As promised, here is a tutorial on how to turn a book into a clock. You will need: a book, a clock, a drill, a pencil, a ruler, a knife and some glue. A selction of different sized drill-bits and some sort of sticky-tape may also come in handy.
*Hints & Tips*
*Choosing the right book: you can choose any hardback book you like as long as it is thicker than the depth of the clock-box that holds the mechanism and battery, and you no longer want to read it of course. Please make sure you gain the owners permission first if the book does not already belong to you.
*Choosing the right clock: make sure that the clock hands will not extend past the edges of the book once complete. Also, make sure that the depth of the clock box is less than the thickness of the book. You may need to choose another clock or book if either of these issues arise. Again, make sure you have permission to dismantle the clock.
*Choosing the right sized drill-bit: a good measure is the original clock's face-template (the bit with the numbers printed on it), if it doesn't fit through the bit is too big, if it fits through and you can wiggle it about still, then it is too small - try to find one that fits the best.
*Marking where to drill the hole: for most of my book clocks I chose the dead centre of the book - to find this, use the ruler along the bottom, mark the middle, then repeat along the top. Place the ruler against these two marks and then find the middle again - this should be the exact centre. It is always best to double check your measurements before drilling the hole. You can also lay the hands down to ensure it will be aesthetically pleasing when complete. The book I used for this tutorial had a nice circular design on its cover so I chose to use the centre of that pattern as the place to drill my hole.
*Marking where the box will sit: when you drill your hole, if you keep drilling a little bit further into the book it will leave a small nook in which you can flip the clock box over and work out where the box will sit. Leave about a half centimetre gap around the box - it makes it easier to assemble later.
*Cutting where the box will sit: USE A SHARP KNIFE otherwise the pages will tear and snag. USE A RULER to keep the lines straight. You will probably only cut through a few pages at a time so be prepared for this to take a while - it is important that you do not rush this process or the clock box may not fit correctly. You can tidy the edges with tape, which also holds the pages together from the inside to make it more sturdy - in this tutorial I used green snipers tape (the tape is quite fabric-like) but you could use anything you like, even remnants of the pages already cut out.
*Where do I glue?: It is a good idea to glue the front cover to the first page and also the last few pages with cut-outs on them. If your book slants when stood up you can also glue the last few pages of the book and then glue them to the back cover to prevent slippage - this usually only occurs in old books
*Setting the time: when you replace your hands (hour, minute, second - from bottom to top) if you position them so they are all together eg. 12 o'clock, when you turn the dial to set the time the hands will be in the correct positions.
If you have any hints or tips you would like to add, or have noticed a mistake I have made, please feel free to leave a comment below
TOODLE-PIPS
x♥x
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