How to Make an Hourglass
$12
2 Hours
After years of searching thrift shops for an antique hourglass, I decided to build one of my own. With a pair of recycled soap bottles and some supplies from the craft store, I came up with a thrifty fake.
I chose white sand and black wood to match my decor, but you could use any colors you'd like.
I found a replacement wine cork at a local hardware store. I trimmed down the edges and drilled a 1/8" hole through the center.
I inserted the cork halfway into to filled bottle and topped it with the second bottle.
With the holes drilled, I flipped the plaques over and glued a button-style hole plug in each hole.
Once the plugs were dry, I flipped one of the plaques over, inserted and glued a 11-1/4" x 1/4" dowel into each hole.
The wood frame, along with a second, 5" diameter plaque and four additional button plugs received two coats of black spray paint.
Once everything was dry, I gave my faux antique hourglass a test flip.
It actually works! It takes about 45 minutes for the sand to drain and fits perfectly on my 3 leg end table. Free building plans for the table are also available on my blog.
Not including the soap bottles, the full hourglass cost about $12 to make. Click the link below to find out how I covered the unsightly center seam and for a full list of supplies.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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2 of 46 comments
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NICE , it's a timeless addition to any decor.
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I am in love with this! It looks fantastic. Definitely going to do this! Thanks for sharing. It was nice to see a new idea on here. ❤
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It looks incredible and how clever. I actually did find an hourglass in a thrift store and yours look so much like it. I wonder though, you say the sand lasts about 45 minutes, how did you measure it out for the time. Mine actually is an 'hour' glass. Thanks for your brilliant idea. Ticia