Silent Laptop Lap Cooler

Cool your lap and your laptop. Or use it on a bed or couch. Easy to make & FREE..

Step 1 Trace and cut part 1

Gather two or three corrugated plastic roadside signs.

Ask permission, or if it is clearly road spam you can reduce visual pollution by recycling it.

Mark a rectangle which is smaller than your laptop, but which is somewhat larger than where the rubber feet are attached.

Use a box cutter, razor blade, hobby knife or snips to cut out the first rectangle. Remember to wear safety glasses and do not press too hard if you are using a knife. Just cut over and over until you cut through. Cut on a cutting board, or use another sign or two to cut on. Do not use the kitchen counter or table. You know you will suffer if you do.

Now turn the first rectangle 90 degrees and mark a second rectangle so the corrugations (stripes) run at right angles. Yep, you will be making plastic plywood.

Comments

[dsdurkes]

There will be plenty of election signs to recycle. I made a recycling bin from them and, in my small way, my political comment.

[Pale_Flyer]

and make sure you are in a "well ventilated area" as you will be melting/welding the plastic.

[Pale_Flyer]

if you use a proper soldering iron, with a small tip, YOU WILL RUIN THE TIP!

[atalasa]

I made this since I use my laptop on my bed a lot. So far it's worked great... Simple, lightweight, and portable. I used scissors since I couldn't find my box cutter (it's packed somewhere from my move), which worked fine except there were some jagged edges. I also found that the middle bent a little under the weight of my laptop when used on squishy surfaces like a bed. I covered the edges and reinforced the center with duct tape and that solved both problems.

I think I'm going to use this sign material for more things... It's lightweight and easy to cut in straight lines, plus there's tons of it for free after local elections! Thanks for the awesome Instructable!