Grandfather Clock Makeover (Thrifty to Nifty #11}

Once again, thank you all for the amazing honor of winning season 14 of So You Think You're Crafty! But I've got to say, even though it was fun, I'm glad it's over!

Here's my final project from that competition of how I transformed this "seen better days" clock from my husbands side of the family and gave it new life.

This clock was built in 1987 by a friend of my in-laws. It has spent many years in my basement. It had some damage (bottom corners and the weight sleeves are scratched and oxidized) and some missing pieces (pendulum bob and tall door glass) likely due to many moves over the years.

First thing I did was clean the surface. I wanted to give it a more commanding presence (because it's on the smaller side for a grandfather clock) so I added some molding along the front edges to give it more interest. Because the molding wood is "raw" I sprayed it with shellac so the surface wasn't as porous and would be more like the surface of the rest of the clock when I went to paint it. I also thought this front molding piece matched the molding on the top of the clock quite nicely and gave that "blank" space some interest! I added the molding with wood glue.

I took it apart and laid it down, using some really professional stilts (ok, cups) to prop it up off the floor. I painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint {Old White}. I chose chalk paint because it covers so well without having to sand the previous finish.

Then I sanded it. I used 400 grit sandpaper to get a really nice and smooth finish. I also wanted some of the old finish to show throw along some of the edges and molding.

There was a large chip in one of the original moldings. While I was painting it, I found the chipped off piece inside the clock! So I glued it on with wood glue and painted it!

I finished it with Annie Sloan Dark Wax. I love that it picked up the wood grain from the veneer and worked its way into all the grooves in the molding!

For the damaged bottom corners, I picked up some brass corner covers and glued on some decorative corner pieces that I found in the scrapbooking section! I love that it mimics the clock face plate. I also replaced the "feet" for two reasons: one was missing and the remaining three were pretty worn.

I also found some decorative key hole plates in the scrapbooking section! Who knew?! Of course that was AFTER I went to all the hardware stores I could find looking for one. Ugh. I decided on one that I thought looked best on the clock then used some bronze foil paint so that it matched all the other metal pieces.

The glass was inexpensive and purchased from a local glazier. I made a stencil out of vinyl and used frosty spray paint to frost the glass. I decided to use paint for that rather than etching so that I can change the design every so often! :) Because of that, I put the design on the inside so that it is less likely to get scratched or washed off before I want it to. I also replaced the glass pins for the top glass and this glass.

As for the missing clock parts, I haven't been able to find replacement sleeves yet that are the same size as these, but I was able to borrow the pendulum bob for the photo shoot since the one I ordered hasn't arrived yet :/

It was a long ordeal getting this clock {mostly} done, but overall it was a fun project and I'm happy to have it "back in circulation"!

Thank you!

Source

I am so grateful to all my family, friends, and all of you who I don't know personally, who supported me throughout the competition! It is a great feeling to know you have the the support and belief of those closest to you! I'm humbled and honored to have won Season 14 of So You Think You're Crafty! Thank you all!



 

Season 14 Finale!

I made it to the season 14 finale of So You Think You're Crafty! Thank you all so much for your support along the way! If you have a minute, I'd really appreciate you voting {for me} one more time! Click here or click on my project to go to the competition page:

Thank you!

Red Baron Toy Plane {Thrifty to Nifty #10}

This was my entry for week 6 of season 14 of So You Think You're Crafty. It won that week!

I picked up an old wooden toy plane at a thrift store. It was $2. I walked around the store carrying it the entire time, debating on whether to buy it or not. I decided not to, and put it back. A day or two later, I went back for it. Not surprisingly it was still there. I mean, it was missing the wheels and it's rudder. The propeller was lose and had some permanent marker on it. And the whole thing was pretty scratched up.

I removed  most of the old prop axle, but the part that was glued into the plane needed to be bored out. To do that I took a new axle, put the prop on it and when next to the drill bit, I marked how deep the drill needed to go using duct tape. Then I used a power drill to bore it out.

For the rudder, I hand drew a basic rudder shape on paper. I picked up a piece of craft wood from Lowe's and traced the shape on it. Because I couldn't find our jigsaw, I had to use my Dremel Trio. It didn't make the smoothest cuts, probably because I didn't have the best bit for the job. But it was late at night so I gave it a try. And after a few different attempts I ended up with one that worked ok. I sanded it down and rounded the edges. It fit real tight in the groove the old plane had for the rudder. Because it was such a tight fit, I didn't need to glue it. I hammered it in place and it's not going anywhere.

The replacement front wheels didn't line up with the old holes. So I took a piece of that craft wood and routered a groove with one of my other Dremels, and then cut it down to size. I glued it on below the the old wheel block and let that dry.

I sanded the entire plane down many times. Once I felt it was smooth enough and much of the varnish was gone, I taped of the struts and the rear "wheel".

Then it was ready to be sprayed with a wonderful glossy red. While the paint was drying, I stained the prop and the struts. While those were drying, the wheels were sprayed with a glossy black. The new prop axle was also sprayed black and the tire axles were sprayed red.

Once everything was dry, it was time to assemble the remaining pieces. I put each wheel on an axle, put some wood glue on the wheel and put the axle in the channeled out section, making sure the wheels still turned. And I glued the prop axle in the same way, also making sure the prop would still turn.

I cut the crosses out of black vinyl and placed them on squares of white vinyl (my inspiration photo is here).

Then applied the vinyl on the plane. For the final touches, I used a Sharpie to color the rear "wheel" and the cockpit.

And here's some before and after shots of the little Red Baron!

Thank you so much for all of the votes. It was a really fun project and one that any one can do with the right (or close enough to the right) tools.

If you've been following So You Think You're Crafty Season 14, of which I'm a contestant, week 7 is up and ready for your votes! This weeks theme is "elegant". Please take a moment to go check them out and vote for your favorite!

Thank you!