Avoid key clutter with the DIY Swiss army pocket key holder

We all have them somewhere in our pockets or bags: keys. Most of the time they're all lined up on a small metal ring, clinking away. While it's handy to have all your keys in one place, this old method has two serious drawbacks: your keys take up a lot of extra space and they end up scratching anything that's stored nearby.

Whose cell phone hasn't been keyed after mindlessly sticking it in the wrong pocket? But this trick will make you a true keeper of the keys: get ready to build your own swiss army pocket key holder.

You'll need:

  • 2 screws
  • 2 matching nuts
  • a fair number of washers (depending on the number of keys you have)
  • 2 strips of thin wood
  • 1 sheet of tin
  • glue that works on metal and wood

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The first step is to build the "wooden outer coating" of your pocket key holder. For that, you'll need to round the edges of your pieces of wood into the final shape you'd like. Then, trace the outline of each piece of wood on your sheet metal so you can clearly see the markings.

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Now, use metal scissors to cut around the outlines. It's better to make the pieces of metal slightly smaller than the pieces of wood so they won't stick out later. You can start to see the final product take form already.

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Place the two pieces of metal in between the pieces of wood and hold them together with a clip of some sort.

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Now, use a drill to make two holes through all four layers — one hole on each end. Make sure to use the correct sized drill bit for your screws.

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Now you're ready to push the screw through the sheet metal and...

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…here come the keys: Place your first key between the sheet metal and a washer. Continue stacking your keys with a washer between each one.

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Repeat these steps on the other end of the holder. Once all your keys are accounted for, place the second piece of metal on top with the screws poking through.

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 Fix everything in place with the nut on the open end of the screw.

Tip: If you don't have an even number of keys, you can replace a key with one or two extra washers.

Next, apply some glue to the outside of the metal and pop the wood pieces on either side. Make sure the holes in the wood are big enough for the nuts and screw heads to pass through.

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Try using a clamp to hold everything together until the glue completely dries.

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The final step is to pick out your desired color and paint or polish it on the wood.

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And you're finished!

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Here's an instructional video for the whole process:

A tiny key organizer that fits in your pocket and protects all those delicate screens from scratches. Making it is affordable and easy, but the result is amazing. And another thing: it makes a great gift for any occasion!

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