Office Bricolage

Spiked Fist Load

Fist Load Construction

Step Two: Wad up a small piece of paper. The wad should fit snugly inside barrel of highlighter. Push the paper wad all the way to the end of the barrel and compact it with a pen or pencil. Option: The spikes may be omitted from the design, creating an innocuous-looking weighted fist load. If this is required, skip to step eight. If desired, a small square of tape can be applied to the bottom of the paper wad prior to loading. This will prevent the remaining ink left in the felt tip from leeching into the paper, allowing the fist load to actually be used a few times for highlighting tasks.

Step Three: Hold the highlighter barrel across one palm. Using a thumbtack, make two small holes on either side of the intended user's middle finger. Make sure that the holes fit between the user's fingers when his fist is clenched.

Step Four: Create two sets of holes in the plastic barrel. Unbend a large paperclip and heat one end with the lighter. Starting with one of the holes created in step three, press the hot wire through both walls of the barrel. Repeat with the other pilot hole. Be careful to keep the holes neat and lined up on both sides.

Step Five: Straighten the ideal clamp and bend as shown. The cross piece width should be equal to the distance between the two holes created in step three.

Step Six: Force the bent wire through the holes created in step four. Note that the holes are slightly smaller than the wire. This is deliberate, in order to prevent wobble and sand leakage. Once the wire is in place, wrap a length of tape several times around the highlighter barrel, between the two wires. The tape should be pulled taut, and should be ten or more layers thick.

Step Seven: Using the intended user's fingers as a guide, trim the wire. The spikes should protrude between 1/2" and 3/4" beyond the user's knuckles. Shorter spikes will be more resistant to bending, while longer spikes will penetrate further. The decision is left to the builder. The spikes should be cut at an angle, to create sharp points. If available, a file may be used to further sharpen the spikes.

Step Eight: Locate the sand fill hole on the tape dispenser. It will likely be located under one of the rubber friction pads on the bottom of the dispenser. Carefully peel back the rubber pad. If care is taken not to coat the adhesive with sand, the pad can be replaced after use.

Step Nine: Pack the barrel as full as possible with large and small paperclips. Staples also work well to fill in smaller voids. Time permitting, considerably more weight can be added by straightening the several dozen large paperclips, trimming them to length, and inserting them into the barrel in a dense bundle. Make sure to leave room for plug replacement. When the barrel is packed as tightly as possible with paperclips and other ballast, fill the remaining voids with sand. Create a paper funnel, and slowly pour sand into the barrel. When the barrel is full, replace the plastic plug removed in step one. The weapon should not rattle when shook. If it does, pour in additional sand until all voids are filled.

Finished Product