Making an Altoids IPod Case

This is how you make a secure iPod Nano case out of an Altoids case, some duct tape, and some foam.

What You'll need:

Altoids Can (preferably empty)

Foam (this will pad your iPod and keep it safe)

Duct Tape (I used this more as a finish to put on the foam)

X-acto knife (useful for cutting the metal, duct tape, foam, etc.)

Something to punch the headphone hole with (I used a nail file on my pocket knife)

What I did for the foam was I just laid a piece that was about the size of the can's lower part on top of it, then cut it to size with my hobby knife. You can experiment, but I've found that about 1/2 an inch of foam on the bottom is best.

This step is important because you'll want to know how deep your iPod sits before you punch the headphone jack hole.

To do this, I put the iPod where it sits in the case, then eyeballed where the jack should be. I then marked it, and punched through the metal with the nail file. You could also use a mini screwdriver or something like that. It will be good to make the hole bigger because the headphones have to clear the metal of the can and make a good connection with the iPod.

Note: Make sure this hole isnt too big because the headphones help to hold the iPod in place, so if your jack moves, your iPod will bounce around. My hole fits snugly around the plastic beginning of the wire.

The hole you just cut probably sits above the line of where the lid of the can sits, so if it does, you'll want to do this.

Close the case without anything in it and mark the part of the lid that overlaps the jack hole. Cut it out leaving a couple of mm around it so your headphones can make a good connection with your iPod. This is important because otherwise the lid wont close and your iPod could fall out.

Note: you might want to push the metal against the wall of the inside of the case so that the headphone jack and the iPod will connect all the way.

From here you can decorate your case, or modify it however you want. I was thinking about decorating the case to look steampunk, just because it would look cool.

Anyway, hope you found this instructable helpful and if you have any questions leave them in the comment box or send me a message and I'll help.