Keyboard Thumbtacks

Old hacked up keyboard keys + push pins = awesome keyboard thumb tacks! In just a few minutes I modified some keys from old keyboards, hot glued push pins inside of them, and presto, made some keyboard thumbtacks.

This project only requires a few things:

• liberated keyboard keys

I got mine from the fine folks who work at the Computer Museum of Austin during Maker Faire Austin this year, but you can take any old keyboard and wedge a screwdriver between the keys and the keyboard to break them off.

• map style push pins

The heads of thumb tacks are just too large to fit inside the well on the back of the keys. Classy map push pins are the perfect size. I used something like this.

• Dremel tool, or a pair of pliers, or small hand saw, or an exacto knife
• drill with drill bit to match the diameter of the head of the push pin. Mine required a 3/16" drill bit.
• hot glue gun

Not all good keyboard keys make good keyboard key thumbtacks. Choose ones that have a large enough hole, or "well" on the back of the key to easily accept the head of the push pin.

Check out the picture below to see what I mean.

The keyboard key has too much plastic on it to make a good thumbtack. Using the cutoff wheel on a Dremel tool, or a small hobby saw, or even a good exacto knife, carefully cut off the excess plastic so that whatever was there to mount the key to the keyboard is now flush with the key itself.

Next, drill out a hole to clean up the cut you just made with the Dremel and clear out a place where you can glue in the head of the push pin. The push pins I got required a 3/16" drill bit.

Be careful not to go all the way through and ruin the key, or drill into your finger.

Shoot some hot glue into the hole.

Carefully push the head of the push pin into the little pool of hot glue making sure to submerge it far enough so that it's good and stuck, but not too far so that an insufficient amount of the pin is left sticking out.

Use your pointer finger to hold the tack in place (vertically) as the glue sets.

Make as many as you like and then use them on your cork boards instead of regular thumbtacks or push pins. They work they same way, but look cooler!