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With a few household items, you can make a DIY iPad stylus
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If you have an iPad, a stylus is an incredibly useful tool. It lets you draw masterpieces, eat without getting food fingerprints on your screen, easily scroll through articles on the web, and more. These styluses can be a little expensive, but if you are looking to save money or just looking for a fun DIY project, there are ways you can make your own. In this wikiHow article, we will show you how you can create a stylus for your iPad.
How to Make a DIY iPad Stylus: Quick Steps
- Remove the ink chamber from a pen.
- Cut a cotton swab in half and insert one half into the pen.
- Tape the cut end of the cotton swab to the end.
- Wrap the pen in aluminum foil so it's in contact with the cotton swab.
- Tap the foil down.
- To use the stylus, wet the tip in water and hold onto the foil.
Steps
Section 1 of 3:
Using Foil & a Cotton Swab
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Gather a pen, aluminum foil, a cotton swab, scissors, and some tape. Lay these items out on your workspace. With just these supplies (and a few drops of water), you can make a stylus for your iPad. [1] X Research source
- When you get your foil, be sure you have enough to wrap it around the pen a few times.
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Unscrew the pen cap, remove the ink chamber, then reattach the cap. Unscrew the cap at the tip of your pen, then remove the ink cartridge to make space for other components of the stylus.Advertisement -
Cut your cotton swab. Use your scissors to cut the cotton swab in half. You should be left with two pieces that are roughly the same size, each with a fuzzy tip and shorter stem.
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Insert one piece of the cotton swab into the pen. Push the stick end of a cotton swab half into the tip of the pen cap, leaving the head of the cotton swab exposed. This will be the “point” of your stylus.
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Tape the cotton swab to the pen. Wrap tape around the point where the cotton swab and the pen meet to secure it in place.
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Wrap the pen in aluminum foil. Encircle the pen several times with your aluminum foil, making sure the cotton swab is in contact with the foil. Otherwise, your stylus will not work!
- In this case, the foil acts as a conductor for that electricity to and from your finger, sending it through the head of the cotton swab. This means that if you are not touching the foil, or the foil is not touching the cotton swab, your stylus will not work.
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Tape the aluminum foil down. To prevent your foil from uncurling, tape the edge down.
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Wet the end of the cotton swab. Sometimes, your iPad might have some trouble recognizing your stylus. Wetting the end of the cotton swab will increase its conductivity, making your stylus more easily recognizable by your iPad.
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Draw away! When testing out your new stylus, be sure you’re holding the aluminum foil. Also, don’t be afraid to apply some pressure when you’re using it.
- You can also replace the cotton swab with a bit of sponge. Just remember to remove any abrasive backing and to wet it for optimal use. [2] X Research source
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Section 2 of 3:
Using Wire & Conductive Foam
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Grab a plastic highlighter, 3 feet of bare wire, a small piece of conductive foam, some electrical tape, pliers, and scissors. While some of these items are less common than those used in the other method, they are still quite inexpensive, and the stylus will be recognizable without using water. [3] X Research source
- Before you begin, make sure you are not using insulated wire. To act as a proper conductor, the wire must be stripped.
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Remove the inner parts of the highlighter. Unscrew the end of the highlighter to remove the ink well, then use your pliers to remove the tip, making space for the components of the stylus.
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Pull your wire through the highlighter. Insert your wire into the highlighter, leaving some extra wire out of the tip and the end for later use.
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Wind your wire around the foam. Wrap your wire around one end of your conductive foam. This wire is responsible for providing conductivity to and from the foam and keeping it secure, so make sure you wrap it tightly.
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Pull the wire at the back of the highlighter to secure the foam. Use the wire hanging out the back of the highlighter to bring the conductive foam to the tip of the marker. Pull in enough foam that about ¼ inch is still exposed for the tip of the stylus.
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Wrap the remaining wire around the highlighter. Cover the outside of your highlighter with the rest of the wire. Be sure to wind it down the entire marker, otherwise the stylus won’t work.
- As mentioned in the previous method, the wire serves as a conductor between the iPad, the foam, and your hand, so you have to be touching the wire when using the stylus.
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Trim the foam tip. Use your scissors to shape the tip of your stylus however you please.
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Try out your brand-new stylus! If it does not work, make sure your wire is properly attached to the conductive foam tip and that you are touching the wire while using it. Also, do not be afraid to apply pressure with the stylus to help the iPad sense it.
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Section 3 of 3:
Using a Granola Bar Wrapper
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1Grab a granola bar wrapper and a pencil. Make sure the wrapper of your granola bar has a metallic side. If the wrapper is purely plastic or paper, it won't work for this DIY. Flatten the granola bar wrapper completely before continuing.
- Wipe off the wrapper before using it in this project.
- Feel free to trim the granola bar wrapper if there are any parts with glue or stuck-on food.
- You can use a pen or a chopstick instead of a pencil, as long as the tip isn't too sharp or jagged. If it is, the stylus might damage your iPad screen.
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2Wrap the granola bar wrapper around the pencil, foil side out. Feel free to use a little tape to keep the granola bar wrapper in place.
- Make sure the wrapper completely encloses the tip of the pencil, and that it goes far enough up the length of the pencil so you can touch it while using the stylus.
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3Hold the pencil with your finger in contact with the wrapper. This is the key that makes this stylus work—the metal in the granola bar wrapper will conduct the electricity in your finger, which will then allow the stylus to work on your iPad. [4] X Research source
- You may have to press a bit harder to get this stylus to work, but never press so hard that you damage the iPad screen.
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Tips
- iPads have what are known as capacitive touch screens. This means they need an object with an electrical charge (usually, your finger, which is naturally charged) to detect “touch”. [5] X Research sourceThanks
- You can also make styluses in different shapes. Any object you can attach foil and a cotton swab/sponge or wire and some conductive foam to will work. If pens and highlighters are not comfortable for you to use, try experimenting with differently-shaped objects to see what you prefer.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- If you don't have a Q-tip, you can attach a piece of a cotton ball to an unwound paperclip. It worked for me!
- Don’t get your water stylus too wet. Just wet it slightly so your iPad's screen will recognize it.
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