I’m Haley Pierson-Cox from The Zen of Making, and this is your weekly dose of geeky goodness!
Have an old keyboard lying around, just waiting for a project? Make a keyboard key tie tack or lapel pin for your favorite computer geek!
Materials
- 1 keyboard key in the letter or symbol of your choice
- 1 Felt square, cut to the size of your key
- 1 jewelry pin post with clutch back(You can also use a tie tack pin clutch with a chain and bar.)
- E-6000 adhesive
- Toothpick
- Fabric scissors
The following tutorial will show you how to make one keyboard key pin.
Step 1
Apply E-6000 adhesive to the pin post, then glue it in place in the center of the back side of the key.
Step 2
Once the glue on the pin post has set, center the felt square on the pin, then press it down to meet the key back, covering the base of the pin post.
Step 3
Use the toothpick to carefully apply adhesive to the underside of the felt, securing it in place on the back of the key.
Step 4
Allow the adhesive to dry completely before wearing the finished pin.
Have you made something awesome with old computer parts? Leave a comment below and share your favorite tips and ideas!
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Now I know what to make my sister’s nerdy techie boyfriend for Christmas! 🙂
Probably with mentioning this works best with keys from “chiclet” style keyboards, most popular on the last several generations of MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Apple’s thin aluminum standalone keyboards.
If you’re making this for a PC-loving friend, you might need to pull keys from a more recent laptop or ultrabook—assuming the computer is no longer functional, of course!
Good point re: the key type! I haven’t tried it, but you could probably fill deeper keys with polymer clay or resin before adding the pin.
What a wonderful “green” way to make lapel pins! You might just be changing the lapel pins industry.