Music(less) Clock
Introduction
Have a boring, store-bought wall clock that you purchased because you need to tell time, but it never fit in with your personal aesthetic? This quick and simple project solves that problem.
Materials
*12 (yes, 12) CDs: Choose any you like. In my case, I wanted a spectrum of colors, so that limited the choices from my personal collection. And don’t worry about the music on these CDs either. I imported them all into iTunes.
*1 LP record: Luckily, I found a second copy of ELO’s OLE ELO.
*1 Clock mechanism: Cannibalized from the dreadful thing on my wall (just make sure yours looks like it will fit through the hole in the LP.
*Wooden dowels (square): Approximately 12 feet.
*Spray paint (color of your choice)
*Hot glue
Tools
*Hot glue gun
*Hand saw
*Painting sheet (plastic or fabric)
*Leatherman Tool (or something like it)
*Paper
*Masking Tape
*Pencil
Have a boring, store-bought wall clock that you purchased because you need to tell time, but it never fit in with your personal aesthetic? This quick and simple project solves that problem.
Materials
*12 (yes, 12) CDs: Choose any you like. In my case, I wanted a spectrum of colors, so that limited the choices from my personal collection. And don’t worry about the music on these CDs either. I imported them all into iTunes.
*1 LP record: Luckily, I found a second copy of ELO’s OLE ELO.
*1 Clock mechanism: Cannibalized from the dreadful thing on my wall (just make sure yours looks like it will fit through the hole in the LP.
*Wooden dowels (square): Approximately 12 feet.
*Spray paint (color of your choice)
*Hot glue
Tools
*Hot glue gun
*Hand saw
*Painting sheet (plastic or fabric)
*Leatherman Tool (or something like it)
*Paper
*Masking Tape
*Pencil
Step 1: Paint Exposed Parts (dowels and Clock Arms)
1a. Uninstalling the mechanism from the old clock only required prying off the arms from the front of the clock. Not sure if that’s how it always works, but I used the flathead screwdriver on the Leatherman.
1b. You might notice that I didn’t evenly cut the dowels. I expect you to do a better job measuring things out in advance (like at the store, so you don’t get home and find you’re running short on dowels). In the end, it didn't matter, however. You'll see.
1b. You might notice that I didn’t evenly cut the dowels. I expect you to do a better job measuring things out in advance (like at the store, so you don’t get home and find you’re running short on dowels). In the end, it didn't matter, however. You'll see.
Step 2: Install Clock Mechanism
I had to make the LP hole a bit wider for the mechanism to fit through. I again used the Leatherman’s flathead screwdriver tool—twisting it into the hole to basically scratch pieces of the record away until the mechanism fit through.
Step 3: Reinstall the Clock Arms.
I simply pressed these back into place on the mechanism stem and replaced the “cap/button” on top. Just be careful because these arms are thin metal and bend easily—especially the “second hand.”
Step 4: Setting Up for Your Dowels.
I taped a bunch of printer paper together. That is all.
Step 5: Gluing Dowels in Place.
5a. In this first photo you can see the basic idea. I began by drawing the x- and y-axes and then the other lines based off of those. Maybe using a protractor is smart, but you can’t be smart if you don’t have a protractor. You need to be smarter.
5b. I measured out from the center and along the X- and Y-axes and marked where I wanted the end of the dowel to be. Ultimately, I found the 10/4 and 11/5 o’clock axes (seen here) through trial and error. Again, protractor!
5c. Finally, I placed some hot glue on the part of the dowel that was to be attached to the back of the record. Then, I slid it under the record along the axis and lifted it up until contact was made with the record. I then quickly lifted the record up to make sure the dowel was firmly in place and held it until cool.
WARNING: As you’ll see in my final images, hot glue is hot enough to melt a LP. You might want to experiment with letting the glue cool a bit before attaching the dowels to the record.
5b. I measured out from the center and along the X- and Y-axes and marked where I wanted the end of the dowel to be. Ultimately, I found the 10/4 and 11/5 o’clock axes (seen here) through trial and error. Again, protractor!
5c. Finally, I placed some hot glue on the part of the dowel that was to be attached to the back of the record. Then, I slid it under the record along the axis and lifted it up until contact was made with the record. I then quickly lifted the record up to make sure the dowel was firmly in place and held it until cool.
WARNING: As you’ll see in my final images, hot glue is hot enough to melt a LP. You might want to experiment with letting the glue cool a bit before attaching the dowels to the record.
Step 6: Gluing the CDs in Place.
I decided to use the end of the dowel as a guide for hot gluing the CDs in place. This way, I placed hot glue on the end of the dowel and looked through the CD’s hole to find the end of the dowel.
I recommend waiting until the glue is cool after adding each CD. Make sure, depending at which hour the CD is, that it's straight.
I recommend waiting until the glue is cool after adding each CD. Make sure, depending at which hour the CD is, that it's straight.
Step 7: Finish Up the Last Bit.
Hang on wall. Easy Peasy.