Creating a Dali Inspired Melting Clock

An artisanal clock inspired by Dali utilizing wood work and resin.

• Laser Cutter
• Software to Edit SVGs (i.e. Adobe Illustrator)
• 0.12in Thick Plywood (7)
• Resin Epoxy Mix
• UV Resin
• Packing Tape
• Acrylic Paint (white, blue, and purple if you're feeling spicy)
• Gold Flakes
• Copper Flakes
• Black Spray Paint

This is the fun part of the process where you can get creative about your approach to the melting effect. To make my design I used a file that I found of a clock and used the Warp Tool in Illustrator to create a liquifying tool. To create the different layers of the design, use the Eraser Tool on a duplicate of the background plate where you want the river to be. Duplicate these layers as many times as you would like (depending how thick you want them, I set mine to 6 different layers). For each layer, make sure that they are getting thinner and thinner to emulate a terrain look. Color each one of the layers differently so that the laser cutter can recognize them as separate operations. Once you are done you can also download a Topological SVG of a location of your choice and do a boolean operation with the background plate. We will set this as a score for each one of the layers in the laser printing process.

If you would like to use my design, I have also provided the file below! But have fun with this and make it your own :)

For each layer of the clock, separated by color, make sure to ignore the other layers in whatever interface you are using for the laser cutter. Cut out one layer at a time and include the scoring for the topological details. Here are the settings that I used for the scoring and cutting on glowforge:

Cutting: 160/full

Scoring: 500/80

Once each layer is cut, make sure that the pieces fit on top of each other like the image above. It is okay if there are slight misalignments as you can sand down sections in the clean up process as well.

For each one of the layers, grab some paper towels and dip them in wood stain of your choice. Make sure that you put a decreasing amount as you go higher in your stack to achieve an aesthetic like the one shown in the picture above. For the top layer with the borders, you can spray paint that section as well as the numbers that we are going to put on after the resin steps.

To layer the wood pieces, I used a bit of super glue so that the resin had something solid to hold on to. I am going to post the chart that I made for my first proficiency project here for the gluing process as it is relevant here as well. At the end of the day (for me), it is Loctite Super Glue all day!

Glue Method Pros and Cons

Loctite Super Glue

• Moisture activated so parts that you leave off will be cleanable
• Medium drying time so can move around parts if need be!
• Mostly clean finish in my experience
• Moisture activation is also a con because I accidentally touched a bunch of it thinking it had dried but it got stuck on my skin. You need some cooking oil to get rid of it. But at least my hand tasted good afterwards haha
• Might not be suitable for larger components as it comes in a smaller dispensing method

Hot Glue Gun

• Messier than Loctite in my experience
• Dries immediately, so good when you are sure about placement
• Hot!
• Dries immediately so not a lot of wiggle room if you are not sure about placement

Wood Glue

• Probably suitable for larger projects
• Longer period of time to dry
• Need clamps for that puppy to work at its best

I didn’t have a chance to take a video of the different laser cut designs in the real world but above is a little animation to show the stacking. I was thinking that having the corners sealed in each layer might make things easier (and it would have), but keeping this design ended up being a lot prettier to appreciate from the side. But maybe next time I can have a layer of the wood padded and then sand it off once the resin dries! Hindsight!

Okay this is the part that you want to make sure you do carefully so you can have an easier time later. For the parts of the clock that have holes on the side, put packing tape tightly against the sides. Once the tape is tightly in place put some UV resin on the interior of the clock so that the packing tape if filled with the resin. Put the UV light on it for about a minute on each side and repeat till there are no empty spaces on the sides.

Here comes the fun part and one that requires a bit of patience! Prepare yourself about two cup of resin and break it up over four separate cups. Make sure to read the label of whatever resin mix you are using so that you can get the right consistency. Mix one cup with white acrylic, another once with dark blue, the third one with light blue, and keep the last cup clear. I was eyeballing the amount that I needed but here is a chronological order of the amount that you need of each color: white, dark blue, light blue, clear. Once you have these mixed and layer these colors on top of each other, with plenty of clear resin in the mix, so you can create an ocean effect. Look at the video below for some great tips and tricks. As the last layer, I also put gold and copper flakes in the clear resin to give it a nice shimmer as well.

The video above was really helpful in getting tips and tricks on how to create the illusion of waves and oceans that can be applied into your design here as well. Make sure you let your resin rest for at least 24 hours.

For the last step of this project, I would glue the numbers on top with Loctite Super Glue and add one more thin layer of clear resin to make it fit together. You can also leave the last layer of resin if you prefer more of a matte look.