Beer Coaster IPhone Stand

I run music events in pubs and bars and get aggravated by how many people waste beer mats. Whether they are being thrown at people, soaked by spilt drinks or torn up for no reason, the poor little things are always going to waste. I realized that they are made from pretty strong card and i decided they could have a use other than to sit beer on. So here we go, an incredibly simple and pretty much FREE iPhone stand that is durable and easy to make. 

Step 1: What You Need

All you need is .....

3 - Beer mats/coasters (maybe have 1 or 2 spare)
1 - glue stick (preferably pvc)
1 - pair of scissors

Step 2: Cut the Coaster Up ...

You need to take the square coaster and turn them into rectangles. Now i made this for my iPhone, so i simply place my phone in the middle of a coaster and marked with a pen either side of the phone and then cut the mat to size. Once you have the size you want cut the other 2 to the same size. One will form the back of the stand, one the front and the other will be the base. 

Step 3: Cut One of the Spare Strips to Size ...

Take on of your spare strips of coaster. Measure this against the coaster you will use as the front of the stand and cut it to size. 

Step 4: Cut Up 1 or 2 More Spare Strips ...

Take 1 or 2 more strips and cut t 4 short lengths, Bend these in half. These will be used as struts to keep the phone in place on the front of the stand. You then need to glue these 4 struts to the strip you cut to size in the previous step. See pictures to get better idea. 

Step 5: Glue Strut to Front Coaster/panel ...

Take the long strip which now has struts glued to it, and glue this to the coaster which you will use as the front of the stand. Leave to dry.

Step 6: Bend the Other 2 Panels ...

Take the other 2 coasters. Bend one at 1 end and bend the other at both ends. Then bends need to be about 1/2 inch. 

Step 7: Glue the Base to the Front ...

Take the coaster/panel that is bent at 1 end, and glue the bent end to the bottom/behind of the front panel/coaster. See picture for better idea. 

Step 8: Glue Back Panel to Front and Base ...

Take the coaster/panel which is bent at both ends and glue the bends to the top of the front panel and the back of the base panel. again, see pictures for better idea. 

Step 9: Leave to Dry and Then Use !

Leave it all to dry and then stick your phone on it ! any questions, feel free to ask in a comment. 

Comments

[mrmath]

Real comment time. You could make two more struts with your extras, and glue them on top of the inner struts you talk about in 4, but at right angles. That way the flaps will help to support the base for the phone a little better.

[god1066]

I am trying to envision what you mean, but struggling for some reason lol. Maybe make one and post a pic of it with the new strut method? thanks for checking it out. Its my first instructable lol.

[mrmath]

Imagine taking the two inner struts, and rotating them. The one on the left gets rotated 1/4 counter-clockwise, and the one on the right gets rotated 1/4 clockwise. But instead of getting rid of the two inner struts, you just add two more struts on top of the two inner struts, and rotate them 1/4 turn.

[god1066]

I understand now, I think ... Lol. Good suggestion :) will give it a go some time. Thanks for the help

[mrmath]

I'm with you on the first and last part being wastes. But they aren't ruined by soaking up spilled drinks. That's the point of them. Protect the wood by letting the little paper squares soak up the liquid. They are fulfilling their dreams, man! Let them get wet, I say! :)

[god1066]

The are indeed ;). i was just jesting lol. I do think making a phone stand out of them is cool though.