Things to make - Duct tape wallet

A rather nice looking wallet can be made from duct tape. About 12 feet of 2 inch wide tape is needed. You will need to work carefully and so expect to spend several hours on this project.
 
Begin by cutting 5 pieces of tape each 9 inches long. Measure and mark with a felt tip marker on the adhesive side of the tape before cutting. The 5 pieces will be joined together to make a single piece 9 by 9 1/4 inches. One piece is joined to another by overlapping the long edges by 3/16 of an inches. With the adhesive side up mark one of the pieces with 3 marks, one near each end and one in the middle. Each mark is 3/16 inch in from the same long edge. Those marks will guide you in how much to overlap the two pieces. When placing the two pieces together, both have the adhesive side up. Carefully align the two pieces before they make contact with each other.
 
The 3rd and 4th pieces are added in the same way. Before the 3 marks are placed in preparation for adding the 5th piece, measure for those marks so that the width of the 5 pieces together will be 9 1/4 inches as intended. It may be necessary to change the 3/16 inch measurement.
 
Eventually there will be a fold made in this layer. To be sure the fold keeps its proper shape, two pieces of plastic about the size and shape of a credit card will be added. About 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches is good. Cut the two pieces from flat areas of thin plastic containers such as gallon milk jugs. The lids of cottage cheese or whipped topping containers might be suitable. Avoid plastic that is thick and stiff such as credit cards.

Turn the tape sheet so that the seams run toward and away from you rather than side to side. Measure in 3 1/4 inches from the left edge and place a mark there. Make three such marks near the top, center and bottom of the sheet. The left edge of the plastic pieces will be positioned on those marks. Place a mark 3/4 inch down from the top of the sheet and 3/4 inch up from the bottom also to mark where the plastic will be positioned. Place both plastic pieces in place.
 
The next step is to add a second layer of tape to that which you just finished. This will be added one piece at a time to the first layer. The pieces will be placed adhesive side down. Because two adhesive sides are being put together, it will not be possible to separate them to correct any mistakes. For the second layer, mark and cut 5 pieces of tape each 8 inches long. Place 3 marks near one 9 inch long edge of the finished layer. As before, one mark will be near the middle and a mark should be about an inch from each end. Each mark is 1/2 inch from the edge of the sheet. This will guide you in placing the first piece of tape so that a 1/2 inch wide strip of adhesive will be left uncovered along that edge. The pieces of tape for this second layer are 1 inch shorter than the first layer. This allows for an area of adhesive 1/2 inch wide at each end to remain uncovered. To insure that the area at both ends is of the proper size, place a mark on the adhesive of the first layer 1/2 inch in from the end. Place the end of the added piece of tape on that mark.
 
The width of the overlap for each piece of the second layer is 7/16 inch. Measure and mark the position where each strip belongs before placing the piece. When placing the 5th and last piece of the layer mark its position so the space covered by the second layer is 8 1/4 inches. Use a scissors or hobby knife to cut away the small square at each of the 4 corners. Cut a slit at S1 and S2. Distance A is 2 1/2 inches and B is 5 inches. Fold over areas marked with the number 1 so the adhesive bonds to the strip ends of the last layer. Then fold over the areas marked with a 2. Then fold up the left end along the dashed line running between the S1 slits. Crease that fold sharply by pressing with the bowl of a spoon. Then fold up the number 3 areas to hold the folded part in place.
 
The wallet can be used as it is now, if you will only be using it to carry cash. If credit cards, drivers license, photos or other similarly sized and shaped items will also be carried, proceed with the rest of the instructions to add compartments for those items.
 
The next step is to make a second piece similar to what you have just completed. The second piece is smaller, simpler and will be fastened to the first piece to complete the wallet. Measure, mark and cut 4 pieces of tape to be 10 inches long. Use the same method as before to combine the 4 pieces into a single rectangular piece 10 by 6 inches. The amount of overlap at each seam is 2/3 inch. That's close to 11/16 or half way between 5/8 and 3/4. When those 4 pieces have been combined, cut 3 pieces of tape each 8 inches long. Use those as before to add a second layer to the 10 by 6 sheet. See the next diagram. Leave 1/2 inch of adhesive uncovered along both 10 inch edges. Leave 1 inch uncovered along both 6 inch edges. Cut away the small rectangle at each corner. Cut slits at both Ss. Then fold up the flaps labeled number 1. Fold up the number 2 flap last. Sharply crease along the dashed line. Do not fold up number 3 flaps yet. Lay the piece down with the folded edge to the left. Unfold.
Lay the first completed piece on top and fold the flap back up so you have what the diagram to the right shows. Then cut the slits shown in red at A and B. Fold up the 4 flaps made by the 4 slits to fasten the wallet together. Finally fold up the flaps numbered 3.
 
Fold a sheet of paper into the size of a credit card. Put it into one of the 4 small compartments of the wallet. Do the same with the other 3 compartments. Also put 5 or 6 bill sized pieces of paper into the large compartment. Fold up the wallet. Be careful to have the edges aligned the way you want them to be. Put the wallet under a heavy flat weight for several hours.
 
The wallet gets a lot of stress when it is in a back pocket and the person carrying the wallet is sitting. After several months seams may separate. To repair add a piece of duct tape across the separated seam.
 

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