Never thought the day would come when I realized that I use stylus pens more so than traditional pens, you know, actual pens... the ones that write on actual paper... It honestly amazes me that I've been able to perform and subsequently archive a majority portion of my work and personal life electronically. It does make my life easier but it also makes for yet another item that is slowly climbing its way up the priority list of necessities in my day-to-day operations, a stylus pen.

Admitting you have a problem is the first step.

Okay so that being said, I also have a knack for losing stylus pens. It is this character flaw that has brought me to post what lay before you. And ironically, when I was gathering the materials for this do-it-yourself, I found two of my supposed lost styluses.

What do I need dude?

Here's what you'll need to have handy if you intend on completing this project:

• Plastic pen
• Cotton swab
• Copper wire
• Water
• Scissors/knife/stripper (to harvest copper)
• Small screwdriver (for optional step)
• About 15-20 minutes

Don't have to be MacGyver to reverse-engineer that

In case you don't feel like reading this whole DIY please see the photo above. I'd also like to note there are several methods of creating a DIY stylus. I selected this one because I thought most individuals would have the aformentioned materials and the instructions are rather simple.

Step 1: Disassemble Pen

You wouldn't think a photo of this was needed but here we are.

Step 2: Harvest Copper

I would like to think anyone who is actually reading this is intelligent enough to figure out where to find a piece of copper wiring that will suit this DIY. Stripping a standard electrical cable will do. Only one strand is required. I elected to use the inside of an old coaxial cable for that extra dense copper feel.

Step 3: Boring Pen

This step is optional but it makes things easier when it's time to insert the cotton. Just use a small screwdriver to bore into the tip of the pen and make the hole larger.

Step 4: Wiring Pen

You get the idea right?

Step 5 - Swabbie the Pen

Rip off a piece of cotton. Dip your fingers in some water. Roll the piece of cotton through wet fingers, shape and form so you can insert into the tip of the pen. You can trim or rip off any excess, I just crammed the cotton in as far as I could. Do not dunk the cotton in water, it may become oversaturated and not work on the touch screen.

Should anyone like to know, I will have an explanation after the final step which is a layman's term, science-ish breakdown of why you need a contraption such as this instead of the eraser end of a pencil.

Step 6 - Testing Pen

Give it a test run. It's important to make sure your finger is touching the wire as you use the stylus. Here's a quick, broken down explanation of why:

And voila, the hillbilly stylus is explained.

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