Introduction: Marker Opener With Turning Mechanism

This project was made for a special person who was unable to open markers on her own. This device was specifically designed and manufactured to solve her issue

Supplies

  • Metal gears and axle
  • wood
  • hard plastic
  • polycarbonate plates
  • glue
  • drill / drillpress
  • saw / bandsaw

Step 1: Making the Arm

cut out the arm of the opening mechanism out of hard plastic. make sure the 2 pieces fit very tightly togheter. also, cut some grooves in the end of the bottom piece so the gears will be able to move the arm back and forth

Step 2: Placing the Gears

measure on the polycarbonate plates where to drill holes for the axle of the gears. make sure everything is close enough to each other so the gears have a good grip. the use a drill or a drill press to cut out the holes

Step 3: Glueing the Body

cut out some wooden spacers to make sure the arm has little to no play, but can still move freely. make sure all the gears move smoothly, and use glue to fix the entire body togheter.

Step 4: Final Touches on the Body

use hard plastic or polycarbonate for the bottom of the device so it stands solid on the ground. Also add some pieces of hard plastic so the modified marker will have a grip on the device

Step 5: Making the Handle

use hard plastic and wood to make the handle. make sure the handle is not too long nor too short. if needed, reinforce the hole for the axle with some metal to avoid the hole widening over time. once the handle is ready, attatch it to the axle and check if the machanism works as intended. the arm of the device should move back and forth without any issues

Step 6: Modifying the Marker

cut some grooves in the cap and the end of the marker. if the marker is too thin to cut grooves into, add two extra pieces to the cap and the end of the marker so it has a strong grip in the device.

Step 7: Design (optional)

Now the device should work as intended. at this stage, you can use paint or other materials to your liking to decorate the device and make it more attractive to the person who will use the device. If there is something wrong with the device, check every step and try to figure out and fix the problem.