Pocket Third Hand With Magnifying Lens (For Pocket Size Contest)

This is a pocket sized third hand soldering station built out of an altoids tin and some other things (alligator clips, copper wire)

Step 1: Materials

These are the materials you will need to complete this:

1: two pieces of thick copper wire cut to 5 1/4 inches.

2: another piece of same thickness copper wire cut to a slightly shorter or longer length

3:an altoids tin.

4. Magnifying glass (optional)

5. good strong wire cutters and flat nose pliers.

6. solder

7. soldering flux

8. and all necessary soldering accessories (soldering gun, desoldering tool in case of screw ups).

If this is your first time soldering or if you have difficulty soldering, get some help as the wires get very hot and I burned myself a little even with some assistance.

Step 2: Getting the Wires Ready

WARNING: BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN SOLDERING COPPER IT BECOMES VERY HOT, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED, I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY BURNS YOU MAY RECEIVE.

take your 5 1/4 inch pieces of wire and bend each one 3/4 of an inch up from one end, these will be where the solder is applied when connecting to the base, don't forget to apply some solder to the shorter bent portion. Also crimp the alligator clips down onto the unbent part of the wires.

Step 3: Prepping the Tin, Laying the Flux, and Soldeing Down the Wires.

You should us steel wool to polish the inside of your tin (top inside too if you use magnifying glass)

after polishing it (if you have the time and steel wool, which I didn't) prep the spots you want to solder the wires into with some flux and then tin solder down onto those spots (it may take a while to get the solder to heat up and stick, be patient and be careful).

Once the initial solder has cooled down Place one wire bent and soldered part down, heat up with your soldering gun, and cover with more solder, keep this up as to insure a sold hold that won't break off while moving the wires around when in use. once done with the first wire it should look like the picture.

Repeat this process on the other one (on the other side obviously) and if you're doing the magnifying glass do this on the top inside and see the next step)

Step 4: Magnifying Glass (optional)

Now based on the one you get how you attach is going to vary, I soldered mine on because it had a metal handle, I'm pretty sure most of you can find a way to improvise, if not, you omit this from the project.

Step 5: Finished.

Now the finished product should look like the picture on the intro page, but if you forgot this is what it should resemble.

How you collapse this is really up to you, it can be stubborn, so be careful not to break it.

Hope You had Fun, Hope you learned something.

Thank You.