Steampunk Wristclock

I really enjoy the steampunk aesthetic and was inspired to make a wristclock while working on crayon holders for my daughter's birthday. 

Materials
1x4x8 furring strip
wood glue
small nails
Spray Paint - Aged Copper and Gold
Various screws/spring/whatever inspires you
small hinges
small latch
Old watch


Tools
Miter Saw
Drill and bits
Hammer
Brasso
Finger nail polish remover
Sandpaper

I scavenged the latch from a lap table that you could angle. 

I got the idea for the wrist gear from this instructable. I don't know how my mind made the leap from wooden beer mug to steampunk wristclock, but it happened. 

I wanted something small enough that it would fit on my wrist. I decided to make it eight sided with the sides on the bottom and top of my wrist a little longer. 

I cut the wood at a 22.5 degree angle. I came up with that number by dividing the number of sides I wanted by 180. Cut all your wood using the first piece you cut as a guide.  The wide side of the pieces on the side was about 1 inch. The top and bottom sides were about 1.5 inches.

After cutting the wood sand them down.

Once your wood is cut you will need to put it together. Since this is the base of your project you need to spend time making sure it fits. If you have a piece that is a little too small or large just cut another. 

Take one of your small nails and remove the head of the nail, you can cut if off or grind it off. You will use this nail to create pilot holes for your other nails. I used a drill press to drill these holes. You can use a hand drill.  

You will drill two holes into the side of the segment. I used a piece of wood that had a 22.5 degree cut on one side and was flat on the other to hold it straight on with the drill bit. Then put two nails into the holes. Once the nails are in grind the heads down. Set the two next to each other and press them together. Drill holes where the other nails made a mark. Use the angled wood to hold the other piece so the drill cuts into the wood at a perpendicular angle. The nails you used to make the mark should fit snugly into the holes. 

Repeat until you have two sets of four sides each. Then attach the latch. and hinges. Depending on the latch you find or choose you may need to cut a space in the wood. Luckily the latch I was using was almost exactly the width of my grinding wheel so I used it to create a depression. 

Put glue between the pieces and slid them together. Then use a bit of rope and tie it around the mount. Then use a screwdriver to twist it tighter. This puts pressure on the mount giving the glue a nice tight seal.

I selected some screws and the watch face I wanted to use. The watch had paint on it so I removed that with some finger nail polish remover. I used a drill bit to carve out a space for the watch to fit into. Then I drilled some holes for the screws to fit into.

Then I removed the hinge and latch to avoid getting paint on them. I gave it two coats of the aged copper and then flipped it over and gave it two more coats. This effectively covered the wood grain. 

After the paint dried I cut a stencil out of a gear. I found the picture browsing the internet. I cut the stencil out of contact paper. This let me use it multiple times. I used gold spray paint on either side of where the clock is mounted.

Then I attached the metal bits. I screwed the ones that would screw and glued the rest. I also had a plastic gear that I put gold spray paint on and a neat copper colored nut that I glued on next to the clock. 

I considered making some numbers for the clock face, but I have not made any that I am happy with yet. If I figure something out I will post an update. 

Now wear your wristclock from the Golden Gear Society.