Long Lasting DIY Stylus Pen. Simple and Effective!

My fingers weren't the best option for drawing on a phone's tiny screen. I wanted to do some basic 2d animation on my phone using the Flipaclip app but my big fingers wouldn't allow that.

Wanting to animate on a phone's tiny screen is a problem on its own, not to talk of using your fingertips for the drawing (and other precise actions).

It didn't take long for me to realise that I needed a stylus pen but the cost far outweighs the usefulness (only needed it for a quick animation) so I got back to Google for some DIY stylus pens. I got the concept of how they work but the practicality of the made pens was a bit unsecure/frustrating. Some are made of metal tips or aluminium foils that required you to hold them near the tip i.e close to the screen for proper conduction between the screen and your hand, this defeats the whole aim of the stylus as you can't conveniently get to see what you are drawing, moreover, you could scratch your screen with the metal tips.

The other types used sponge, rubber or cotton for the tip, they need to be moist to work. All is well and good until you realise they dry up quickly and you need a bowl of water by your side to always moisten them!

My concept? Not entirely new, but not reinventing the wheel, let's say modifying the wheel.

1 Radio antenna

2 Cotton wool

3 ink tube or any other similarly thin rigid item.

4 A small hammer.

5 A pair of scissors or blade

6 A bowl of water.

To get a radio antenna, take an old radio with an antenna, unscrew it and open it up locate the point of attachment of the antenna to the radio, unscrew it and pull the antenna out.

Take the radio antenna (usually made of aluminium, thus doesn't rust) and draw it out to its maximum length. We need the outermost rod at the base. At the joint between the base rod and the next rod, gently hit the hammer round on it i.e on all sides, at intervals, pull the rods apart, and continue the process until the two rods come apart on pulling, you should see two metal plates come out with it.

NOTE: The two metal plates flew away on pulling the rods apart, I found it after I was done making the stylus pen, the reason for the picture with an already completed stylus pen beside the metal plates.

Now that we have the base rod, you may want to unscrew its top axle which is used to connect it to the radio.

Take the rod, the ink tube/screwdriver and the cotton wool. With the ink tube, insert the cotton wool into the rod until the rod is full. Make sure to compress/apply pressure on the cotton wool so that it is tightly filled into the rod.

Cut away excess cotton wool leaving some cotton at the tip of the rod. Use the ink tube to compress the Cotton wool more into the rod, now cut away excess cotton wool left leaving a rounded cotton tip for the rod.

With your fingers, gently dress the rod's tips to be well rounded, if the cotton wool has been well stacked into the rod, the tip should be hard/firm.

NOTE: The screen of most touchscreen device register touch input for surface contacts around or larger than 4mm, so make the tip about or more than 4mm wide.

The entire column of the cotton wool in the rod is soaked in water, this water column drains gradually to the tip in a way that the tip continually remains moist, not wet or soggy, and thus can be used for a long period (depending on the relative humidity and temperature ), mine serves about two days of usage after each recharge (soaking).

The hollow aluminium rod acts as a conductor alongside the moist cotton between your hand and the device (phone/tablet etc) screen, thus you can hold the stylus at any point and still get it working smoothly.

Over here is a sample of a quick animation I was able to make on my phone with the stylus pen, by the way, that's my first ever 2d animation.

My reason for a stylus pen was to make an animation on a phone screen, other reasons you may have are:

• Easy means of input (typing, note taking) for people with fat fingers.

• Prevent food/oil streaks all over your device by hand scrolling while eating.

• hygienic purposes.

And the like.

DIY stylus pens aren't new, but the concept of a safe and long-lasting easy-to-handle and use stylus pen from the antenna of an old radio is a unique way of going around it.

Thank you for reading.