This is a really, really neat little weekend project I found on Project Re (a blog hosted by Samuel Bernie – an industrial designer from the countryside of Quebec whose mission is to give the world the notion of “upcycling” – increasing the value of a broken or unused object by giving it a new function or a new form.
This particular project will help you achieve exactly that with that broken old kitchen clock you keep meaning to throw out and some plastic forks and spoons you have left over from late night convenience store runs. In all you will need just the following (batteries not included):
6 forks. 6 soup spoons, a polystyrene sheet, a clock mechanism and some super glue.
In trying to keep with the spirit of the project you should really recycle an old clock for its mechanism but alternately if you wanted to you could head over to klockit.com ($8) or your nearest hobby/craft store and pick one up there.
Step 1:
Make sure you thoroughly clean the spoons and forks. Use a little bit of water and soap to remove any residue of food and to make sure the surface is absolutely oil free. The paint won’t last on anything greasy.
Step 2:
Trace a circle with a 12cm diameter on the polystyrene sheet. MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE A MARKING AT THE CENTRE (probably where you used your compass in the first place – but make sure you can find it again). Then use a cutter, scissors or even a band saw to NEATLY remove the excess plastic.
Step 3:
Find that hole that marks the centre of your circle and now yse a 1/4 drill to make the hole in the center of the circle.
Step 4:
To make your hour indicators perfectly spaced use a protractor and draw markers at 30 degree intervals from the centre of your circle. Now apply super strong glue to the base of the disposable flatware and then stick them around the BACK of circle. Keep in mind which way the clock will face when it is complete. . Keep enough space for the mechanism. You will have to stick it too.
