Transform an Old Broken Pocket Watch Into a Beautiful Trinket!

Hello fellow makers!

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to stumble upon a lot of old broken pocket watches on Facebook marketplace, my mind immediately started to think pf a thousand ways I could repurpose them.

In this Instructable I will show you how I transformed the first one into a trinket with everything encased in epoxy resin.

This is a perfect first time resin casting project as there are no speciality items or equipment needed, just some good old elbow grease and patience.

Lets get started!..

To make this Instructable you will need the following:

- An old broken pocket watch

Amazon - Pocket watch

- 1.5-2mm Bronze rod (if you are missing the bow and crown)

A lot of times these are missing on old watches, you only need about 10cm max.

Amazon - Rods

This can be found at your local hardware store in the welding/brazing section.

- 2 Part Epoxy clear casting resin

Amazon - Casting resin

- 2 Part fast curing epoxy glue

Amazon - Epoxy glue

- B-6000 Adhesive

Amazon - B-6000 Adhesive

- Cyanoacrylate/CA glue "superglue"

Amazon - CA Glue

- a Lighter or Butane/propane blow torch (optional)

- Metal polishing compound

Amazon - Compound blocks

- Modelling clay (play-doh)

- Resin release film (optional)

Most plastic films will works for this even a Zip-lock bag can be used if you can't find anything else. I recommend smearing a very thin layer of petroleum jelly on the plastic to ensure it releases.

- Findings to decorate the watch face

Optional:

- A Dremel

Amazon - Dremel kit

- Brass bristle bit

- Felt polishing pads

*As an Amazon Associate I receive a small percentage from sales made through provided links at no cost to you, this helps fund future projects.

First we will need to remove all of the build up on the old watch case.

The easiest way to get rid of all the stubborn grime is to soak the case in normal spirit vinegar for an hour or two.

After soaking make sure to rinse the watch thoroughly in clean water to get rid of any left over vinegar.

Now we want to give the entire case a good polish inside and out before we can move on to casting the resin in it.

The quickest way to achieve a mirror finish is by using a Dremel with felt pads, but this can also be done by hand with some elbow grease.

If you are using buffing compound blocks like me you will notice on the packaging there will be a table that tells you what colour of compounding to use on what metal.

Because my pocket watch is made out of brass I started with a felt pad attached to the Dremel and used the Medium/Coarse compounding block which is brown or black and polished the entire case, this first polish gets rid of the stubborn scratches and stains that might be on the watch but it also leaves behind a hazy look to the metal.

To get rid of this haze and get a mirror polish we need to move to a Fine finishing compound which is the green or pink block, apply the compound to a new felt pad and go over the case again until you are left with a nice and shiny mirror finish.

TIP: Store your used felt pads in containers marked with the compound used so that in the future you don't accidentally use a pad with coarse compound still on it when finishing a piece.

After polishing I wipe down the case with methylated spirits/alcohol to get rid of any oiliness of the polish that might interfere with the epoxy resin or glue we will be using next.

Before we can cast the first resin we need to prep the case.

Unfortunately with this pocket watch case i'm using the one lids hinge was snapped off so I used some 2 part quickset epoxy glue to glue it back onto the case. This will be the back so it didn't need to be able to open again so I just added a bead of the epoxy around the rim and pressed it into place.

Next I took some of the same epoxy glue and sealed off any holes on the inside of the case, this was around the crown and on the side there use to be a button. This is just to ensure that when we pour in the casting resin it won't seep out.

Now for the inclusions in the resin.

I wanted to go for a kind of deconstructed design so I decided to take apart the old broken watch movement and use some of the brass gears.

Next I took some very fine liquid polish and with a soft cloth gently cleaned up the watch face, you want to be very careful to not rub away the lettering although I found they can be quite tough there are still some that rub away easily.

I wanted to include something extra in the design but couldn't find anything I liked and then accidentally discovered this...

There are serviettes available with absolutely gorgeous designs but unfortunately they are VERY difficult to try and cut out and then work with.

A great trick I found is to remove the backing plain layer (if it is 2-ply) so that you are left the thin serviette with the design, now roughly cut out the design you want to use.

Grab a piece of plastic film (I used a piece of resin release film) lay the piece of serviette on the plastic and then drip some cyanoacrylate/CA glue "superglue" on it and leave to dry.

When it has dried you can peel it off of the plastic and you will be left with a MUCH more durable design that is almost plastic like and fine detail can be cut out using a hobby knife.

A big bonus is that it is also semi-transparent that is perfect for an inclusion in the resin casting!

We can now start casting the resin!

I do the casting in two stages as it creates a steady base for your inclusions and also prevents any shrinkage dents that might occur when casting thick layers.

Mix up a small amount (enough for half of the case) of your casting resin according to the manufacturers instructions included with your resin. My resin has a mix ratio of 100:60 but most available hobby epoxy resin systems will have a 1:1 mixing ratio that will make it easier to mix.

Mix your resin thoroughly then begin by pouring it into the case until its just below half way full, you will notice that the resin will have a lot of bubbles in it from mixing, you can leave it for a few minutes for them to rise to the top and then use a lighter to pop the bubbles.

Next drop in the watch face, move it into position using a needle and then leave the resin to cure (usually 24 hours).

TIP: I use modelling clay (play-doh) as a base to hold the pocket watch level so that the resin cures level.

When the first layer has cured we can move onto the final layer.

Once again mix up a small amount (enough to fill up the rest of the case) of your casting resin according to the manufacturers instructions included with your resin.

Now pour in a thin layer on-top of the previous layer, this will act as an adhesive to stick down your inclusions making it easier to position them into place.

Start placing your inclusions on-top of the resin and position them using a needle.

When you are happy with the design you can slowly pour the remaining resin over the top until it forms a small dome.

Unfortunately how the butterfly was cut it kept wanting to curl up so I just held it in place with the needle and a piece of clay (pictured above) until the resin started gelling before removing it (about 12 hours later).

Pop the bubbles occasionally the same as the step above and leave to cure completely.

Unfortunately most of the pocket watches that I received in the lot was missing the bow and crown.

Starting with the bow I found that a 2mm brass brazing rod fits perfectly in the old holes so I took a piece of the rod, heated it up with a butane torch and wrapped in around a 20mm thick metal rod.

Using some cutters I just clipped off the excess and was left with a perfect split ring.

Next I had to find a replacement for the crown.

Using a 20mm offcut of the 2mm brass rod I placed it into my Dremel and used a small file to shape it into a pin to fit through a semi precious bead.

To attach the crown to the watch case I just used some B-6000 glue on the pin we created in the previous step.

B-6000 is a glue that is specifically made for jewellery that dries crystal clear and is very strong.

The bow is attached by simply bending it open slightly and snapping it into place.

Now for the final finishing touches and then we are done!

Using a soft cloth and some liquid metal polish we can go over the the entire piece to bring back the lustre and protect the brass from oxidation.

Finally we can attach a chain, leather lace or even something like a carabiner to attach to your jeans or bag.

I went with some soft deerskin leather simply knotted around the bow and I really like how it turned out.

And that's it now you can go ahead and show off your beautiful new creation or gift it to that special person in your life!

I hope you guys find this Instructable useful and if you have any questions please feel free to leave me a message or comment bellow.

Please share your own creations with us by clicking the "I Made It" button below.

Happy making!

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