"Time Heals": Artisan Clock, Hobby Project From Simple Wooden Items , DIY Craft Gift Idea

Overview:

This is a wooden, wall-mounted vintage looking clock-art made from simple popsicle sticks and skewer sticks. It can be easily made in craft workshops and used as a gift or for personal use. Most importantly this project can also serve as an an example for people who want to make art or prototype models using wood by following the steps below.

Before 3D printer was so common, People would choose wood or acrylic sheets to make models and craft as they can be formed into different shapes. It was a time-intensive process which required patience, technical ability and art. I wanted to revisit this art in my spare time and make something from wooden popsicles, or to try out something new. The best thing is, One does not need a lot of wood-working tools or a dedicated workshop for this project. It only requires some artistic experience and patience. However the concept design, making and finishing of the final product all are important to give it a nice, presentable long-lasting look. The added benefit of using popsicle stick was that we get the architectural "ashlar/ staggered tile pattern" in the clock which would not be possible by a plain sheet of wood.

Design Choice:

The body of the clock could not look finicky. If I hang it on the wall it should not look bad. At the same time if I introduce a lot of colors it could lose its artistic "less is more" concept. So I went for only two colors: Natural wood and black. Deep blue was also an option for the sticks, but any non-monochromatic color could affect the natural-ness of the design. So I kept black and wood brown colors. Then about the design, it should be presentable. So a nice balance of symmetry and artistic irregularity was needed.

The design theme of the clock was given as: "Time heals". It has broken parts below, which formed a well-shaped part above. So it is kind of rising from its broken parts. Our subconscious mind could get this idea by just looking at the clock. That was the main idea as an art. However one can design any theme as per your wish and imaginations. Here, the challenges and solutions of making the structure from the sticks will be discussed.

Popsicle sticks 100-200 pieces :

https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Popsicle-Multi-Functional-Depressors-Classroom/dp/B0CLGF81YP

Skewer sticks 20 pieces:

https://www.amazon.com/SURVART-Grilling-Marshmallow-Appetizers-Chocolate/dp/B0D5LGP6FP

White glue:

https://www.amazon.com/Fevicol-Squeeze-Bottle-200-Grams/dp/B00LXTFFM0

Heavy Scissors:

https://www.amazon.com/Scissors-Professional-Tailoring-Industrial-Dressmakers/dp/B07Y2ZBSN1

Cutter:

https://www.amazon.com/HORUSDY-Utility-Aluminum-Retractable-Cardboard/dp/B08HCW4V4G

Watch movement mechanism:

https://www.amazon.com/Youngtown-Movement-Mechanism-Operated-Replacement/dp/B08P6837PC

For numbering:

Soldering iron or Wood burner:

https://www.amazon.com/FIRElood-Pyrography-Burning-Upgraded-Adjustable/dp/B09N78455D

PU wood coating/ wood protector/shiner

https://www.amazon.com/Minwax-710330000-Oil-Modified-Polyurethane-gallon/dp/B000RNLC6G

Misc. items:

Transparent tape, Black Acrylic Paint, Thread, Pencil lead, transparent plastic sheet, white board marker etc. The links are not provided for these common items, but you can ask in the comment section for any queries.

We can find multiple projects online in websites and youtube. People choose this item as a building block for multiple reasons. Like: The material is highly available, Can be cut into diverse shapes, Has a more creative side to it than labor-intensive objects. People of all ages participate in this, trying out their creativity and designs. So I thought it could be a fruitful idea. So I wanted to make something that I could use in the future also. Hence the clock. You may not need to make this clock design but can make any other as well using the craft. Some example projects on popsicle sticks are:

Making a strong Popsicle Geometry by

https://www.instructables.com/Popsicle-Stick-Icosahedron/

A nice miniature house by:

https://in.pinterest.com/pin/571675746419113343/

We put a clear sheet of plastic sheet over the working area and tape the corners as shown. It is there so that the glued face is easily detachable from the bottom surface.

You may use a cutting knife and sand paper to cut the popsicle stick. And this is suggested in many places. But I found that method could be slow and time consuming, because i need to cut around 100 sticks. So I thought it would be easier and quicker to use a heavy scissor to cut the ends in under second as shown. The sharpness of scissors will be reduced but it will work for wood still.

We need to cut the popsicles as shown and flatten the ends so that we can stack them horizontally.

You can put white glue along the edges as shown. The reasons for choosing this glue are that: 1. it becomes transparent when dried , so it will not be visible. 2. it bonds really well to the wood and provides a strong final product.

After the first few sticks, we can now glue rest of the sticks together with a bit of extended portions as shown, in a "staggered"/ brick laying type of pattern . It will help in a good bonding strength between the layers by interlocking with each other and will look good also in an architectural way.

The width of the Clock face will be kept more than twice the width of the clock hands.

To make accurate cuts, we can mark a line with a pencil as shown.

It is helpful to glue random positions at the back of the face to the plastic sheet so that the clock face does not move around.

It will take some time and patience to make the whole clock face with popsicle sticks, layering one-by-one. I am not putting many images but the important ones are provided. If there is any query ask in the comment section. i would love to help.

Once we have made the required face area, we are done with the step. We will let it dry for 6-12 hours.

I had to put some weight on top of the platform to keep the surface straight when it is drying.

Now we need to make a big circle for the face. We can use a thread to tie a skewer stick to a pencil lead and make the circle. You may be able to see the lines in the first and second pictures which are quite faint.

Then we can cut the face with the heavy scissor.

The hole for the shaft of the clock mechanism shall be made at center with a cutting knife .

Now let us turn the clock face upside down to prepare the back side.

In order to craft along a perfectly circular line, we can mark the circle by a white-board marker on the plastic sheet.

Then glue the skewer sticks on the face.

As shown in the picture, we now mark some grooves in a popsicle stick and glue it to the base of the popsicle stick. It can act as a strengthening mechanism so that the sticks do not come out loose. More contact area=more strength.

Till it dries up, let's put some weight on them and wait for 6 hours.

The plates were bending a lot being thin.

So I needed to use additional popsicle sticks as stiffeners.

Glued them to the backside of the clock face. Made sure that there are some triangles for added strength.

Used some weights to keep the face straight.

Then let it rest for 6 hours.

The face was very stiff now and flat. Otherwise the clock hands could get stuck.

Then back to the front face again. I placed the broken cut-pieces on the clock face as per their positions.

Painted the visible portions of the sticks with acrylic color. And put glue on the non-painted portions so the pieces can stick to the skewers.

Now I had to just put the pieces above the glued portion and put weight on them for 6 hours.

Now it's time to put the Clock mechanism through the hole from the back side.

Then I tightened the screw ring on the front side as shown.

Attached the Clock hands in order.. Put the Hour hand first, then the minute and at the end the second. Centered all to 12 o'clock position. If the position is not centered then the hour hand will not be in exact position after minute hand passes 60 minutes.

Now Insert battery in the mechanism.

We can use either a soldering iron or a wood burner to burn the numbers on the surface. It is better to mark the numbers by pencil before burning them because it will be permanent and hard to cut off from the surface.

Used a sharp edge of the hot end to draw the lines and a flat face to fill the number. You can see the zoomed video of the soldering tip during its work to get an idea about how the markings were each made individually.

You can paint the number also, but using wood burning for the numbering will give a better look I thought. It kinda gave a "worn-out" feeling to the fonts from up close.

Also used the old roman font of "IIII" as the number "four" in the face instead of "IV" as per vintage Roman Clock numerals.

To keep the wood last long, we need to coat it with a transparent wood protecting PU solution or equivalent. (See Supply section for an example) It will work as a sealer and top coat. And if we put a thick layer, then it will be shiny and look more stylish.

If I used a brush, the coat was too thin and with brush marks. So I had to change my approach. I just poured it over the surface and let it run freely over as shown. Had to spread with a popsicle stick to the edges. However I kept the central hole filled up with a rolled piece of paper so that the solution does not leak through. A layer thickness of between 0.5 to 1.5mm is good for the coating which gave a shiny appearance.

Then I had to burst some small bubbles as shown in the video so that the surface does not have bubbles when it gets hard. The process is shown in the video.

Then I let it dry for 12 -24 hours on a flat surface.

After the top coat, the clock gets a shiny yet weathered look and warmer color after drying up.

Now one can hang it from the wall. There we go, the clock is up and running well hopefully for a long time.

Well, this was the journey of my experimentation with making the clock. There were three types of designs, 1. Minimalist clock with no numbers. 2. Clock with numbers but natural wood. 3. Clock with a Shiny coat. Personally, I prefer the clock at the middle stage above. Something about the natural wood color makes it more appealing to me. However I must finish the surface for a long lasting use. If there is a clearer alternative coating, I would have been more satisfied. But I am still okay with the third one as hanged by the wall at my home.

That's it from my side. I hope you liked the attempt of making this wall clock. Wishing you best of regards and hope to see you soon in the next adventure!