Playing Card USB Case

Intro: Playing Card USB Case

This case is snug fitting and will fashionably protect your flash drive or other usb device.

STEP 1: Step 1 - Materials

1 - USB Device
1 - Pen/marker
1 - Pair of Scissors
1 - Ruler or straightedge
1 - Bottle of krazy/nail glue (You could use tape or regular glue as well)
Approx 20 - Playing cards

(Not In The First Picture) I found later in the process of making the case that a razor blade or exacto knife can be very helpful.

STEP 2: Step 2 - Thickness and Card Quatity

First you need a stack of cards, for my USB I removed the outer covering to make it a little thinner. It's an optional step, you won't be seeing the body of the drive once it is completed.

The stack i used was 24 cards thick. i started with a large stack of cards and pushed my flash drive through to get the thickness of it in card lengths. Mine was 14 cards thick. I then added 5 additional cards on either side for structural support that WON"T be cut for a usb opening.

STEP 3: Step 3 - Setting Up the Front and Back

To start, apply a small amount of glue, or your adhesive of choice, to four corners of the stack of 5 cards for the front. then lay the next card on top of that until you have all 5 cards stuck together back to back.

Repeat that process for the back 5 cards.

STEP 4: Step 4 - Cutting the Cards

I chose to cut the cards directly under the artwork. you will need to cut the stacks you just glued as well as all the other cards somewhere near the middle.

After cutting the middle cards (No more than 2 cards at a time) You must get out your adhesive and fasten them together, a drop in each corner should do nicely.

STEP 5: Step 5 - Cutting the Middle

Just for a moment, put the front and back cards off to the side.

place the USB on top of the bottom stack of cards so that it can still be placed into a USB drive and proceed to trace around it with your sharpie. Try to get as close to the size of the flash drive as you can. later on you will find the more snug it fits the better it will turn out.

Repeat this step for the top half of cards, this will be the cap.

After marking, you may start to cut with scissors and finish it up with an exacto knife.

It may look particularly rough around the edges where the flash drive is set but don't mind those, they will go away in the next step.

STEP 6: Step 6 - Adding the Last Pieces

Now all that is to be done is to glue the USB drive in place with a good amount of glue and to attach the front and back cards to the body.

Just as every other time, a drop in each corner should be plenty.

Comments

[tmessner]

awesome idea i need a flash drive so....

[donicamm]

Monoblack control is the only way to go.

[Ward_Nox]

CLever way to use a cool card you have a ton of (like the land cards for example)

[Iridium7]

Nah I wouldn't use lands. I would use useless red cards, Who in the right mind would play a red deck? A black white and green deck has served me well over about a year.

[prototype2213]

Black Blue for the win! Also Red decks are unfair, unfun and uninventive.

[Kanein Encanto]

Or Circles of Protection, I swear those were almost as common as land cards. I've got a box with 2 inches of CoPs... lol

[Xerillum]

Those would be great for protecting your drive!

[Skwalin]

Very nice instructible, I would have done this last step differently, however. Instead of leaving both outside cover cards in half, I would have added one, or possible two that where un-cut to the "cap" of the USB drive (if you were to add them to the base, you wouldn't be able to plug the drive in). This would conceal the usb drive even more.

[Ganoderma]

I've been thinking of doing this with a mini deck of cards. But I lost those cards :(

[chwbcc]

Very cool, You could also reduce the card count and the work cutting things out by using craft foam to create the thickness.

[cory1156]

Yes, I thought about that and saw a similar instructable that uses cardboard for the thickness, but I really wanted the look and feel of a stack of cards.

[fruitkid101]

You are the first I've seen in awhile who uses Magic: The Gathering cards. I haven't played in so long but it is truly an amazing game