Flower Power Clock or One Dirty Time Peice

This is my second instructable  and for this one I will be hacking into a pocket watch and replacing the need for batteries and turning it into a desk clock or wall clock with its own solar powered night light  and also  it doubles as a planter



materials

Bunch of junk

watch
hot glue
saw
soldering iron
wire
wire cutter
wood
metal
tacks
plastic tube
caps to fit tube
copper rod
zinc rod
DIRT
screws

So I was given a pocket watch as a gift and the battery was dead when I got it and who carries a pocket watch and a phone anymore it has its usefully ness if your a conductor of a usher. I do like pocket watchers' I even have a small collection myself but with a phone in my pocket they are just extra stuff to carry around.

First you have to remove the face and back to remove the face there is two ways to do so one could twist off the hinge or you could remove it by pushing a needle or pin into the small hinge and force it out . To remove the back use a thin knife and pop it open. the order in which you do this is all up to choice. 

Remove the battery from its holder and bend the small tabs up so that they will be able to be soldered or hot glued there very small and my crappie ten dollar  phone can not get that close up or clear for that matter due to the halogen lamps above my work desk. 

get wires to solder it to the positive and negative battery connection I used a old battery pack from a toy that was and will remain broken some children's toys are very loud and .........fragile

solder or glue wires on to positive and negative terminals . no I didn't actuly use the propane torch I used solder to attach wires hot glue works as well

now you will need to get copper and zinc rods to make the electrodes . I used threaded zinc rod and copper water line. solder a zinc and copper with a wire between them and a pair of copper and zinc to the wires coming off of the watch, these wires came from an old dryer disassembled in my shop waiting to go the scrap yard after I've scavenged all there is to use

now what I have the clock and its electrodes set up its time to make the containes to house soil to make the batteries and for my containes is use an old light shield from a florescent bulb I found in the trash along with a working ballast also I used 1 1/2 in pvc caps that I pained silver

I cut the shield to a length of seven inches. then I ran a lighter around the edge of the plastic tube to smooth out the edges and make them not sharp . Then hot glue the caps to the tubes

Now its time to make the frame or the wood work . I used an old pine pallet I found it is seven and a half inches wide and an inch thick . For the back piece I used a torch to color the wood and give it an aged and distressed look. for the trim i ripped a one inch strip form the pallet and burned the wood as well .

Now its time to cut out the pieces . Well just remember not to let your lumber hit the floor when you cut it, pallet wood is not the best and it most likely will split .But I will not start over it will be more my style of broken and repaired

omit if you don't like it broke and repaired . glue and clamp . cut our some brass squares . punch holes in brass . use  tacks to hold brass in place like a pacth

next I screw the base pieces to the bottom of the board clamped and glued still,i found some old brass screws with slotted heads from an old door lacth who uses slotted screws anyhow? I also attached the back to the bottom.

this step I take apart an old broken walk light I found in the trash the stem was broken but the light worked. there is two screws on the bottom and then I cut the plastic off to square the solar cell to attach to the top easier

for the light and solar cell I cut small pieces of the one inch stock and attach three sides to the cell with hot glue and then glue the square of wood to a strip the crosses the top of the back  I added some more brass door screws and left the long for ascetics

Time to attach the tubes I cut strips of copper pipe hanger and shaped it to the curve of the tube and attached with tacks .

Time to attach the clock . I took the plastic piece that held the path light together and nailed it to the back , then glued a strip of bass to the ring and glued the ring to the plastic and glued the clock to the brass. now fill the tubes with compost or dirt and insert on copper and one zinc rod into each tube and time is now in your hands . you can plant in the soil just keep it full with soil and well watered and it will run and run and run the little light acts as an night light and I can see the clock at night . i did not include patters and exact measurement but not everyone has the same style and likes as me but this can be done with fine wood working or even other materials .