Clock Craft: Making Plate Clocks

Recycle old plates with this fun arts and crafts project.

Several years ago, my good friends Susan and Peter made plate clocks which they gave as Christmas gifts to close friends and family.

The lovely plates that they used for the clocks had belonged to Susan's mother, whom we all loved.

Later, Peter demonstrated the process for me. It is quite easy. The only tricky step is drilling the hole. If you are not careful, the plate could crack.

Here are photos of two very simple plate clocks that Peter made. The clock face for the first clock is a stoneware plate. The plate used for the clock on the right is wood.

What a wonderful and useful way to display beautiful old plates!

Here are the materials you will need and step-by-step instructions for this plate clock craft project.

Materials

Plate (china, ceramic, china, earthenware, wood)

• If you don't already have any plates that you want to use to make clocks, you can find inexpensive used plates at thrift stores and garage sales.

Clock movement and hands

Battery (size depends on the clock movement that you use)

Tape measure or ruler

Felt-tip pen

Drill with masonry bit

Towel or blanket (something soft to cover work surface)

Good quality glue or double-sided tape

Mounting hardware (if not included with the clock movement) or plate stand

Safety mask

Fine sandpaper (optional)

Acrylic or latex paint (optional)

Numerals (optional) (Clock movement kits are available that come with numbers.)

Instructions

Cover your work surface with something soft such as a blanket or folded towel. This will help protect the plate from getting scratched or broken.

Place the plate face down on the work surface.

Next, you will need to mark the center of the plate. Peter is good at just "eyeballing" the center, but I suggest that you follow these steps to find the exact center:

• Using a tape measure or ruler, measure the back of the plate from top to bottom. Find the center and mark it with a felt-tip pen. Then measure the plate from left to right and mark the middle again. The two marks should match up, marking the center of the plate.

Fit the drill with the masonry bit.

Hold the plate firmly, and carefully drill a hole through the center. To avoid cracking the plate, drilling must be done slowly. Also, it is important to maintain the drill perpendicular to the plate.

The masonry bit needs to be large enough to so that the shaft of the clock mechanism will fit through the hole created by the bit.

Depending on the hardness of the plate, you might want to use a diamond bit before you use the standard masonry bit. If you do, use care when you switch to the masonry bit to expand the hole. The larger bit might bind and crack the plate if it encounters an inconsistency in the material.

Drilling will cause dust particles. To protect yourself from breathing this dust, wear a safety mask.

When you are finished drilling, wipe the dust off both sides of the plate.

If you want your clock face to have numbers, place and attach them to the plate at this time. Some clock numerals are self-adhesive. If you need to use glue to attach the numbers, let the glue dry before proceeding to the next step.

Attach the hands and clock mechanism, following the manufacturer's instructions. The usual procedure is to press the shaft of the clock mechanism through the drill hole from the back of the plate. Using glue or double-sided tape, anchor the clock movement to the back of the plate.

Then attach the hands to the clock mechanism on the front of the plate. Make sure that the hands are firmly in place but also that they will not touch the plate clock face as they move around it.

Optional: Before you attach the clock hands, you can customize them by lightly sanding them with fine sandpaper and then painting them. Sanding them first will help them hold the paint.

To display your clock, hang it on the wall or set it in a plate stand.

For more clock craft projects, see these clock craft kits.