After having already misplaced the loops-style keypuller I
made just yesterday, but then failing a replacement
(1.8mb image here) using overly-thick paperclips, I made one in in the
Topre U-style as conveniently shown by xsphat, and it was fairly straightforward.
I started out with a 7.5" (19cm) by 5/8" (16mm) strip of steel that I had on hand. It was coated in rusted black enamel, but some wet-sanding removed it quickly.
I cut 45-45-90 triangles away on all four corners to form points on either end. I then bent each tip 90 degrees, and trimmed them. I formed the "U" shape, and finally used a Dremel to grind away the tips until they protruded about 0.33 mm. More sanding throughout made all edges and corners smooth.
Finding the right material is the difficulty. The steel is about half as thick as a hacksaw blade (around 21
Guage). Does anyone know how to properly identify the metal or where to obtain it? I feel it's useful stuff in general.