The best custom tyvek wallet (3 of 3)

This is the final post of a 3 part series on making a Tyvek wallet. I'm biased, but happen to think that my design is the coolest, most compact, and innovative design out there!
- Part 1 covers the background (as in, "Why would you do this?")
- Part 2 covers the bulk of the fabrication
- This post completes the finishing touches!
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Okay. When we left off, things were pretty well clear. The pockets were all formed. Now we just have to do three more things to finish off the wallet. Recall that the wallet is a product of two folds which means there are four layers of Tyvek. Remember how the very back sheet was left a little taller than the rest? We're going to fold and glue that down to create a nice smooth edge for the back of the wallet. Fold it down over the body of the wallet and crease it. You should then have this:


Now put some glue on that flap and fold it down. While it could have been cut off, this will create a smoother edge that's easier to handle when you're trying to slip stuff into the wallet. I'm imagining that it will be a bit more tear resistant as well than if it were a "naked" thin edge floating in space.

Update 8/2011: I would actually not do the below as described. I left it as written, but have since started "reversing" the instructions. In other words, leave the back layer as is, and cut the other three a bit shorter so that the back can be folded over all layers in front of it and glued to the front of the wallet. This way, the flaps are on the inside (which is folded up) rather than on the outside where they are prone to rubbing on pockets and getting pulled apart.

This next part is a little tricky. We're going to cut the side edges of three of the layers on both sides a little, while leaving the very front layer as-is. This way, we can put some glue on the "flap" we create, wrap it all the way around, and glue it to the very back of the wallet to hold it together. I unfolded the back two sheets and cut them 3/8" shorter. Then I slipped a gift card I didn't care about in between the front two sheets and cut only the back one 3/8". Here's what it looked like when the cut was done:


I did that to each side and then folded/creased both of the resultant flaps toward the back of the wallet. Then I unfolded each, applied glue, and then re-folded them back to close off both sides of the wallet. Here's the folding of the flap to the back of the wallet (you're seeing the back of the wallet up and the front flap reaching around):

And that's that! The wallet is done. Here's the show-off finished shots one more time:



I made my first one with double sided tape about three months ago (everywhere you glued I used strips of double sided tape) and it's held up quite nicely. I recently made myself a glued version but haven't started using it yet. I have been quite pleased. After making 8 of these (3 previous designs I don't like, my current wallet, and 4 of the new/glued versions), I can make one in about 15min. I eyeball most of the "flaps," use a credit card to get the height right, and have been measuring out the width to 7-3/4 with a ruler. Who knows how long the wallet will last, but I figure that 15min every 3mos or so will do!

Hope you enjoyed the series.