Every time I go to a thrift store, it bums me out to see the stacks upon stacks of old records that have clearly been sitting in the same spot for months. I decided to purchase a few for some crafting experiments, and I’m happy to share with you my DIY Record clock tutorial! You’ll be finished in no TIME (get it?).
Step 1: Find a Record!
This is a very easy step. If you head to any pawn shop or thrift store, you should be able to locate a record selection and purchase a record for $1 or less. I took my time sifting through the selection to find ones that were funny or matched our musical preferences. Pretty much anything I wouldn’t be ashamed to have hanging on my wall. I ended up choosing “Beer Drinkin’ Singalongs.”
It was very tempting to keep this record in working condition for our next party… The other side featured “Row Row Row Your Boat” and “I’ve Been Workin’ On the Railroad.” Timeless party jams.
Step 2: Purchase and Gather Remaining Supplies
To complete your project you will need:
- 1 record
- 1 Clock Kit *Make sure you get a kit with a short shaft, like this one. Otherwise, there will be too much space between your clock face and clock hands.
- Number Stickers (Keep in mind you’ll need five 1’s)
- Drill
- Protractor, other clock, or some other means to mark the spacing of numbers
- Spray paint, or regular paint (Use paint if you want to change the color of your clock hands)
Step 3: Drill
Open your clock kit and check to see if the bolt fits through the hole in the record. If it doesn’t you’ll need to drill the record to make it juuuuuust a little larger. Once I used a 3/8 inch bit it fit just right.
Step 4: Place the Numbers
Honestly, this was the most annoying and time consuming part for me. On my first attempt I used clock numbers that I had purchased and painted, and then had to glue on. Overall, that was a pain in the ass and I would not recommend it. On my second attempt I used stickers. This way I didn’t have to deal with hot glue oozing out from behind each number and I had many font and color options… It’s really the way to go. Just get a good quality sticker with some bulk to it (Thin ones will follow the grooves in the record and not look as good).
Okay, on to the annoying part—number spacing. This should have been so easy. If you have a regular analog clock, just take that baby off the wall, place it in the middle of your record, and mark the numbers accordingly. I don’t have an analog clock or protractor in my apartment, so I had to get creative. I downloaded “Protractor” from the App Store and used that to mark my spacing (see pics below). It was a bit of a pain, but I managed to get it done. Mark every 30 degrees and place your numbers!
Step 5: Final Assembly
For this step, you’ll follow the instructions on your clock kit. Mine were quite simple to follow. After you’ve put the hands on, your clock should be ready for a battery and wall-hanging. Ta-da!!
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