Tablet Stand With Sugru and Coat Hanger

Our local Hack Space (makerspace.org.uk) decided to run a Sugru Build Evening on our Open Evening, where the guys from Sugru gave us some of their product to come up with something a little different than the usual 'mend' or 'modify'.

I had been wanting a Tablet Stand for a while. In fact, more specifically, I wanted a Kindle stand so I didn't have to precariously prop up the reader and hope it would stay put. We have a load of coat hangers in our 'Hack Me' shelves so I decided to hack one with some Sugru.

For this build, you will need...

• 1x Wire Coat Hanger
• 4x Sugru Sachets
• Junior Hacksaw
• Small Metal Vice
• Protective Glasses
• Tape Measure
• Cling Film
• Scissors

I initially based the dimensions of my stand on the Kindle 4, but then rounded down the measurements to make it all a bit simpler to measure and cut. By happy co-incidence, the whole stand can be made from just one hanger!

The 'Design Stage'...

Check my dinky little plan in the picture above if you want to see how I went about the design stage of this build. In short, I sketched a design and scribbled on some measurements. Design done. ;)

What you should end up with...

• 8x 100mm lengths of coat hanger wire
• 2x 25mm lengths of coat hanger wire

The process...

1. Measure and cut your first length of 100mm coat hanger wire
2. Use this first length of wire as a 'yard stick' to measure and cut the rest of the lengths
3. Measure and cut the final two 25mm lengths of coat hanger wire

Time to cut open the four sachets of Sugru! Use a single colour for uniformity, or mix it up for a 'technicolour dreamcoat' tablet stand :)

1. Snip open a sachet of Sugru
2. Split the piece of Sugru into two
3. Roll each piece into a ball
4. Repeat from step 1 for the other three sachets

NOTE: The image is sideways because Pixlr isn't playing ball and isn't saving my image edits :) Just tilt your head!

• Push the lengths of 100mm wire into the Sugru blobs - start by making a square
• Add two more lengths of 100mm wire, at an angle, into the top left & right corners of the current square
  (Aim to make the angle of these two wires suitable so that the stand is at a comfortable viewing angle for you)
• Add a blob of Sugru to the bare end of these two wires
• Add a length of 100mm wire between these two blobs of Sugru to complete the second square
  (The stand should now look like the one shown in the picture)
• Add the two 25mm lengths of wire to the bottom front pair of Sugru blobs, angled up to form part of a lip that will hold the tablet on the stand
• Add a blob of Sugru to the end of each 25mm length of wire
• Add the final 100mm length of wire between the two blobs of Sugru
• Make minor adjustments to square up the stand, but not too much adjustment!
• Prop up the 100mm wire 'lip' with something whilst it sets over the next 24 hours
• IMPORTANT! Leave the Sugru to set on a piece of Cling Film (U.K.) aka "Saran Wrap" (U.S.) aka whatever you might call this brand in your country...
  If you don't place the Sugru to set on Cling Film, it will very likely weld itself onto whatever surface it currently sits! You most likely don't want that to happen.

This is what you should end up with, or something like it to your own preference with regard to Sugru colour and the angle of the stand. Good luck, and most importantly HAVE FUN! :)