DIY Ring Stand for Standard Plastic Cup

This is a project I made for a science project so that my water filters would be raised above the collection cup. I've put it out here because I figure someone else might find a better use for it.(hot plate anyone?) Anyway, here's what you need for this project:

This is THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP! If you mess up here, you literally cannot make this project!

1. Good pair of pliers with a wide surface area to them.
2. Ruler
3. Coat hanger (the weird pant kind)
4. Sharpie(or alternate permanent marker)
5. Pencil
6. Cup you want to suspend
7. Wood block for base
8. Drill bit of some kind to match to the thickness of the coat hanger's wire.

Optional:

1. Sturdy round object to use instead of the cup as a model
2. Power drill(to use with the drill bit.)

This is were you use those nice pliers you got, and really get acquainted with them. Carefully straighten out the hanger, as we will need it to not be work-hardened when we are finished with it. Then stare at it and pour yourself some really sugary juice, because that was the easy part.

Bend the wire around the mold. *Be careful to keep the ends more or less straight!* You will want to really pull it around that cylinder, pulling the ends back, as if going into another loop.

At this particular point, you will probably want a friend/sibling/parent/significant other who doesn't mind a little hard work and (possible) cussing to help you. This is the stage you wanted that juice for.

Pulling the wire as taught as you can on the cylinder, take the pliers and bend one of the wires 90* up, so that it prevents the other wire from springing out. Make sure to get it as close to the cylinder as you can, so that you ensure a good fit for your cup. Then, take the other wire and bend it 90* DOWN, so that the wire looks like a wire suddenly hiccuped and got a circle in the middle of it.

Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of this stage, but it goes like this:

Take your wire in the pliers, and twist the two ends in such a way that they end up flat, like an old TV antenna. WARNING: Be careful to twist it in the right direction, as doing it in the wrong way will undo the previous step.

In this step, you will be using the ruler.(See! it wasn't for absolutely nothing!) Take the ruler, and mark the extent of your stand's horizontal arm with your Sharpie. My horizontal arms were 2 in long, and worked quite beautifully. Then take your best friend the pliers, and clamp it on one side of the mark. Pull the longer part of the wire up, and try to get it as close to vertical as you can. Do this to the other side, with the same measurement. Unlike a previous step, this time you pull both wires up in the same direction.

Ok! The worst part is over!

Take your ruler, and measure the distance between the corners you just made. Then take your block of wood(and your ruler), and mark two places spaced apart as wide as your measurement. This is where the ends of your wire will go. Make sure to get it rather centered widthwise, and leave a good amount of space on one side for whatever you place beneath your stand.

WARNING: Be very thorough with this step, as it is the measurements you will be using for the later steps. "Measure twice, cut once!"

This is a relatively easy step. Take whatever you have decided to use to do this with, and insert your perfectly matched bit into it. Next, take aim at the spots you have marked on the block of wood. While aiming, ensure you have it perfectly perpendicular. Then drill the holes, being VERY careful not to drill completely through the block. If you do, your stand will always be rickety and probably annoy you for the rest of the time you have it.

Just do it. It's the least complicated of these steps. Just don't forget to push it in all the way.

Congratulations! You have survived my instructions and made a ring stand! Feel free to use it as you wish! (Also feel free to give me feedback on this, as this is my very first Instructable I've ever made.)