Turn An Old LP Into A Clock With A Personal Touch

Many of us probably have old records lying around our basements or homes, and if you don’t, there’s no shortage of them at the local thrift store. Why not put one that you’ll never play again to good use by turning it into an inexpensive clock that also looks great on your wall? Here’s how.

Photo by Yutaka Fujiki

You’ll only need a few things – a couple of screwdrivers and maybe a scoring knife, an old LP (that you don’t listen to, of course,) and a clock movement with hands. You can probably find a clock movement with hands for around $10-$15 online. Alternatively, you can take the project a step further, as one of the commenters at Re-Nest suggests, and pick up a charity store clock along with your LP, and rip the clock apart to get at the movement. You may wind up spending less and you’ll have a perfectly good movement to use for your DIY LP clock.

Once you have all of your parts, decorate the face of the LP if you choose, and then install the movement through the hole in the record and slip the clock hands over the front. You may need to widen the hole a bit if the peg of your clock movement won’t fit, but once you have the movement and the hands secure, you’re all done. Add a battery, set the clock, and you have a clock you won’t find in a department store.

The post also suggests that you could get the same effect with a 45 or even a CD if you want a smaller clock. The beauty of this little project is that you’ll be able to finish it inside of a few hours, minutes if you’re fast, and it’ll give you a one-of-a-kind look without spending much money at all.

How to Turn an Old LP into A Clock [Re-Nest]