Titanium Spudger
Posted:
What do you mean, you don't know what a spudger is?! They are levers shaped specifically to open clipped-together plastic devices. Up until now I have just used screwdrivers for this, but they tend to damage the plastic, and with plastic clips becoming more common instead of screws, I though it would be useful to have a spudger. Of course I wanted one made of titanium, because why not, but they don't exist, so I had to make one.
It started life as a flat sheet. Titanium isn't a very hard metal, but it is nonetheless remarkably difficult to cut. Sharp tools and elbow-grease required.
![A small titanium plate, with a ruler next to it showing that it's 150mm long.](plate.jpg)
![The same titanium plate, cut lengthwise into one larger and one smaller strip.](cut.jpg)
![The smaller strip, shaped, and with sharp edges removed.](shaped.jpg)
![Close-up of one end, similar to the end of a chisel but the taper is round instead of straight.](thick_end.jpg)
![Close-up of the other end, thinned down to the thickness of a butter knife.](thin_end.jpg)
![View of the whole spudger, but now the ends are tinted in a gradient of colours from brown to purple to blue.](coloured.jpg)
And that's it - it's just a metal stick really. The rounded edges and larger size mean it doesn't so easily dent and scratch plastic compared to a screwdriver.