Cartoon Style Clock Upcycle

I had this old, battered clock for ages and no idea how to upcycle it. My kiddo has just learned how to read an analog clock, so I decided to award her by making her one for her room...and also to throw her a curveball and remove all the numbers from the clock face. She's a fan of Dr Seuss and other vintage books/cartoons and this clock will fit right in with her other weird and cartoon-ish furniture.

1. You will need some kind of old-fashioned clock. Have a look around flea markets, you can always find something.
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3. New clock mechanism if your current one is too old or too damaged- my clock came with an original, but unfixable, wind-up mechanism that I had to remove completely.
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5. If you have any parts that need to be replaced- consider what materials you have on hand. I had to replace everything-face, dial and a rim around the dial. In my case I had to make everything from scratch, so I used a 3D printer. Alternatively, you can use cardboard, hardboard, laser cutter. thick paper etc. Depends on which part of the clock needs to be fixed or replaced.
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7. Acrylic paint - one opaque vibrant colour and one black colour.
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9. Matt varnish.
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11. Thin paint brushes.
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13. Optional, if you need it: wood filler, primer, sanding paper etc.

I dismantled the clock completely and kept the inside pieces to make replicas. Then, I sanded away the old wood varnish (with a bit of paint stripper and some rough sanding). I used a wood filler to fill in any holes and nicks and then sanded everything again with 180 grit. I applied one coat of primer to seal in the wood grain- if you don't have primer, you can use PVA glue instead.

Finally, I painted the body orange- took me several layers because my paint wasn't very opaque.

Let it dry and leave unvarnished before moving to the next step.

I'm not the best painter and my hand is not very steady, so I made this tool to create even outlines around the clock's body.

Select a pen or pencil you want to use to paint an outline and then grab a second pen/pencil/dowel/knitting needle. Tape them together and make sure the secondary pen/pencil/dowel/needle is positioned higher than the pen. Just look at picture 2, you will see what I mean. You might have to experiment with different pens, because the thickness of the outline depends on the thickness of the pens. Picture 3 shows you different outcomes I got from different pens.

Experiment with different combinations by protecting the clock with masking tape or scribbling at the back of the clock where no one will see it.

It takes a minute to get a hang of it, but it's not too difficult to keep your hand steady and move in short, slow bursts to create an outline.

This is what it should look like afterwards.

Use a small, flat paint brush and black paint to fill in the outlines. Be careful not to smudge and get the black over the orange. Work in sections and let the paint dry before moving to another part. If you get a smudge, you can use the coloured paint to fix it before varnishing.

Once everything is outlined and dry, you have to varnish. If you are using liquid varnish (applied with a brush), you have to seal the paint beforehand, so the black doesn't bleed- just spray a thin layer of hair spray over the clock.

I'd advise to use a matt varnish for maximum cartoon-ish look, as you can see, I used satin and mine is a tad too shiny.

Cut out the dial outline and glue it to the clock's face. Insert the inside pieces and the clock mechanism. Use hot glue or screws to secure it in place.

Lastly, attach the clock hands and set the time.

When choosing clock mechanisms, get one with plain, straight clock hands. You want to make your own, colourful, exaggerated and outlined hands and then glue them to the hands that come with the clock set. You need the pre-made metal hands in order for the mechanism to spin properly. Essentially, you will just glue a bit of paper on top of the hands, but the metal behind the paper is still there and doing its job.

Print arrow-shaped hands in colour or paint them with your paint and cut them out.

You want to use thick paper for the hands, regular printer paper won't hold.

Alternatively, you can cut them by hand from a piece of plastic or cardstock. You can also 3D print them and paint afterwards.

When you have the hands ready, make sure they are long enough to reach the hours and minutes on the dial.

The "HOUR" hand is shorter and usually positioned at the bottom or the clock shaft. You want to make a hole at the end of the paper arrow to thread it through the shaft properly.

The longer, "MINUTES" hand usually goes on top of the "HOUR". When gluing this paper arrow to the metal hand, don't glue around the metal hole. That way, when you thread the arrow through the shaft, the paper will cover up the hole at the front. You will get this cartoonish look, rather than having to look at the metallic button in the middle of the mechanism.

If you want to 3D print your own clock, similar in design to the one I made, here are STL files provided. I recommend you print as is and don't change the dimensions. The internal part that holds the clock is the perfect size for a standard clock mechanism. You will need 4 small screws to secure the everything together. You clock mechanism should have a 5-6mm long shaft- as seen in the picture.