Warped
Wits’ TimeWarp©
Record Album Clocks
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They really ARE vinyl LP's from
the good ol' days!
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On this
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Our start |
The details |
Caring for your clock |
Our clock sales |
(Click on any of the images for a larger view in a new
window.)
The birth of the TimeWarp© clock
This clock, Gasoline Alley's "Put Down the Guns," is decorated with real nuts and bolts, handpainted by us; nuts are backed by "Friendly Plastic"® triangles. The lightning-bolt hands were handmade (from balsa wood). Unfortunately for you, this particular clock isn't for sale, as one of us just fell in love with it and can't sell it!
Our clocks started as something of a private joke. A way of doing away with a particularly disliked recording from the remains of an ex (no, we won't reveal what it was!), and of ensuring that it would never be played again. At least not within our range of hearing! From that initial joke, we realized we may have something worth investigating further. So, we started. Playing with temperatures and heating methods, creating warping templates, planning general design criteria...we worked and tinkered and developed. And realized, "Hey some of these look cool!" We showed 'em around to some of our friends who just shook their heads - as they'd gotten used to doing with us by then. But we were not completely dissuaded. Not even when one of us later saw a catalog with an entry for bowls and clocks made from record albums. But we consoled ourselves by focusing on the fact that each one of our clocks are individually designed and handmade, while the ones we saw in the catalog are mass-produced by simply pressing the vinyl, and have no individual personality unique to each recording. So, here we are - still making clocks, and still trying to get them to become the Next Big Thing!!
The details:
Jimmy Buffett’s “Coconut Telegraph” album deserves a ‘life’s a beach’ theme… flamingoes, palm trees, bananas, fish. And around the label itself, painted rays of sunshine in yellow and orange add to the fun! ($50)
Our one-of-a kind wall clocks are created individually from vinyl LP albums that have been carefully but slightly warped in one of three different patterns. Each label has been hand-painted with several coats of acrylic protectant so the label colors will not fade in the sun. The clock face hour symbols are created using various media (textured paints, plastic, textiles, etc.) whose colors are picked to complement the color of the record label. Some albums use glow-in-the-dark paints--ask us for details! Due to the individualized attention devoted to each clock, no two are alike. The ornamentation is created and placed by hand and attached to the album surface with strong epoxies to provide a solid bond. Clock requires one AA battery. Clock prices range from $30 - $75, depending on level of ornamentation.
Caring for your clock:
This is another theme clock, perfect for a game room. The band is Q-16, and the album is called “It’s Not What They Told You” (subtitle: “BlackJack”) – the label shows a Jack and Ace of Spades. We carried that idea to the hour markers with real poker chips, and plastic symbols for card suits and dollar signs. ($40)
Our clocks are, we say it again at the risk of being redundant, made from real vinyl LP albums. So, they are strong but not indestructible! It's heat that warps them, so heat could also destroy them. Don't leave your clock on a radiator (why on earth would you?), or in your car for a long time during the summer, or under your car's hood while it's running. It would also be preferable to hang your clock where it won't be exposed to direct sunlight for long periods of time.
In addition, the decorations are glued to the albums using the best bonding compounds we could find after months of experimenting. (Album vinyl doesn't take regular glues well.) This doesn't mean that they won't ever come off - if you try hard enough. Try not to drop your clock on its edge - the shock could dislodge glued markers (although we do "bang test" each of our clocks in this way, and they all pass inspection). Also, don't bend your clock too much - flexing the album could potentially shear the bond apart (although we also make sure each of our clocks pass a "flex test" before approving them for sale).
All we ask is that you treat your TimeWarp clock like any other piece of art you might buy!
Our clock sales:
Billy Joel’s “
Our clocks are each selected with one eye to the
recording artist and album, and the other eye to the aesthetic qualities of the
record's label. So we never really know what the end result of any piece will
be until it's done! We let the song titles, artist, and label graphics all
speak to us and guide us in what sort of design elements should be used for
each particular clock. Therefore, each clock is individually priced according
to the intricacies of the design elements (one clock we sold, for example, had
hand-painted sheet music for each of the markers – very time-intensive!). If you are interested in any particular
colors, styles, or artists, email us at warpedwits@gmail.com
and we will be happy to give you details of what we have. The pictures on this
page are only a small sample of the clocks we have in stock. In addition, if
you have a specific album you’d like to have made into a clock, contact us!
You can send us mail to: Warped Wits,
We look forward to hearing from you!
The first clock, Foreigner’s “Foreigner 4,” is a major departure for us - we used gray paint to create rings around the vinyl, following the grooves of two songs, then augmented that with Friendly Plastic® triangles that echo the one on the label, red cabochons, and black glossy paint dots. Finally, hand-cut arrow hands painted yellow and a red second hand complete the bulls-eye theme of this graphic and fun clock. ($60)
Judy Collin’s “Hits” has (admittedly fake!) gemstones and glass squares that complement the lovely butterfly on the label. ($35)
The Disneyland recording, “It’s a Small World” features plastic hour markers that continue the child-like theme. The album is warped into detailed ridges. ($30)
Dan Fogelberg’s “Souvenirs” album features sunny, happy paint, plastic and glass decorations that accent the strong graphic color scheme of the label. ($35)
The silver label of the Pulp Friction album is silver and very sparse, with little other than a drawing of a spark plug. Because we couldn’t resist the label and the name (that’s FRICTION, not Pulp fiction!!), we followed the label’s lead, with REAL spark plugs and painted nuts. Very cool for your greasemonkey! Or racing fan. ($45)
The last clock pictured here, The Statler Brothers’ “The Legend Goes On” features our ruffle warping – a difficult mold to work with (only about half of the clocks we’ve tried this warping technique on actually works!). The clock features eight simple paint markers in colors that coordinate beautifully with the Mercury cityscape label. The four main markers are rendered in Friendly Plastic® triangles that have been heated to allow them to conform to the warp of the vinyl. Each triangle points in toward a small glow dot of paint. The bold gold-painted metal hands stand out without being too bold. This lovely clock would go well with many different room colors. Great for a country music lover! ($35)
As always, contact us to see what other clocks we have available. Our stock is always changing!
Warped Wits,