Whether it’s freezing outside, you’re driving or you think they just look cool, there are dozens of reasons to wear gloves. However, with touchscreens everywhere, the appeal of gloves may seem a bit blah. Many can’t get their screens to register when wearing gloves, and take them off every time they want to use their touchscreen no matter the device.
However, this doesn’t have to be the case. Most touchscreens that are made today have what’s called a “capacitive touchscreen,” which means that in order for your glove to register the screen, a small circuit connection must be made. Don’t worry, however, we’ve got you covered. There are several easy DIYs that help make any pair of gloves work well with touchscreens.
Our guide will outline the 3 best ways to make gloves fully touchscreen-ready.
Related Reading: Styluses: The Best 5 to Consider for Tablets and Smartphones
Method #1: Sew-In Conductive Thread
Maybe you’ve heard of a conductive thread before or maybe you haven’t, but if not, conductive thread is a unique specialty thread that can instantly turn any pair of gloves into touchscreen-ready gloves. All that’s required for this method are basic sewing skills to make a few stitches on the fingertips.
When shopping for a conductive thread, it’s easily available online, however, more big box stores are starting to carry it, so look around near you too. Also, avoid paying anywhere near $10 a spool. You can even buy a half of spool from SparkFun. Once you have the thread, you’ll need a pair of scissors and a needle to finish the job.
What you want to do is stitch back and forth a few times all around the fingertips of the glove you use on your touchscreen, don’t forget the thumb, and then cut and knot the thread. Voila – you now have gloves you can leave on when using a touchscreen.
Method #2: Add Metal Snaps
If you’re better with tools than sewing equipment, then the option of adding metal snaps to the fingertips of your glove might a right up your alley. To add snaps to your fingertips, you’ll need a short hobby knife, snap buttons and a mallet. Once you have your supplies, cut a small hole on the fingertips. Once that’s done, reach in and add the bottom half of the snap.
To finalize this method, enter the rivet and use the mallet to firmly get the snap into your glove. The guys at Makezine have a more thorough explanation of this process here.
Method #3: Apply Any Glove
It the above two methods sounds a bit too complicated, you can always go the surefire route of applying Any Glove to the fingertips. This liquid material, approved by the U.S. armed forces for use on their gloves, instantly makes any pair of gloves touchscreen-ready. The only drawback is that it takes three days to dry. If you’re not in a hurry, however, this is a great way to make any pair of gloves touchscreen-ready.
Please note that this substance will permanently color your gloves several shades darker than the original color, so make sure you use a pair of gloves you don’t mind dying. You can buy a $15 bottle and it contains 500+ drops.
Check it out: Any Glove
Conclusion
It never hurts to save a little money doing this on your own. Why spend money on an item that you can make yourself, and it’s easy to make to boot? Just remember – use a pair of gloves you don’t mind experimenting on, and possibly even ruin in the process.
For information on important touch gestures in Windows 8, check out our post – What Are Windows 8 Touch & Mouse Gestures and How To Use Them
