Introduction: Clock in a Jar

About: We are a group of Engineers, Tinkerers, Designers, Programers, and Nerds ! ---- and Since April 2011 We also have a Cupcake Maker

This is our rendition of “Clock in a jar” by Oren Hetzroni, a student at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. Based on childhood memories of capturing insects in a jar, the clock presents the Authors idea of capturing time in a jar.

We hope ya'll enjoy this Instructable as much as we did. This instructable was easy, fun, and it added a lot of decoration to our kitchen. of course you can make your Jar Clock in any color and jar that you please, even go as elaborate as putting all the minutes/hours as you want.

With that in mind, Lets learn how to make this beautiful art piece.

Step 1: Supplies Needed


You will need a few supplies and materials for this project,

1 - Clock Device, you can find these at hobby lobby for about $5 dollars, they have different sizes and models. Pick one you find suitable for your taste. 

1- Jar, this can be a Coffee Jar, a Vase, a Jam Jar etc. Which ever one you think looks better after all this clock is more of an art than anything else.

1- Hot Glue Gun

1- Piece of leather material, or any other type of rag/cloth to cover the upper part of your jar in order to hide the mechanism.

1- piece of string/rope

1- acrylic paint for Glass which ever color you want to paint the numbers with.

1- Sponge Brush

1- Paint different color than your acrylic in order to distinguish between the design of your jar and the Time Hands.

Step 2: Building the Clock


If you bought your clock from Hobby Lobby or E-bay or at a general store and it came new in box, it should have come with instructions on how to build the clock and set it up, if not it's actually not that difficult to build.

First thing you gotta make is to remove the metallic hanging bulge, it's the part that you would normally use to hang the clock from a wall.

Once that's been removed you can begin to add your timing hands, the hour should go first, followed by the minute and lastly your seconds hand.

Step 3: Bending the Hands of Time


Once you have your clock built you need to bend the hands of time upwards at a 90 degree angle. This will eventually be the hands that will be facing the walls of the jar.

when they are bent, make sure that no hands are clashing against one another, this will make your clock run smoothly

Step 4: Design the Time Jar

using acrylic pain made for Glass design the outside of your jar, this is where you add the hours on the jar and what ever design you might want alongside the jar. due to the size of our jar we only added the 12-3-6-9 hours. But you can get more elaborate and add the 1-12 hours or even throw in some minutes into the time equation.

Remember this clock is more of an art than anything practical, have fun with it.

Step 5: Extending the Hands of Time

Using a piece of thick board paper or playing cards cut out parts to extend the hands of time on your clock. Make sure that you make them in a distinguishable fashion.

Once you have the cut outs of the hands, you need to hot glue the board hands onto the clock hands. And color them in using any color that you may desire.

when you have that finished, set the time on the clock and align the Jar with the Clock.  

Step 6: Place the Clock Together

Once you have colored the hands in your desired color you need to place the clock mechanism on the lid of the jar, you can do this by hot gluing the clock mechanism into the lid.

Once that is finished you can place the lid onto the clock and make sure that the hands are moving freely.

Step 7: Hiding the Secrets of Time

Once you have the the clock in the jar you need to find a piece of cloth or leather material to cover the top of the jar so you cant see the actual clock mechanism that makes the jar tick.


Step 8: Final Piece of Time

Once everything has been finished you can place the clock jar in your kitchen next to your other jars in order to have a good mix of time and jars.

Back to School Contest

Participated in the
Back to School Contest