Porto-lock : Portable Lock

Hi everyone, so when it came to this project, I wanted to design something that was simple, because it solves a simple problem, no locks in your CR-stall.

Most people wrote me off at the start by saying, isn't it just simpler to install locks? It's true but thing is from where I study, most stalls don't have locks D:

When it came to making this project, I followed my dad's advice to trust Occam's Razor (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Occams-razor). He explained it to me as, the solution with the least assumptions/simplest is the best solution.

So here are my design assumptions:

1. Your door's width is within 15-10mm
2. There's a gap between the door and the ground
3. There is a "wall" structure beside the door

My product was built as a clip that you push/curl up to the bottom of the door. So the major piece is the

pipe. Inside there's foam to make the door snug fit into the pipe.

A stencil or labeller should be used to say "in use" or "occupied" as a layer of defense against accidental removals.

My manufacturing time: 30-45 minutes

List of Materials:

Making/Production

1. Hacksaw
2. Coping Pipes
3. Files/ Sanding Paper
4. pipe clamps
5. Measurement Tool & Pencil

Raw Materials

• Spray Paint
• PVC Pipe (for potable water)
• Foam (playmat foam; EVA foam

In my experience, the pipe clamp was the hardest material to source. In actuality I used a "vertical clamp" (I'm not sure for the official term for it) along with a C-clamp to hold down the pipe when sawing.

The length of your lock is up to you, as it doesn't affect the strength of the lock itself. but in my case 6 cm was ideal. This was to initially lower the pipe's unit cost to 2 Philippine pesos, but actually makes cutting the top part doable with a hacksaw.

About the pipe:

The pipe I used was a PVC pipe that is used to transfer drinkable water. The color of this pipe is light-blue, and was used primarily due to its thickness.

Sawing the top:

At the edge of the pipe, mark it's center. then measure 0.8cm from the center on both sides. These 1.6cm portion will be the part that's sawed off

The EVA(playmat) foam I used was 0.8cm thick, however, I did try cutting it in several portions and ideally, a half-half works best. Ideally you would want to use the corrugated (rough) surface that faces the door, as it can add friction.

When cutting it in half do consider wearing a glove on the off-hand.

To stick the foam pieces to the PVC pipe we will need to use contact cement. I used the Toluene-free version for 30 Philippine Pesos. I used the the top part (cut) from the PVC to apply the cement, though there are bottles that come with their own stick.

It will be difficult to place the foam on the pipe. I haven't found an easy way to do it, sadly D:

The stencil part is replaceable but it is here to serve this function : first-layer of defense. The main point of having it there is to prevent accidental trespasses. I have thought of just using stickers, but I personally preferred the usage of a stencil.

The stencil was produced in a Laser-cutter but that was just me, and I used a white spray paint and applied 2-3 coats. Feel free to add other designs to make it more aesthetic and hopefully, attention-grabbing. One major flaw of this design is that you need to look down to see the lock and it isn't necessarily intuitive to look at the bottom of the door in the CR.

This project couldn't be done without my friends and teachers comments, suggestions and words of encouragement. This project really could not have been done without the thought of wanting to make something that can be useful to others.

So please feel free to share your comments and maybe link your own instructables for your own versions of the Portoble-lock :D

Thanks for reading my Instructable!