Hey, I want to tell the time, OLD STYLE ?

OK, I have got you Clocked………………..get it !
 

Hi everyone, my name is Zoyah & I am 7 years young ( better known as Twiglet to my Papa ) anyway I asked Papa to teach me how to tell the time on the OLD analogue style time pieces that he uses. They are kinda cool, in a funny sort of way & I wanted a proper wristwatch with the numbers on, but he insisted that I must be able to tell the time on a proper clock first. We had a look at the Hobby’s website (www.hobby.uk.com ) and found an amazing collection of clock kits & all manner of bits & bobs for making your own clock. I really loved the Penguin Clock kit AC220, because it reminded me of Happy Feet, so we placed the order & sure enough it arrived soon after, now for the really good bit, building & PAINTING.

First things first, we checked all the bits were there & the all important instructions, (Papa insists on reading them) although I told him this was ezee peezy. I had to press out all the very nicely die cut wooden parts & the I had to smooth the edges with sandpaper just to make sure that he didn’t get any splinters ! I used the handle end of the paint brush to push out the tiny round bits for the fixing holes ( See, final assembly )

Now for the real stuff, painting, Papa said I should start with the light colours first & the dark colours last as it is easier to cover light with dark ( Sounds like a fairy tale, to me ) anyway that is what I did. Plenty of paint, even the way I use it, but I thought that 2 coats would give me the best colours, so that is what I did, just had to wait a bit longer for it to dry between coats.

The paints in the kit mean you can mix the colours to make whatever you like, I wanted Orange so I used the Yellow & Red to make that, the only colour we chose to add to the supplied ones was Black

OK so now I have finished the Penguin now the background has to be completed, getting towards the finish line. (Oh, and Papa insisted that we had to do some learning how to read the CLOCK, while things were drying.) Anyway I think I have got the hours & minutes sorted out, not too sure about the seconds ( I thought that was all about deserts ! )

I painted the background in a light Blue & the snow flakes in an off White, just added some Yellow to the White, because I liked it. Then I had to fix the clock mechanism in place ( with help from Papa ) I had to put the hands on the clock mechanism at the front all set to 12 o’clock, as per instructions, being very careful when taking the plastic protective film off the hour & minute hands as they are very delicate.

Now to put it all together, remember the tiny holes this is where they really come in useful. The wooden supports are put into place & then the clear plastic nuts, bolts & spacers are used to fix the Penguin to the background creating a 3D effect & a back with a keyhole for hanging on the wall, very neat. Just add battery, set the time, hang on the wall & admire my excellent work.

I have really enjoyed making my own clock and also now I am getting the hang of telling the time, it is even better. The only problem now is guess who also wants one, yep my little brother, so looks like Papa will have to get another one for him to build, because he is not getting mine.

 Tempus fugit