DIY

DIY Pencil Case Project for BuzzFeed!

08.30.13

Guys. BuzzFeed—BUZZFEED—asked me to come up with a project for them.

!!!

I kinda lost it. And then I said yes obviously I will do that yes. And then I had to keep it a secret from Blogland for over two weeks and it was really hard.

And then I saw that they used my picture for the thumbnail on their DIY page and I kinda lost it again.

BuzzFeed Screenshot of Jade and Fern Pencil Case Project After tweeting about it while grocery shopping Thursday morning (literally, in the produce section of Trader Joe’s), I recovered my wits and realized I can finally share this project with you since it’s published and on the web forever and ever. Secret no more.

So here it is! My pencil case!

PVC Pipe Pencil Case DIY || Jade and Fern

I’m not gonna lie, this project took some work. Not the actual making part, that was easy. But conceptualizing it.

When I first thought of using PVC pipe to make a pencil case, it seemed a genius idea. Unfortunately, plumbing pieces don’t always want to be used for craft projects. And sometimes when you make something that looks cool in your head, it ends up looking like something…inappropriate…in real life. I’m not gonna go into that part.

I touched EVERY. SINGLE. PLUMPING. PART. in the Home Depot before finally finding the right ones. (Thank you, Melanie, for your invaluable help through that experience. Our hands will never be truly clean again).

Luckily for you makers out there, I’ve got it figured out and you can just waltz in to a hardware store, pick up the pieces from the materials list, and get crafting. You know, if you want to make this project. Which you know you do.

WHAT YOU NEED:

  • 1.25” PVC pipe, cut to 6” long
  • 1.25” copper test cap
  • 1.25” female adapter, with corresponding 1.25″ plug
  • 180 grit sandpaper
  • copper spray paint
  • second spray paint in color of your choice
  • quick-set epoxy
  • hose clamp (optional)
  • wire cutters, if using hose clamp

PVC Pipe Pencil Case DIY || Jade and Fern

WHAT YOU DO:

Gently sand the pipe, male adapter, and plug to prepare them for painting.

PVC Pipe Pencil Case DIY || Jade and Fern Following the instructions on your spray paint cans, paint the male adapter and plug with copper paint and the pipe in another color. You will need several coats to cover all the plastic. Allow the pieces to dry 24 hours before moving on to the next step.

PVC Pipe Pencil Case DIY || Jade and Fern Attach the male adapter to one end of the pipe, pushing it down as far as it will go. It will be very snug—if you have trouble, try gently tapping it with a hammer (place a towel between the adapter and the hammer so that you don’t scratch the paint).

PVC Pipe Pencil Case DIY || Jade and Fern Mix together equal amounts of quick-set epoxy using a toothpick or wooden stir stick.

PVC Pencil Case DIY || Jade and Fern Using the epoxy, glue the copper test cap to the end of the pipe. Wipe any excess epoxy away immediately. Hold the cap in place until the epoxy has set enough for it to stay put on its own. Allow to dry according to the instructions on the package (usually overnight).

PVC Pencil Case DIY || Jade and Fern Slip the hose clamp over the male adapter and tighten into place, then trim off the excess with wire cutters.

PVC Pencil Case DIY || Jade and Fern

Screw the plug to the male adapter (this will be the removable cap).

PVC Pipe Pencil Case || Jade and Fern

That’s it. See how painless that was? As a bonus, it kinda looks like the handle of a light saber.

Be sure to hop over to the article on BuzzFeed to look at the other awesome projects that were created for this back-to-school feature!

And dear readers, thank you thank you for coming back here every day, pinning and sharing my stuff. You guys got me on BUZZFEED. You are awesomesauce.

 

 

Author: Marlene @ Idle Hands Awake

Maker, baker, cat momma, total nerd, perpetually covered in glitter/sawdust/paint. Blogging DIY and design for modern creatives.

37 comments on “DIY Pencil Case Project for BuzzFeed!”

  1. What a fun idea, I love it! I’d love to have you share this or any of your amazing posts at our weekly Super Saturday Link Party. It starts Friday’s at 3pm, hope we see you there!
    (Please remember to add a link to Made From Pinterest at the end of your post!)

    Tracy

  2. So I started this project and it went pretty well! I have everything for the case all ready except for the copper test cap. Where on earth did you find that? None of the hardware stores I went to had it.

    Do you have any other suggestions on what I can use for an end piece?

    1. Yay, I’m so glad you’re making the project! I found the copper test cap at the Home Depot in my neighborhood, BUT it looks like you can order it online too: http://www.homedepot.com/p/NIBCO-1-1-2-in-Copper-Test-Cap-C917-B/100172067?N=5yc1vZbv7o

      If that’s not an option, my suggestion is to stroll through the plumbing aisle with your parts and see what fits together! Sorry that’s not so helpful, but that’s actually how this project came together, haha! 🙂

      Let me know if you have any other questions! And I would love to see the finished result, just use hashtag #jadeandfern or message me on my Facebook page. Xoxo

  3. Hey, I found your project on buzzfeed (congrats!) but when attempting to make it, the male adapter and plug… Well, it didn’t make sense to me. I got a male adapter, a plug, and it didn’t go on, didn’t have a screwy part, nothing. I really want to make this for school, do you think you could help?

    1. Hi there! Firstly, I am so please you’re making this project, yay! I am happy to help. I’ve been meaning to update my older posts with links to specific parts so it’s easier to know which I mean, this is a good excuse to get my butt in gear! I will make a trip to the hardware store today or tomorrow to take a look again; in the meantime, would you want to email me a pic of the parts you’ve got? jadeandfern at gmail dot com

      xoxo!

  4. Totally picturing it when it wasn’t s lift saber….. But want to make it even more because of it lol
    Congrats on BuzzFeed!
    Thanks for the hard work!
    YouRock!

  5. This is a great idea. Question: Why not do like the plumbers do and use some PVC glue instead of the epoxy (if the purpose is just to hold the cap in place). Now I just have to make one for my kid’s backpack to keep those pokey pens and pencils from making holes in the fabric. I love creating with PVC :). Thanks!

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