Working Paper Clock

This is about me following James Rudolph's book "Make Your Own Working Paper Clock"

(18 Sep 2026)

The building process

I think the hardest part of building this book is following the instructions. They are not very clear and expect the user to work out a lot themselves. I found that only once I had made all the parts and gears did I fully understand how it everthing comes together.

Here are some tips for anyone else trying to complete the clock:

To get a rubber band to the right length, you can cut the band and then superglue it back together to the right length.
I recommend you photocopy all the pages.
Not doing something carefully and accurately will cost you more time in the long run.
Even though it lists sand as an option to fill the weight, I found it not dense enough to provide enough weight.
Graphite powder can be used as a dry lubricant.
I recommend putting the beads for axles on near the end so you can make sure they aren't too thick and go in the right places
Superglue as well as latex glue is helpful to have around, but latex glue is more forgiving, so I'd use that where possible.

The result

Here is the corrected version of your text:

I was very pleased with how all the gears came out. They all mesh together well and operate smoothly enough.

However, I think I made some inaccuracies when making the escapement. I've tried adjusting it, but I can't get it to reliably tick.

I found a download for the book online, and hopefully, when I get some time, and if I can get it to print at the right scale, I'll use that remake some parts of the escapement.

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