IPhone Binder Clip Stand Ver 2.0

by richsipe

265K6122

Intro: IPhone Binder Clip Stand Ver 2.0

I remembered seeing an iPhone stand built out of binder clips on Lifehacker and figured that would work out well at my desk at work. I did a quick search and found the original post at Cult of Mac but the details were sorely lacking. Since this isn't rocket science it only took a minute or so to fabricate my own iPhone Binder Clip Stand and make a few improvements to the design.

STEP 1: Step 1: Procure 1 or 2 Medium Sized Binder Clips

Go to your supply closet and grab 2 if you can Medium Sized Binder Clips. If yours aren't blue that's OK but don't be afraid to accessorize.

STEP 2: Bend One of the Wing Ends to Make a J

You want to bend one of the wing ends into a J that will hold the end of the iPhone. I used the gap between two of my cube desk pieces to grab the end bit and then bent over the wing holding onto the base of the clip. No tools necessary!

Remember you don't want a V just a big enough J end to hold the phone edge.

STEP 3: Take the Second Binder Clip and Piggy Back It Onto the First Stand

The result of Step 2 is Version 1.0 of the binder Stand as seen in Cult of Mac. I wanted to be able to have my iPhone in the stand vertically also but a single binder clip didnt provide enough support to hold up the iPhone vertically. So Binder Clip Stand 2.0 was born.

This is a bit tricky to explain but check out the picture for more information. The second clip should grab on the first clip and will end up being parallel to the desk. Setup the first one as if you have an iPhone on it and the from the back squeeze the second binder clip so it is wider than the first and go straight into the first until the front edge of the top of the clip is pushing the vertical iPhone support up a bit.

You now have a double sized base and it will support your phone standing vertically.

STEP 4: Enjoy Your Stand and Mod It

The result of Step 3 is a fully functional iPhone/iPhone 3G Binder Clip Stand Version 2.0.

I had an orphaned USB Thumb Drive cap in my desk drawer and it fit perfectly over top of the end of the binder clip to provide a large pad for the back of the phone and a bit more stability.

Be Creative! Look around and see if there is something you can re-purpose to make your iPhone Binder Clip Stand more functional or with more style and send me a link of your creation.

If you want more info you can check out my original blog post at: http://www.richandstephsipe.com/wordpress/2008/11/20/iphone-binder-clip-stand-instructions/

18 Comments

ArthurS65 6 years ago

Those binders are awesome! :D

avehicle1369 11 years ago

I tried making your stand, but I only had one binder clip and a bunch of paper clips. So I improvised and ended up taking a big binder clip and a big paper clip.
How I did it:
I folded out the paper clip and put the one end in hole of the binder clip. Then I folded the paper around to hold the bottom of the phone and then forced the other end in the other side of the binder clip
Works awesome. Thank you for inspiring me.

judy_smith 7 years ago

Thank you Richsipe and also to Avehicle for the inspired idea. I had jumbo binder clips, since they came in handy as boot hangers. So I used 1 jumbo clip plus a jumbo paper clip, and it worked! Thanks!

bangbr0 9 years ago

I made one based on your idea.

bangbr0 9 years ago

I made one starting from your idea.

jjtaranto 9 years ago

I have made it, but fatefully don't have another phone around or camera to take a picture of it and post it as a real "I made it"!

Took all of about 30 seconds to make and is invisible to the person viewing the phone from the front. Happy accident on that part I suspect.

Thanks for the instructable :-)

dm83737 11 years ago

Just did this with 2 clips side-by-side and works like a champ! Perfect

dchall8 13 years ago

Very good! All I did different was remove the upper wires sticking out the back. I'll probably use another binder clip as nigelnation and and wrap with rubber as did Flyinseamnky.

chivax 13 years ago

Thanks. I'll check on Motorola Milestone.

Syren06 13 years ago

thanks nigelnation. The additional clip really helped!!

eidolon1138 14 years ago

Excellent!  I played with a stack of binder clips trying to make a stand, but it never occurred to me to bend one of the arms.  Nice work.

Flyinseamnky 14 years ago

a few modifications. Mine would pop apart almost every time I would handle it. I wrapped a rubberband around the two to help hold them in place. I also cut up a foam pencile grip to better cradle and grip my iPhone. I can now use it vertically and horizontally since I did not have a USB cap laying around.

nigelnation 15 years ago

Thanks for the idea. I have a BlackBerry and it's unstable with the cord attached. I modified the design and used two clips for the support. When bending in step two, I added a slight twist. Now the bottom of my phone has a cradle to sit in.

absolute zero 15 years ago

wow i spent HOURS making one for my psp, i came here an saw this an im like.................."WTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

taria 15 years ago

I loved this idea so much that I took it a bit further and made myself a phone holder by adding another small binder clip to the top where the cap is and used a piece of wire to wire the end to the piece that is bended to hold it in place then used two smaller ones set at an angle for 'feet' and now when it's plugged in(since mine plugs in at the bottom of course it had to be the bottom) its now above the table with three feet to hold it in place. Looks odd but it works for now. So thanks for the idea. I will take a photo one day.

PlatinMartin 15 years ago

Thanks for this instructable. I was looking for cheap and easy way to build a stand for my SE K550i. I followed your instructions, but made a small modification. I replaced the "leg" of the binder clip you put the thumb drive cap on with a leg of a big binder clip which fit perfectly and makes for better support of my cell phone. (sry, no pic).

GorillazMiko 15 years ago

Nice idea. The photos are great, by the way. +4/5 stars.