Asked on Mar 05, 2018

Suggestions on repairing a wall clock frame...

Amanda
by Amanda
Need to pick your brain. I got this gorgeous $50 clock at Hobby Lobby for $4! However, you knew there was a catch, right? Lol... My assumption is someone accidentally knocked it off or dropped it because on the bottom of the clock the plastic is cracked or just completely missing.
Is there a way for me to copy a side of it that isn't cracked to make a replica replacement for the pieces that are missing? I didn't know if there was some type of resin, diy molding or some builder grade something or another that I am not aware of that exists that would work. The only thing I could think of was covering the clock with wax paper to keep it clean then using clay and hoping it would dry taking the shape needed. Tried Googling it...no matter how I worded it it didn't provide anything useful. It was only telling me how to either internally fix or make a clock...not exactly what I am looking for lol. Any suggestions will be appreciated. I know you're wise in the way of crafting 😊
  11 answers
  • Essie Essie on Mar 05, 2018

    I think you are on the right track with making a mold of the undamaged portion. If you did that with a flexible material (silicone or latex) then made the repair with a two-part epoxy, I think that would work. Look on Amazon or at Lowe's/Home Depot for the materials and be sure to follow the directions carefully. I bet you can get that fixed in no time! (By the way, what a deal!)

    • Amanda Amanda on Mar 07, 2018

      Thank you. I was pretty excited about it myself. When I told my husband he said "So you got it for 90% off or 10% on!" (I love that mans sense of humor! He gets me 🖤)...That's a great idea! I'm sure that suggestion will work for all kinds of things. Now I just need to go find more things to make stuff with 😉. Thank you!

  • Tinyshoes Tinyshoes on Mar 05, 2018

    What about some black electrical tape?

  • Bijous Bijous on Mar 05, 2018
    1. Slather a section a little larger than the hole with vasculine on the clock.
    2. Make a silicone cast. Make sure the entire area is covered with silicone caulk.
    3. Use fiberglass fabric to stuff inside the hole. Use glue to make it stick flat inside as you need a base for the fix.
    4. Vasculine the cast and pour plaster (dry wall or plaster-of-paris) inside. After it's dry you may need to cut the original mold to get to your new piece. You can use caulk to attach.
    5. Sand out any rough spots and add to any gaps.
    6. Paint and seal with polyurethane.
    • Amanda Amanda on Mar 07, 2018

      You put a lot of thought into this answer. I appreciate that! I'm going to have to tuck this ideal away in my brain because I'm sure it will come to great use in the future for a lot of my projects. Thank you!

  • Emily Emily on Mar 05, 2018

    This is plastic. It is probably not work fixing. You could place the works inside another clock box, or if you can hang it so it is not seen (the break is on the bottom is that correct?) just use a good strong tape like duct tape, matching the color as much as possible and cover up the break so dirt does not get in.

    • Amanda Amanda on Mar 07, 2018

      Yes, it is on the bottom. My lazy idea was to put a nice shelf underneath it and get some pretty knick knacks or doodads and place them on there to where they would look nice and also cover up the hole. Good point about not wanting to get dust in there. Thank you!

  • Dolores Ott Dolores Ott on Mar 05, 2018

    How about

  • Freddi S Freddi S on Mar 05, 2018

    I would take the back off, lift the face and the workings, then transfer those to an oval frame. You won't lose the character of the clock that you like, while putting it into a more durable mount.

  • Itsmemic Itsmemic on Mar 05, 2018

    I say duct tape...then paint the brown color.

    • Amanda Amanda on Mar 07, 2018

      You read my mind! I actually looked to see if there was some sort of decorative duct tape that would match up with it. Thank you!

  • Jewellmartin Jewellmartin on Mar 05, 2018

    I would hot glue some pretty silk flowers in and around the cracked area, and maybe one flower opposite that area. I would probably paint the whole frame anyway, because it doesn’t look like real wood anyway. ☺️

    • Amanda Amanda on Mar 07, 2018

      Thank you! I like an excuse to paint anything so that's a good idea...Well okay, I'll be honest, not that I need an excuse to paint anything... if it sits still long enough I'll probably paint it... I suppose it's a good thing my kids can't sit still, huh 😉

  • Liz Liz on Mar 06, 2018

    Take it apart and rotate the frame so the broken part is at the top, hang it up and drape a garland over the top.


  • Tinyshoes Tinyshoes on Mar 07, 2018

    hope it works

  • Donna Donna on Aug 22, 2023

    thank you! i bought a huge metal clock with a beautiful face i did not secure it correctly, it fell and cracked Your idea was Great i turn the frame around and put a dainty spray of flowers where it broke Beautiful you saved my clock and it looks great!