:
they make tiny ones like one inch long.
Aug 24, 2009. 12:56 AMPie Ninja says:
But the blades on those things are usually crappy.
Sep 14, 2009. 12:38 PMshawntherobot says:
the blade on mine is really good
Sep 1, 2009. 6:55 PMderyan97 says:
hey man the mini pencil tape despencer is kwl but why dont you get a small wooden
spool
Sep 14, 2009. 12:37 PMshawntherobot says:
it would take up too much space
Sep 5, 2009. 8:55 PMClockworkDragonfly says:
If you can get it (usually you can at craft stores), beeswax would flake less and be easier to use as a sealant. It comes at a price though, as beeswax usually has a lower melting point (it's the extra chemicals in candle wax that both give it a higher melting point and make it kind of flaky, when you're melting it some of them evaporate)
Sep 5, 2009. 8:46 PMClockworkDragonfly says:
A better solution for the handle portion of the saw blade would be to trim the part of the blade you would have taped down to the correct size to chuck into the hobby knife handle. This is a simple matter with a rotary tool and a cut off wheel. That would give you a larger, more firm surface to grip as well as allowing the blades to rest flat in the tin.
Aug 29, 2009. 1:12 PMbeansboy42 says:
i like th idea and seems like it could be use although i think space could b saved by simply keeping a pocket knife
Aug 25, 2009. 2:01 PMUlrick12 says:
Now thats what you call a tool belt! Instead of striking the match on the matchstriker thing you could use the sand paper.
Aug 23, 2009. 8:22 PMPatented says:
NNIIICCCEEE!! Really nice pocket size project! every thing you need is in!
Aug 22, 2009. 7:54 AMpyroninja21 says:
gude u should add a burning lazer and sodder so then u could use the lazer to solder stuff
Aug 15, 2009. 10:45 PMDr. Steel says:
I find that using a tin cigarette box is a bit better, being bigger (I think). I have one that I dedicated to fire starting. For good, not arson. Maybe build a miniature and burn it down, but that's it.
Aug 18, 2009. 1:36 AM=SMART= (author) says:
Haha, the cigarette box wouldnt fit in pocket though. would it ?
Aug 18, 2009. 5:06 PMDr. Steel says:
It actually does. I use it to carry around a little fire starting kit, and by fire starting, I mean arson :D
Aug 18, 2009. 8:47 AMkyannik says:
Congrats on being features on Lifehacker! I can't believe I still haven't made myself one yet but I will and I'll post the results.
Jul 31, 2009. 3:41 AMpaulzef says:
Did anyone think about the factor of the match striker
-strikes match-
-pages go up in flames-
NO MY PLANS FOR WORLD DOMINATION -wahawahawaha-
Aug 18, 2009. 1:39 AM=SMART= (author) says:
you would have to hold it next to the paper for a while before it caught fire
Aug 18, 2009. 2:07 AMpaulzef says:
What about a stray spark.
Iv set my sleeve on fire lighting a match with just the spark.
Jul 31, 2009. 11:05 PMboris_1981 says:
Didn't McGyver carried one of this? Voted!!
Aug 18, 2009. 1:39 AM=SMART= (author) says:
I bet he did !
Aug 11, 2009. 1:56 PMcdousley says:
you could use a credit card and put he needles under the thread its thinner
Aug 18, 2009. 1:37 AM=SMART= (author) says:
Good idea
Aug 11, 2009. 1:52 PMcdousley says:
a tiny momentary switch and a toggle or slide switch would be useful or extra wire
Aug 11, 2009. 1:53 PMcdousley says:
o there is wire
Aug 4, 2009. 9:46 PMRaNDoMLeiGH says:
re: thread colors in sewing kit.
Black, white, grey, light rose, light yellow, and medium brown will blend into nearly every other color, so if you are wondering which ones to use, try those.
Jul 30, 2009. 2:12 PMToxicity says:
wow holy cow that's a lot of stuff. I feel pitiful now I made my first instructable a kit like this and i only fit like seven things in it...... here's a tip though. instead of sawing your poor exacto knife in half, why dont you just stick one of the extra razor blades in the kit. you can hold the part that would normally be in the exacto knife. Great instructable! I look forward to seeing what you make next.
1-50 of 190

Related