Doctor Who Week #5: Sonic Screwdriver DIY!


This post may contain affiliate links, sponsored content and products received at no cost.
6:00 AM
 
 It's Make your own Sonic Screwdriver tutorial for

 Why haven't I done this sooner???
Sonic Screwdriver Pens!

 This is a simple project.
I did these with my 8 and 10 year old...kid friendly.

 With removable lids!
You will need:
 Pens.
I use papermate because they are CHEAPO and the ink pulls out from the tip...
which means, I don't throw away all my hard work!
(Walmart: 97 cents for a 10 pack)
Begin by removing the ink and cutting the tab off of the lid.

Fimo or other polymer clay.
this clay bakes to harden...30 minutes at 225*
{how much clay do I need?}
We had brown, teal, pink, silver, black and glow in the dark.
Did we use it all?  No...but the variety is fun!
I need to get me some TARDIS blue!

 A Marble. (simulating the sonics light)

Let's get started!
Here we have the replica of David Tennants (the 10th Doctor)
Sonic Screwdriver and a pen.
(throw in a size reference)

 I taped a square of wax paper down on the table to use as a work mat.

begin with a small ball of clay...twice the size of your marble or so.
Polymer clay softens as the heat from your hands warms it up.
If it feels too hard, just hold it tight in your hand for a few minutes.

 I divided the swirled silver and glow in the dark clay
 and gave some to my son and my daughter...and to me.
Told them to roll it out...into a snake
 then roll it around the pen tube.  At this point you can keep
 it like a spring-like coil or roll gently to smooth it out.
Mark your pen with sharpie where the lid ends.  
This way you can make sure it fits back on.
 For the lid.
I made a tornado shaped coil on the top of the pen lid.

 put a tiny ball of clay inside and pressed it gently with another pen.
 Then I pressed the marble inside and smooshed the
 tornado of clay around it tightly!

Like so.
Or you can build a cage around your marble similar 
to Matt Smith's (the 11th Doctor) sonic.
Here is the size comparison with the replica sonic!  
You can see that by adding clay, the pen looks
 amazingly realistically awesome!
 Here is the pen when you are finished with the clay.
Now, put on a baking sheet.  Lid on the pen and all.
Bake for 30 minutes at 225*
Remove from oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes.
Then you are ready to put the ink back into your pen tube!
And Allons-y!  You have one Bad Wolf of a Sonic Screwdriver Pen!
Here's my finished "replica" pen.
 Now, don't you want to make one???
Here's my 10 year old son's first...yes, we all made at least 2!  :)
 Imagine going back to school with a sonic screwdriver pen...
hardly anyone would know what it was...but they would all think it was awesome!
 
 This was my 3 year olds...until he found out it DOESN'T glow in the dark!
 
My daughter used lots of pink clay!
She's an Rose Tyler/Amy Pond sort of gal!
  She sat right down and wrote me a thank you note!
 Yes, happily ever after!
 
And if you aren't a sci-fi doctor Who fan...or Whovian...
image these as a Harry Potter wand or a Star Wars lightsaber!
Endless options.  I must buy more clay!
Such a fun idea for older kid birthday parties!


Come back on Monday for some new diy crafts!

Linking up to THESE parties this week!

Photobucket

Comments

Lisa Kizer said…
Awesome project! I found your blog on Pinterest. My 9 yo daughter is drooling over this project!
Jennifer said…
Brilliant! Going to have to try this out for sure, and I'm a recent college grad. Never to old for Doctor Who crafts! :D
ivoryh1632 said…
OMG AMAZING! I definately second your "why haven't i done this sooner?"

so i know this is a dumb question because obviously yours turned out fine but the plastic from the pen doesn't melt when you bake the clay in the oven?

oh and how well did the glow in the dark work after you swirled it with the silver?

I didn't even know there was glow in the dark clay, i'm so excited to make one!
SimpleEntropy said…
Amazing idea! I'm making this for my friend's birthday, with the little twist of curling a dragon's tail around it. (She's a whovian who loves dragons!) My only concern before I start is that the pen will melt in the oven ....
Rebecca said…
FTR: Awesome idea. And if you were curious, the clear plastic BIC pens definitely melt in the oven. I'm not sure about the other one, but the clear plastic, a big fat flop. I told the kids the Daleks blew up the sonic screwdrivers because they were afraid that they'd be exterminated if they all had a sonic screwdriver pen of their own. Now you know.
We plan on trying it again with the right pen.
Magnolia Souls said…
Cool idea. It's so hard to find crafts for boys. By chance does fimo make glow in the dark clay. If not why not paint a small portion of it in glow in the dark paint from the craft paint section?
Magnolia Souls said…
Cool idea. It's so hard to find crafts for boys. By chance does fimo make glow in the dark clay. If not why not paint a small portion of it in glow in the dark paint from the craft paint section?
Unknown said…
I just found this via Pinterest and I've got to say, I'm a huge fan! I would love to try and come up with an idea to make the end glow in some way. Maybe a glow-in-the-dark marble? Do those exist? Hmmm....

WeirdingWithWisdom.blogspot.com
Unknown said…
Hi Nat,
I loved reading this piece! Well written!

Merlen Hogg
slilkon
hannah said…
We are HUGE Dr. Who fans here. I know my son would love his own sonic screwdriver...daddy received one for Father's day one year.
Unknown said…
So the pen doesn't melt when you bake the clay?
Unknown said…
So the pen doesn't melt when you bake the clay?
hitsuji hanasgi said…
I love the Idea!! I plan on making a few,one for school,one for home, and one for cosplay! You could also make a wand like this. So many possibilities!!!!!
PINK said…
This post made my day! Thank you so much for sharing. This is one Whovian who is going to have tons of fun very soon.
Unknown said…
Does anyone have any tips on how to separate the ink tube from the pen itself? Thanks in advance, making a sonic screwdriver for my Halloween costume :)
Jessica said…
You should be able to just pull the ink bit out, I did it with my teeth. Unfortunately I used the wrong sort of pen and hilarity ensued. They melted and shrunk and split our sonic screwdrivers. Pity, they were a last minute addition to my son's costume and now I'm out of the right colors of clay =)
Doodlecraft said…
My BEST tip is to use the papermate pens. They are soft plastic but don't melt in the oven and they are so easy to get the ink out. I haven't tried any other type of pen...but others have and ruined all their hard work. Just fyi! :) Good luck!
Anonymous said…
Thank you so much for this. I found it via pinterest too. We made some today: http://wp.me/p2g5ns-MM Thank you again. It was great fun. x
pkwj said…
This is great! My 13 year old son just discovered Dr. Who. I don't watch it, but I was looking for Christmas ideas for him..this looks just about perfect. :)
Karen
www.ladybugsanddinosaurs.com
Nasim said…
This tutorial was amazing! My friend and I love Doctor Who so I'll be making some over the summer for us! :)
Momof3boys said…
Just found this while looking for recipes for the Dr. Who premier. My son is a huge fan, and I think this will be perfect for his upcoming 13th birthday! Thanks. :)