Megablok Clock

What to do with all those extra Megabloks? Make a clock! Hope you enjoy this Instructable. Checkout the video if you would like more details.

Step 1: Arrange Your Creation

Arrange the blocks in a mold. The HDPE does not stick to non-stick surfaces nor aluminum. I have not tested other surfaces. The pan in the picture is the bottom of a 14” CHEAP aluminum pan, it was ~1mm in thickness. A pie or cake pan will work great for this as well.

I cut some blocks to fill in large gaps at the edge.

Step 2: Heat to Perfection

2. Preheat the oven to 260°F. The melting temperature of pure HDPE is 300°F. I started at the lower range and raised the heat to 300°F over a period of 2 hrs. Keep checking the blocks, it is likely they will start to melt before the oven gets to 300°F. This is because the oven temperature is likely close but not accurate.

The color and other chemicals added to the blocks during manufacturing may alter the melting temperature. So some blocks may not melt at 300°F. Going above 300°F can cause the blocks to burn.

Step 3: Just a Bit of Clean and Trim

I did not go above 300°F for this clock. Let the blocks cool in the mold on a flat surface to minimize warping. The blocks will be warped slightly. If there were any pattern or texture in the mold it would have been imprinted onto the blocks.

The blocks that did not melt were cut with a handsaw; any tabs where cut with cutting pliers. The surface facing the mold will become the clock face.

The back (non-clock face side) can be planed with a hand plane, the edges can be planed with a block plane to obtain a relatively smooth surface.

Step 4: Chanel Your Inner Finishing Move

Now the clock can be attached to the back of your choice, no backing, border, no border, etc. Your imagination is the limit.

The clock mechanism is sold with a variety of shaft lengths, this allows for a variety of clock thickness.

I made my own clock hands from strips of ebony, but the clock hands should be proportional to the clock face.