Anti-static Bracelet

With the winter here, it gets colder. (duh of course is does❄️) Because of the cold, the air is dryer. Makes perfect sens right!

I wear clothing with a mix of cotton, nylon etcetera. Well throw in the mix a nice office chair (with a lot of plastic) and you have the perfect conditions for....

Static discharges!!

I just touched a doorknob, aaannd Zapp ⚡.

Now this is just annoying! But if you want to work on an old computer, like I wanted to do. This could spell disaster. IC's don't like static discharges, they could get seriously damaged.

I had in the past an anti-static bracelet, but somehow during time it got lost. So I decided to make my own.

Materials needed:

Rumbling through my wife's stock (with her permission of course ):

1. Nylon band 25mm wide

My own stock:

1. flexible wire 1mm²
2. two crocodile clamps
3. UV resin
4. PLA wire

I had to buy:

1. Velcro 20mm wide
2. Push buttons 15mm brand Prym (with the tools)

Tools:

1. Hammer
2. hole puncher or similar tool
3. cutter
4. soldering iron
5. Sewing machine

Measure the length of the nylon band you need around your wrist and take some over length in account. Cut it and carefully heat the end to stop it from unraveling.

Cut the pieces of Velcro to the same length of your overlap. The length and overlap depends on your wrist size.

Now sew 1 part of the Velcro to one end, and the second part on the other end on the opposite side, so that if you loop it, it will stick to getter. Now for educational purposes I also made one with the Velcro on each end on the same side (now every one believe this of course 🫣)

Now we add the (top) button. First you make a hole in the middle of the band. The button exist out of two parts. The smooth rounded part and the snapping part with the post, put the post through the hole and place the top part then on this post. Prym has some sort of a clamp with several dyes, select the correct dyes (see manual Prym) put them on the clamp. Place the clamp snug on both parts of the button and give it then a good whack with the hammer 💪. For a good fit you really have to hit it hard.

Now the wristband is finished!

Cut the wire to your desired length. Solder on one end the crocodile clamp.

On the other end we have to create an eye/loop that fits around the post of the pin part of the button.

I wasn't sure what would give the best result, so I tried two methods (see pictures).

Method 1

I stripped the wire, twisted it a little bit and divided the strands in two, looped both parts around the post of the bottom part of the button and looped them back and twisted around the beginning.

Method 2

I stripped the wire, twisted it a little bit and divided the strands in two, looped both parts around the post of the bottom part and twisted it on the other side.

Now to finish both methods I soldered both loops. Put them back on the post part. Then I put the bulb part on the bottom post, select the correct dyes (see manual Prym) put them on the clamp. Place the clamp snug on both parts of the bottom part of the button and give it again a good whack with the hammer 💪.

Now to be honest method 2 gave the best looking result

To make it look nice I 3d printed a cover for the bottom part. Put it around the post (see picture) and pored UV-resin around it and hardened it with a UV light.

Job done. One anti-static wristband.