INTRODUCTION

The clock that you are about to make is copied from a very expensive original made over 100 years ago. As this picture shows, the clock face lies flat and is covered with a dish of water. A small turtle (or other animal shape) floats in the water, and this moves around to point to the hour of the day. People could not work out what made the animal shape move, so they described it as a mystery or magic clock.

HOW IT WORKS
In the original clock there was a wind-up movement with just an hour hand. A tiny magnet was fixed to the end of this. The animal shape floating above contained a small metal pin that was attracted to the magnet even though there was water between. As the hand moved, so it pulled the animal shape around to point out the time. The clock that you will be making works in the same way. A modern quartz clock movement sits on its back in the bottom of the container. A small but very powerful magnet is fixed to the end of the hand. This attracts a tiny piece of steel stuck underneath the floating animal. As the hand moves (out of sight), the animal form appears to move by itself to tell the time.

Whatever you do, don’t tell anyone the secret. As soon as you have made the clock,
people will be mystified – just like they were with the original.

For this kit you will need the following:

Clock movement
Plastic clock hands
White rubber tube
Small magnets
Scissors
Metal effect card
AA size battery
Sticky pads
Metal strip
Coloured foam
Sticky tape
Plastic dishes.

Continued..