How To Make A Clock

Some times with a craft project you want to create something which has a lot of wow factor but wont take a long time to master. This project takes no time at all and who could fail to be impressed when you show them your own personalised clock. This is also makes a great gift as you can personalise it with a photo or favourite piece of art and adorn it in a way that reflects their personality. As this clock is using china tea cups I decided to go with a Marie Antoinette theme using a copy of an out of copyright painting of the notoriously spoilt queen who was famous for her love of splendour.

You will need

An A3 size photograph or picture (this should be on normal drawing paper as its going to varnished and you don’t want it to run)

A piece of MDF or medium thickness wood approximately the same size as your picture. This is to form your clock base (for this clock I used 12mm chipboard)

A small clock mechanism (these can be purchased on line for about £4)

Four small china teacups and saucers (children’s tea sets are perfect and very inexpensive)

A drill with a tile bit (this is important as a normal drill will shatter china)

A jigsaw

Sandpaper

Quick drying varnish and a brush

Screws and screwdriver

String and pencil

Craft mount spray

Wood glue

Safety goggles and dust mask

Table clamp

Step One

Tie a piece of string to your pencil, use your drawing pin to secure it to the middle of your piece of wood and use it to draw a perfect circle. Alternatively you can always draw around a large plate or even a plant pot.

Step Two

Clamp your piece of wood onto either your workbench or table. Always clamp so the wood is not directly under the bench, otherwise you could end up cutting through the bench as well. It’s really important that your wood is clamped correctly, as you don’t want it to slip. Wear a dust mask when doing this as the dust gets everywhere and use safety goggles in case of flying debris. It may not look cool but it’s really important. Use your jigsaw to cut following the circle shape you have drawn on.

Step Three

Cut your picture out using your MDF circle as a template. Then spray mount the MDF and stick down your picture. Do this outside if you can or in a well ventilated room wearing a mask. You now have your clock base.

Step Four

Varnish the whole base. This will give your clock a nice slightly aged appearance. Leave to dry.

Step Five

Drill four holes all the way through your clock base at the four points where 12, 3, 6 and 9 would go on a clock face. Also drill a hole in the dead centre of the base. This will be for your clock fitting.

Step Five

Wearing safety goggles use your drill to make corresponding holes in the bottom of each china cup and through each saucer. Put some water in the bottom of each cup and saucer to keep the drill and china cool.

Step Six

Put wood glue on the back of the clock mechanism and attach it to the base. Leave to dry.

Step Seven

Put wood glue on the bottom of each saucer and glue these to the front of the base. Leave to dry.

Step Eight

Affix your cups to the saucers using long screws or bolts.

Step Nine

Fix the clock hands to the clock mechanism spindle, which will be poking, through the middle.

Step Nine

Attach a wall hanging fixing on the back of your clock. You can make your clock look even more magical with the addition of fake ivy, little bird’s even ribbons on your teacup handles.

Step Ten

 Hang your clock happy in the knowledge that it is a one off and cost less than a tenner. Every time you check the time you can congratulate yourself on what a craft sensation you are.

All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Betty Pamper (aka Perelandra Beedles) unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog.