DIY No-Touch Resin Door Opener

COVID-19 has completely changed the way we have to complete everyday tasks. Even the simplest things like opening doors and pushing buttons must now be completed with extreme caution. One easy solution for such tasks can be made inside of your own home. With that being said, here's how you can make your own no-touch resin door opener that I will definitely make my two daughters go to school with (7th and 9th graders).

Supplies

Materials for this project include:

Casting Resin
2 Part Molding Putty
Popsicle Sticks
Key chain Hook (or something similar)
Dremel (needed for sanding and drilling a small hole)
Small Piece of a Foam Floor Mat

Making the Prototype

The first step of this project is to print and cut out the provided template above. Depending on how big your hand is, the scale you print the template on will vary. Once your paper template is scaled and made, you will need to trace and cut the image out onto a piece of an EVA foam floor mat. This next step is optional but I decided to cover the exterior of my prototype with masking tape in order to ensure clean sides and edges.

Making the Mold and Casting the Resin

Before starting this next step, it is important to know that there are some tasks that must be done in a short amount of time and can get sort of messy. To start out, mix two even balls of each color of your molding putty and insert the foam prototype. Once the molding putty is completely dry (ours took about 20 mins but times will vary based off of the actual putty you use), remove the foam prototype and mix/pour in your resin. You can add many different things to make your resin a different color but we decided to just stick to coloring and glitter. After about 24 hrs the resin was fully cured but times may vary based on the resin brand and type.

Finishing Touches (optional)

This step is optional but recommended with parental supervision. To start this last and final step, place a sanding attachment onto your dremel and clean up the edges. Last but not least, change the sanding attachment to a small drill bit and create a small hole for the key chain hook.