OptiClip V5

OptiClip V5 – Glasses-Mounted Pencil Holder

Never lose your pencil again—always have it right where you need it.

Description

This is OptiClip V5, a custom-designed clip that securely holds a Zebra Mini mechanical pencil on the stem of your glasses. The Zebra Mini is an incredible pencil—it has a nice aluminum body and an eraser underneath the stamped-metal end cap. It's so mini and cute and useful.

After months of fricking around with this design, I’m excited to post my first ever thing on Printables. If you use this thing for long enough, your pencil simply begins to feel like an extension of your body. Cyborg type-beat.

The Fusion 360 model is parametric, allowing customization of key dimensions to fit different pencils, glasses, and user preferences. It’s a simple, practical tool for anyone who takes frequent notes, sketches, or needs a pencil handy at all times—without fishing through pockets or misplacing it.

How It Works

1. Insert the pencil: Align the back end in the circular support, then press to clip in the front end.
2. Remove the pencil: Brace your thumb on the thumb pad, wrap your index finger around the tip of the pencil, and pop the pencil out. Don't drop it. (After playing with it for a minute, I've realized that you can also just grab the end of the pencil and slide it out and now I feel kinda dumb for making the thumb pad feature).
3. Enjoy manifesting your pencil at will

Key Features & Adjustments

• (Pretty) Parametric Model: Modify dimensions such as the pencil diameter, clip angle, and wall thickness (be advised that the model may shid itself if you change the parameters too much because I didn't really test it).
• Adjustable Camber Angle: 0 deg positions the pencil downwards under the glasses' stem, 90 deg will or stick it out sideways. I set it to 30 deg by default, which is slightly angled down.
• Clip Fit Customization: Control the grip tightness by tweaking the clip opening angle (decrease for tighter fit) and clip length (increase for tighter fit).
• Glue-On Mounting: Superglue works best for attaching the L-shaped profile to your glasses stem—simple and effective.
• Fine-Tune Fit with Heat: If the clip comes out a bit tight, or loosens over time, a little heat (e.g. from a lighter) allows you to slightly warp to clip wings to adjust for a perfect grip.

Printing Recommendations

• Material: Matte black PLA (or similar)
• Layer Height: 0.15mm
• Supports: Yes (for the thumb pad feature)
• Bed Adhesion: Use a raft to prevent tipping during printing
• Print Orientation: Straight up, with the flat end down for optimal strength
• Make a Test Print: print just the first 3mm or so from the front end to test the fit of the clip before you go and print the whole thing (waste 2 mins instead of 50)

Why OptiClip?

I designed this because I needed a reliable, always-accessible pencil for woodworking and everyday notes—without pockets or hats eating my tools. Inspired by old-school architects and woodworkers who kept pencils tucked behind their ears, I wanted an even more secure, effortless option. Now the pencil is literally attached to my face so it's that much harder for me to fricking lose it again. Also it looks pretty neat as a fashion accessory.

Included Files

• OptiClip V5 (Right-Side) – STL & 3MF
• Fusion 360 & STEP files ("fully" parametric)
• Model of the Zebra Mini mechanical pencil (for your projects)
• OptiClip V5 Assembly (preview model with glasses & pencil)

If you want to attach the clip to the left side of your glasses (or even go for a dual-wield), you can just mirror the part to get a left-hand version.

This model is released into the public domain, so remix it, customize it, and share your prints!

Final Thoughts

It might look a little stabby (because it kind of is), but it’s super functional if you’re okay with that trade-off. If you modify it to be less dangerous, let me know—I’d love to see what you come up with!