How to Make a Simple Carrying Case for the Asus Eee

I have been coveting the Asus Eee for a while now, and finally bought one. Because it's so small, I don't want to (and don't need to) carry it around in a traditional laptop case. The sleeve which ships with the Eee is nice if you're putting it into a purse or briefcase, but what if you just want to carry it in your hand?

I suspected the Eee could fit into a small, zippered binder, and my suspicions were correct! Although I was looking for something by Five Star, I could only find the large binders at my local office supplies store (which may be good for hiding a 14" laptop). I ended up getting a Day-Runner for $40. Although the Eee fits in the Day-Runner if you leave the binder clip in it, I didn't want to risk scratching the Eee.

This Instructable shows how to remove the binder clip.

What you need:
1. A Day-Runner.
2. Pliers.

Step 1: Collect Your Materials and Supplies

Get a Day-Runner or other zippered binder which can fit an Eee. I picked up the 68331 model, which vits their 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" inserts. If you want to double-check the size, grab a ruler at the store and make sure the 'inside' measures approx 9" x 6.5". What I did was compare the size of my Eee against a notebook at home, then at the store used the same style of notebook to see if it would fit in the Day-Runner.

Get pliers.

Step 2: Confirm the Size

Remove the inserts which came with the Day-Runner.

Fit the Eee inside the Day-Runner to make sure the size is correct.

If you're happy with the fit and/or want to use the inserts included with the Day-Runner (like the ruler, zippered compartments, etc), then stop here. Although you can crazy-glue the binder clip back into place after removing, what you're about to do will wreck the metal which holds the clip there now.

Step 3: Destroy the Inner Fixture for the Clip

Use the pliers to pull back the inner portion of the clip fixtures. The metal is very soft, so you'll probably end up destroying the metal more than bending it.

There are two fixtures, one on either end of the clip.

Step 4: Remove the Clip

Pull the clip away from the binder. As long as you have removed enough of the inner portion of the fixture, it should come away very easily. It's probably best to do one end at a time so you're not forcing it (which may damage the stitching).

Step 5: Dislodge the Fixtures

Using the pliers, pull the fixture out of the hole in the fabric. The fixture is one entire strip of metal, so pull them out of the holes before attempting to extricate them.

Step 6: Remove the Fixture Entirely

Using the pliers, pull the fixture out of the Day-Timer. It's best to do this from the side without the zipper tag so that you can see what you're doing.