How to Make a Clock That Tells Time With a Twist...?

Howdy, clock-making enthusiasts! Are you tired of the same old boring timekeepers? Well, it's time to add some flair to your timekeeping game with this tutorial on how to make a clock with a twist! This clock is going to be the talk of the town and the envy of all your friends. So grab your toolbox, and let's get ready to rock this DIY project. It's time to add some funky flavor to your timekeeping; let's go!

Don't have time to read the tutorial? Watch my YouTube video for a step-by-step visual guide on "How to Make a Clock That Tells Time With a Twist? "

Supplies

Materials and tools required :

• Quartz Clock Mechanism
• Foam board
• White Glue
• Super Glue [Cyanoacrylate adhesive]
• Craft Knife
• Scissors
• Sand Paper [100 GRIT]

• Aluminum Foil tape [ Optional ]

The clock's design has been done using Fusion 360. I've included the PDF of the clock templates below.

Step 1: Designing With Fusion 360 Part 1

I am going with a gear-type design for the discs of the clocks. For this, first I sketched out the periphery circle and divided it into 12 segments with the help of a circular pattern. Then, as shown in the images, I sketched a single gear profile and finished it with a circular pattern. Once the sketch is completed, extrude it out.

Step 2: Designing With Fusion 360 Part 2

Completing the disc is just the first step, now it's time to bring it to life with numbers and markings. We'll be using text on the path to make this happen. Start by sketching a center point arc that circles around the center of the disc. Position the arc and use circular pattern to pattern it around the 12 points. Once the arcs are in place, bring out the big guns - the "Text on Path" command - to add the numbers. To make the markings, draw a radial construction line that divides the surface into 60 segments. Using this line as a reference, place the markings in a circular pattern, making sure they are evenly spaced all the way around the clock face. Extrude[0.5mm] the design after removing any unwanted overlapping marks. Customize its look to your preferences. Here, I have used a simple black and white theme.

Step 3: Making the Printouts

Once the design is finished, you can use the render workspace to get realistic renderings [With transparent background] of the model. However, it would not be on the same scale as the one intended. You could acquire the scaled version by downloading it as a pdf from the drawing workspace, but it wouldn't be aesthetically pleasing. So I downloaded both and used the free Canva software to combine them.

Step 4: Making the Cutouts

Take the printed copies of your templates and cut out the patterns. Glue the cutouts to a foam board with white glue, and once it dries, cut out the pattern from it.

Step 5: Gluing the Discs

Remove the needles from the clock mechanism, trim out the long ends, and glue them onto the discs using cyanoacrylate glue as shown in the images.

Step 6: Making the Needle

As indicated in the image, the rear cover of the needle is cut out of foam board and glued into the clock mechanism. To finish the needle, the remaining sections are cut out of foam board and glued in place. The back cover templates are attached below. Depending on your clock mechanism, modify the back cover as needed.

Step 7: Making the Wall Mount

Now we need to make the mounts for our clock so that it can easily be hung on the wall. For that, a simple foam board cutout is fashioned as a wall mount and glued onto the back cover of our clock.

Step 8: Finishing Touches

Our clock is finished; all that remains are the final touches. I covered the front side of our needle with aluminum foil tape to give it a metallic sheen; this is entirely optional.

And there you have it, folks! A clock with a twist that's sure to turn heads and add some funky flavor to your timekeeping. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.

Thank you for reading, and tag along for more amazing projects.