Large Wall Clock

This project has been in the making for years.  Ever since my husband and I started dating he has wanted a large wall clock but between the expense of buying one and the fact he could never find the one he really wanted it just never worked out.  After we moved into our new house a year ago he had really picked up his search for one because we had the perfect space over the fireplace in our living room.   It was then that I decided I was going to make him one for Christmas.  It was suppose to be a surprise but I wanted it to be what he envisioned, I ended up needing his input on a few things so we finished it up together after christmas:)-  
 

To start the project I cut 1 x 4's into 15 pieces each 50 inches long.  I moved each piece around until I liked the fit of the pieces together and then numbered each one so I knew where to place them again. It was time to draw out the circle.  To do this I found the center on the 8th piece and put a small nail in it and tied a string onto the it.  I wanted the diameter of the clock to be 48 inches so I measured out 24 inches and made a mark.  I then tied a loop  big enough for my pencil to fit in and made sure the mark I had made was at the end of the loop. Once I had my pencil in my loop at 24 inches I started to draw a circle by carefully pulling the sting tight and working my way around in a circle. Once the circle was complete I took each piece and cut along the the line that was drawn using a band saw. After each piece was cut I laid the pieces back out in order. I then attached 4 braces along the back with some 1 x 2s I had cut to length. Each brace was glued and screwed into each 1 x 4. I then took my orbital sander and sanded the edges and top to smooth them out.
 

Now with the wooden circle together and sanded it's time to work on the finish. I stained the wood first with a homemade stain I made by dissolving steel wool in vinegar.  It takes a day or two to dissolve and then you just apply it like regular stain. Once the stain was dry then I dry brushed on antique white paint until I had the look it was going for. It was then time to get the mechanical part of the clock in place.
 

I ordered the Quartz Clock Movement and the Clock Hands from Amazon. The hands were 14 inches long and the movement was the one that was recommended to pair with them. I had to recess the movement in the back of the clock about a half an inch by chiseling out a square a little bigger then the movement. It all depends on the movement and the material being used. Once the movement was in I temporarily put the hands on the movement to measure out where I wanted to place my numbers.
 

For the numbers on the clock I wanted to use Roman Numerals. I printed out mirror images of the numbers on a laser printer and cut them out using a Extools Knife by Slice. This little knife makes it so much easier to get a nice clean cut in small areas. I then laid the numbers out on the clock to get their placement. It was then time to modpodge the numbers on ink side down and let dry. Once they were dry I wet the paper by spraying it with a squirt bottle and rubbed it of with a rag but the key is to be easy and not take the ink off too. I wanted a rustic look, of course, so I rubbed little bits of ink off in places. It's important to let the modpodge dry completely or the ink will just peel right off. Stay patient and it will be worth the wait:).  I also modpodged my logo in the middle of the bottom half of the clock the same way I did the numbers.

With the numbers done it was time to put the finishing touches on it. I applied a coat of clear wax on the clock because I love the look of the wax finish. It was then time to put the hands on and put batteries in the movement. We set the correct time and mounted it on the wall with a tv mount. Makes it easy to take it off to replace batteries.

Thank you for spending time with me and until next time....

Addie