Introduction: Wire Coat-hanger Hands Free Phone Holder
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About: I like to make things that I don't think have been made before. I like to try and make things that use or reuse things that are freely available, and that can create tons more value than the sum of its compone…
It's a bit difficult to convey what this thing does in words, but I think you'll have a better idea from the picture. It's a metal wire bent in a way which it can hold your phone (or any other light object) in front of your face. What's the point of this I hear you ask? You could use it to watch youtube on your phone while doing other things, you take a video and use it as a way to demonstrate things for your instructables that require two hands to operate, maybe your trying a new recipe and you want to have the phone in front of you.
This instructable has the added advantage of being made using easily accessible materials, the design is on that I came up with, through a tweaking here and there. The brief I gave myself is to be able to hold the phone in your visual field while you perform minimal movement. Other things I tried is to mount it on the shoulder and around the head. As you can guess that didn't work for me.
Lets get started on the next step...
This instructable has the added advantage of being made using easily accessible materials, the design is on that I came up with, through a tweaking here and there. The brief I gave myself is to be able to hold the phone in your visual field while you perform minimal movement. Other things I tried is to mount it on the shoulder and around the head. As you can guess that didn't work for me.
Lets get started on the next step...
Step 1: Get the Things!
You will need:
- A metal wire coat-hanger like the ones you get back from the drycleaners.
- A length of string no longer than 1m, and a pair of scissors to cut it.
- Pliers, I have needle nose ones here (they have a smaller end) but I don't see why normal ones wouldn't work.
- Some blu-tak to help secure your phone to the coat-hanger.
- A metal wire coat-hanger like the ones you get back from the drycleaners.
- A length of string no longer than 1m, and a pair of scissors to cut it.
- Pliers, I have needle nose ones here (they have a smaller end) but I don't see why normal ones wouldn't work.
- Some blu-tak to help secure your phone to the coat-hanger.
Step 2: Unravel the Coat-hanger
Use the pliers to grip the hooked end where the two ends of the wire are wrapped around.
You can the rotate the rest of the coat-hanger in the correct direction to unravel the twist. There may be some 'spring' still left in the wire so be careful when releasing it. You can straighten the wire.
You can the rotate the rest of the coat-hanger in the correct direction to unravel the twist. There may be some 'spring' still left in the wire so be careful when releasing it. You can straighten the wire.
Step 3: Make a Few Bends Here and There
First make a little u shape bend on the end that has not got hook part using the pliers, this one of the points the string will be attached to later.
We can make the phone holder end like this:
To the other end of the wire, make a rectangular u shape, the length of which about 1.5 times the width of your phone and a the parallel bits about 4 or 5 cm apart.
Use the pliers to bend a the end of this up in a right angle, and then again from this point at a distance which is larger than the thickness of the phone.
Bend the wire at the same level as the end of the wire, then bend down so it is parallel to the edges of the holder. You can probably do this neater than me.
We can make the phone holder end like this:
To the other end of the wire, make a rectangular u shape, the length of which about 1.5 times the width of your phone and a the parallel bits about 4 or 5 cm apart.
Use the pliers to bend a the end of this up in a right angle, and then again from this point at a distance which is larger than the thickness of the phone.
Bend the wire at the same level as the end of the wire, then bend down so it is parallel to the edges of the holder. You can probably do this neater than me.
Step 4:
I put a little bend in the wire underneath the phone holder bit just so its at a more reasonable angle.
The wire will rest on your chest(in the centre) so hold it at the distance you like to have it and bend the rest of the wire toward your right shoulder/neck area. You can bend the wire back so its near horizontal, where it reaches the neck. You can now bend the rest in a smooth curve that would go around the back of the neck.
This step would need quite a bit of trial and error, adjustments but just to help you along, here's some measurement of mine
A) Distance from top of phone holder part, along wire to point meeting chest: 42cm
B) Distance from chest point to top of shoulder/neck bend: 16cm
C) Distance of wire around the back of neck: 27cm
I think these numbers could do with improvement, I would suggest making B a bit bigger and A a bit smaller. C will depend on the thickness of your neck.
The wire will rest on your chest(in the centre) so hold it at the distance you like to have it and bend the rest of the wire toward your right shoulder/neck area. You can bend the wire back so its near horizontal, where it reaches the neck. You can now bend the rest in a smooth curve that would go around the back of the neck.
This step would need quite a bit of trial and error, adjustments but just to help you along, here's some measurement of mine
A) Distance from top of phone holder part, along wire to point meeting chest: 42cm
B) Distance from chest point to top of shoulder/neck bend: 16cm
C) Distance of wire around the back of neck: 27cm
I think these numbers could do with improvement, I would suggest making B a bit bigger and A a bit smaller. C will depend on the thickness of your neck.
Step 5: Finishing Up
We can put some strings across the wire to stop it from drooping when you put your phone on it.
But first I find it useful to put a little kink at the shoulder/neck bend to help stop the string from moving around.
Bend it out just before the bend with the needle nose pliers and bend it back after the bend such that it follows its original path.
Attach the string, tie it with double knots, but leave a little excess just in case some adjustment it needed. You can do this wearing it with the phone on it to gauge where it would lie, but be careful, my phone has several bruises from the inevitable fall to the hard cold tiles. It's a good idea to put the blu-tak on before you do adjustments. The first string goes from the kink to the right side of the phone mount hook, and the second goes from the end of the neck part to the left side of the phone mount hook.
I find that putting the blu-tak in the four places I have is sufficient, just make sure you push your phone a bit into it so it grips better.
But first I find it useful to put a little kink at the shoulder/neck bend to help stop the string from moving around.
Bend it out just before the bend with the needle nose pliers and bend it back after the bend such that it follows its original path.
Attach the string, tie it with double knots, but leave a little excess just in case some adjustment it needed. You can do this wearing it with the phone on it to gauge where it would lie, but be careful, my phone has several bruises from the inevitable fall to the hard cold tiles. It's a good idea to put the blu-tak on before you do adjustments. The first string goes from the kink to the right side of the phone mount hook, and the second goes from the end of the neck part to the left side of the phone mount hook.
I find that putting the blu-tak in the four places I have is sufficient, just make sure you push your phone a bit into it so it grips better.
Step 6: Few Extras and Test It Out
If a piece of metal pressing into your chest annoys you, one thing you can do is attach a piece of cardboard to spread the load.
Also it can be a bit tricky getting the balance right on it, this is because it has a tendency to 'flop over' to the left.
If you have this problem I bending the tip resting on the chest over to the left so that part lays a bit flatter on the chest.
Make the adjustments you need to to the strings so the phone rests at level you like.
Your wire coat-hanger phone mount it done, enjoy!!
Please tell me what you think of this, and if you make one tell me how you use it
Thanks for reading through this instructable.
Also it can be a bit tricky getting the balance right on it, this is because it has a tendency to 'flop over' to the left.
If you have this problem I bending the tip resting on the chest over to the left so that part lays a bit flatter on the chest.
Make the adjustments you need to to the strings so the phone rests at level you like.
Your wire coat-hanger phone mount it done, enjoy!!
Please tell me what you think of this, and if you make one tell me how you use it
Thanks for reading through this instructable.