Green Chaos Clock

I've done a few resin art pieces before, but this is my first time making a clock. I gave my friend free rein of what colours to use (from a palette of green, green and green: I know my Hayleys), and I did the rest!

I'm really happy with how it turned out, but there are a couple of things I'd change for the next time - I'll add these in as a final step.

• MDF clock surface, 25cm wide (I bought one with a pre-drilled hole, but if you can't find one like this, the central hole is 8mm)
• clock hands and mechanism - I got my set here and the longest hand measures 76mm
• epoxy art resin
• resin pigments and any mica powder, glitter or inclusions
• cell creator solution
• mixing equipment - I use reusable silicone cups and stirrers
• old crochet hook or knitting needle to fit through the central hole, and cling film/saran wrap to protect it
• spirit level
• heat gun
• lighter
• small file
• dust mask
• acetate sheet
• acrylic paints
• spray paint (optional)

I decided to spray paint the back of my clock, but leave the front natural. If you want a darker or lighter aesthetic, you might want to paint the face black or white.

Make sure you use your spray paint somewhere open and ventilated - I put some plastic sheeting down and did a batch of a few boards in the garden.

First, put Part A of the epoxy resin in a hot water bath - if you put the bottle in a plastic bag first, you minimise the risk of getting water in your resin.

I got my friend to pick out her favourite shades of green - you can use whatever colour scheme you like, but try and pick at least one darker and lighter colour - I also used a translucent green and a metallic teal.

Make sure you have one mixing cup per colour, including one cup that will fit at least 100ml of resin.

I taped three mini plastic cups to the back of the clock, to raise it up and keep it stable. You then need to check that the surface is level using a spirit level. If it's uneven, start adding pieces of paper or card under one of the cups, until it comes out level. Protect your work surface with a silicone mat or plastic sheeting.

Wrap your knitting needle or crochet hook in cling film, and use it to stop up the hole. This will lead to less resin being lost from your clock face when you're pouring your design.

Measure out your resin. I used about 80ml total. Check the instructions for the right ratio to use: mine was 50:50 by volume so I used 40ml each of parts A and B. Also look out for the pot time: how long the resin will stay liquid and workable.

Stir the two parts together slowly, trying not to create too many bubbles. Keep mixing until there are no streaks visible. Then split the mixed resin among the cups, and add a little pigment to each, stirring it in well. Also add a few drops of the cell creator to just one of the cups.

This is the really fun bit. First, pour all your coloured resin into layers in the centre of the largest cup. Then quickly flip it over onto your clock face. Lift the cup and watch the resin spread.

Use your heat gun to help the resin flow over the clock face - you can also encourage it a bit with one of the stirrer sticks if you need to. There should be plenty of resin to cover the whole face, even if it doesn't seem like it at first.

Wipe around the edge of the clock, and the back surface. You can now remove the crochet hook from the centre: the resin might drip a little, but we can fix that later. Pass a lighter flame quickly all over the resin surface, to pop any bubbles. It's a good idea to check on your resin after half an hour or so, and pop any more bubbles if they've surfaced.

The resin should take around 24 hours to cure. While you're waiting, it's time to design the numbers.

I took inspiration from a book on Celtic and medieval fonts, although I didn't make an exact copy. I drew out a few ideas, then I taped the acetate over the paper, and used acrylic paints to paint my numbers on in black. I then cut the numbers out in smooth rounded shapes.

I used PVA glue to stick my numbers on: this worked fine, but took several days to dry, so using clear resin as a glue would have been quicker.

I eyeballed the number placement by adding 12 and 6 first, followed by 3 and 9, and then adding in the others. This worked out fine, and skipped an extra stage of using measuring tools.

At this stage I also decided to paint on some grey dots to make the numbers more visible (they didn't stand out enough from the green to my eye), so I mixed up some more acrylic paint and daubed the dots along the edges of the black using a toothpick.

Mix up a new 80ml batch of resin, keeping it clear this time. Pour it onto the clock surface, and again use the heat gun to move it around and cover the full surface. Wipe away any excess resin from the underside, and leave to cure.

Grab your heat gun and warm the excess resin that's dripped through the hole, from the back of the clock. It should become malleable from the heat.

When it's warm enough, you should be able to pick it off, and clear the hole. I used a combination of this method and sanding with a metal file. Always wear a dust mask when sanding resin!

I inserted the mechanism using this video: I put the rubber washer on the mechanism shaft, put that through the clock face, added the metal washer, then tightened the metal nut, making sure the hanger on the mechanism was pointing correctly, and pressed the hands on last.

For a first attempt, I'm mega happy with this clock. I like the way the resin looks, and I'm happy with how the numbers turned out. If I was making it a second time though, I'd: a) try protecting the back surface from drips using tape or vaseline, and b) I'm getting a Cricut machine, so I'd like to try cutting the numbers out of vinyl using that. This would be quicker and easier than hand painting them, although I do like that they make this clock completely unique - and didn't require any fancy equipment.

I also didn't end up using any glitter or other decoration on the clock. Another time I think putting the numbers closer to the hands and having the edges encrusted with black sand or small pebbles would be interesting.