Making a minimal wallet

DATE: 2018-07-10
AUTHOR: John L. Godlee


I have been looking for a long long time for a better alternative to the bulky leather or canvas wallets that are mostly available for men. I've found lots of examples online, the most notable one being the N-Wallet by Elephant Wallet[1], but I couldn't bring myself to buy one, because it's frivolous.

1: https://elephantwallet.com/collections/n-wallet/products/n-wallet-aluminium (https://elephantwallet.com)

Finally I spent enough time at my Mum and Dad's house to have access to lots of scrap materials and a pretty good workshop, so I set about trying to make my own version.

The template I drew can be downloaded here as a .dxf[2], a .layout[3], a .skp[4], and printed as an A4 .pdf[5], which should preserve the size so long as there are no borders on the print. Each piece should be 90 mm (W) x 58 mm (H).

2: /files/wallet/wallet_template.dxf (https://johngodlee.xyz)
3: /files/wallet/wallet_template.layout (https://johngodlee.xyz)
4: /files/wallet/wallet_template.skp (https://johngodlee.xyz)
5: /files/wallet/wallet_template.pdf (https://johngodlee.xyz)

Wallet piece template (https://johngodlee.xyz)

I used a piece of corrugated steel that had previously been used for a barn roof. I used a hacksaw to cut the pieces to approximate size, usign the template as a guide, then used a bench grinder to shape the fine detail. To smooth everything off I used a file and then finally sandpaper.

For the elastic band I used a piece of trouser elastic from the sewing box, which I superglued together. But eventually I might switch this to a thicker piece, or I might even buy one of the stylised bands from Elephant Wallet[6], as they only cost a couple of dollars and look pretty nice.

6: https://elephantwallet.com/collections/accessories/products/additional-elastic-band-n-wallet-wood-metal-carbon-fiber (https://elephantwallet.com)

This is the finished product:

Finished wallet (https://johngodlee.xyz)