DIY Old Clocks

After rusting the hardware for my last dresser project, I have been wanting to rust everything that I touch! I thought it would be cool to try this technique on some new clocks. I love the look of old rusty clocks and actually have several that I picked up from an antique market.

I found this little alarm clock and thought it would be a great clock to rust and knew it would fit perfectly with my little old clock collection.

I also found this larger clock. I wasn’t sure if either of them would turn out like I was envisioning, but it was worth a shot. They were only under $10 a piece.

I took the larger clock apart, hoping that the paper backing with the numbers would just come right out so that it would be easier to age. It was adhered to the clock, so I had to do my best to age it while it was set into the clock. I used this technique to age the paper, but this time, I used a blow dryer to dry it, instead of putting it in the oven to dry the the previous tutorial. I opened one of the tea bags and spread out the spices all over the clock, keeping the tea stained water at a minimum on the clock paper, and then dried it with the hair dryer. I didn’t want to get it too wet, thinking that it may not work if I had.

After it was dryed, I brushed off the spices. I used the same technique on the smaller clock, but I actually had to break the glass to get to the paper on the smaller clock. I just carefully tapped it with a hammer and then removed the broken glass. I didn’t mind because, some of the older clocks are missing the glass as well.

I wanted the glass part of the larger clock to look old too. I used some tan acrylic craft paint to age it. You can see, below, that the right side is finished. I used 80 grit sandpaper to rough up the surface of the glass and then used a small paint brush to spread the tan paint around on the glass. The sanded surface helped the paint to adhere better. I then wiped the paint off , leaving some of it on the glass to make it look foggy and aged.

Now the fun part, the rusting technique. I used the same “rusting kit” that I used to rust the hardware for my last dresser project. It’s a super easy three step process. Anything that can be painted, can be “rusted”, with this technique.

I had to be super careful when painting the hands on the small clock. Then before spraying the activator, I gently tucked some paper towel behind the hands of the clock so that I wouldn’t get the entire paper wet.

I’m in love with the way they turned out! The smaller one is my fave of the two, but they are both pretty amazing and rusty! It fits in perfectly with my old clocks, just as I had desired!

Every time I use this rusting technique, I’m just amazed with the authenticity that it gives. It looks like a clock that’s been sitting around for 100 years.

I even fooled my son, Kaden. I told him that I just bought this clock brand new yesterday and he said, “no way…how did it get all rusty like that?”

I think maybe I should put it back in the box, take it back to the store to customer service, and ask why my new clock rusted overnight. That would be fun!

The large one looks great too! Even the glass looks dirty and old, like an old clock. I decided not to rust the hands on this one, but I think they would look great rusted too.

Just a little tip for the process…make sure to be careful with the hands of the clock. Not that this is not an obvious tip, but I was trying to rush to get this done and broke the hour hand on the smaller clock. It still works but it may always be 6:00. Oh well, my old ones don’t work at all and 6:00 seems like a good time to be stuck at, right?

This is such a great way to give a vintage/aged look to a brand new clock. If you have wanted an old clock and have trouble finding them, like I sometimes do…now you can just make your own.

Do you think that this is something that you might try? The rusting solution goes a long way. I’ve already rusted 90 pieces of hardware, and now these clocks with those three little bottles. I did buy a large bottle of the activator solution, but the paint just keeps going and going. All that to say, you can rust a lot of things with a small amount. It’s well worth it! I hope this inspires you to bring some old into your new!

Some very talented friends of mine have joined in to share some of their DIYs as well. Tap on each name below to head over and meet my friends and see what they are sharing for their DIY projects!

• Shannon- Fox Hollow Cottage-How To Install Shiplap Above A Fireplace
• Rachel- Maison de Pax-DIY Painted Bunk Beds
• Liz- Love Grows Wild-Paper Mache Pressed Flower Art
• Sarah- Sarah Joy Blog-DIY “Antique” Books In Five Minutes
• Randi- Randi Garrett Design-Heart Pound Cake Recipe
• Bre- Rooms For Rent-DIY Planked Bathroom Ceiling

*Affiliate links are used in this post