DIY Phone Stand - Paper Clip Mobile Phone Stand - 2min, $0 Project

This is a very easy project to make a Mobile Phone / Tablet / Phablet Stand using just a paper clip. The phone can be held in either the landscape or portrait mode. The phone that I used to test this out was Motorola Defy which is a 115g phone. The Tablet that I used to test this was Nexus 7.
The trick of this stand is that it uses the device's own weight to prevent itself from toppling over - just like a bookend.

Level : Easy
Cost : $0 (approx.)
Time : 2 min

I have also discovered that if you use two of these paper clip stands you can easily support a Tablet in landscape mode.

There is also a video to this and if you want you can jump directly to the last step to go to the video.

Step 1: Materials Needed

For this project you would need only these

1. A paper clip (obviously)
2. A pair of pliers or something similar to bend the paper clip.

Step 2: Observe & Bend : Observe the Clip & Bend It to Your Will

On the paper clip take note that there is a larger and a smaller bend and that the smaller bend is curved downwards.

The first step is to pull these two in the opposite direction. Push the smaller bend downwards in such a fashion that its curve is pushed down. At the same time push the larger bend upwards. Pull the two curves apart so that they are around 90 degree apart.

The smaller bend, the one with the small curve, would act as the 'Base' of the stand and the larger bend would act as the 'Back' of the stand. The phone would rest on the base and the stand.

Step 3: Make the Clip Stand on Its Own

The next step is to spread the clip so that it is more stable and can better stand on its own. For this use your hands / paws and spread up the clip.

The end result here should be something like that shown in the third image.

Step 4: Use the Pliers

Now comes the role of the pair of pliers.

Using the pliers hold the smaller bend of the clip at its 'curve' and then push that upwards. The end result should look something like that in the image. The bend is made so that the phone does not skid off the stand.

This is your stand. Try it out. Make any adjustments as per your requirements.

If you are going to use this to hold a Tablet or the now in vogue Phablets or you determine that you would use two of these together then do take care that the angles between the two bends is similar in both the stands.