A good portion of our readers probably remember having or seeing lunch boxes as a child. Most people who grew up in the 1950s through the 1980s saw these now-collectible items on the shelves of stores and begged for their favorite one. The most popular lunch boxes we associate to memory are the ones with cartoon characters, singers or movie themes. For many years, they have been coveted by collectors, but now they have a new face – as clocks! Yes, some creative minds have come up with a way to convert these tired but attractive old lunch boxes into fully-functioning timepieces. So, in honor of their creativity, we decided to provide a blog post with some fun history and facts about lunch boxes for our valued readers, as well as a “how to” for creating one of these lunch box clocks at home.
Lunch Box History
According to the Smithsonian Institute, lunch boxes have been in existence since the 1860s. The first boxes were made of metal and are completely different from the happy character-clad ones most people are familiar with today. Everything in the early days of lunch boxes was simple and geared more toward an agricultural society. The first metal lunch boxes were metal pails with lids, which had buckles similar to those seen on modern ammunition cans. Their appearance would certainly be classified as “industrial” today. This style was used by working men. Children would gather biscuit or tobacco tins to use as a lunch box.
This simplicity continued until the mid-1930s when the character lunch boxes emerged. The first metal lunch box with a cartoon character – or any printed character for that matter – was the 1935 Mickey Mouse Oval. Many more cartoon characters began to appear on lunch boxes after this. In 1950, the first television-based lunch box appeared, featuring well-known T.V. hero Hopalong Cassidy. The Beatles were the first pop music group to make an appearance on the front of a metal lunch box in 1965. Their lunch box was perhaps the fanciest yet to arrive, including an embossed 3-D picture of them and their signatures.
Scooby Doo Mystery Machine Lunch Box Clock
In another publication from the Smithsonian Institute, it is noted that the last of the metal lunch boxes appeared in 1985, featuring the heroic character named Rambo. After this, lunch boxes were manufactured from vinyl or plastic. Some of the boxes in the early 1990s were replaced with sticker-based designs instead of paint. The author of this publication also mentions that metal lunch boxes were a symbol of contented childhood in America in the 1950s and 1960s, which is likely why they remained so popular through the 1980s and 1990s. A product study report from Warren-Wilson college suggests a major issue for decline in lunch box popularity today – many items were shown to contain significant amounts of lead in recent years. This compilation video with several popular retro metal lunch boxes will provide a quick trip down memory lane for some of our readers.
The Mystery Of Lunch Box Popularity
For nearly 75 years, there were two companies that had a competition to be the number one lunch box manufacturer – Aladdin Industries and American Thermos. Universal also released their fair share of lunch boxes. The most valuable lunch boxes today are the ones that were made in small numbers. Today they are extremely rare; rarity and popularity of a character or show seem to be the two most important factors in pricing these valuable collector’s items. The Smithsonian Institute has several displays and photo guides of popular lunch boxes. Some of the most rare, coveted and expensive lunch boxes are the the original 1935 Mickey Mouse Oval, the 1965 Soupy Sales box, the 1954 Superman box, the 1959 Metal Boating box, the 1954 Gene Autry box, the 1958 Roy Rogers Chow Wagon box and the 1959 Carnival box. Even in poor condition, these items are all worth well over $100. The better their condition is, the higher the price raises – some even into the five-digit thousands.
Lunch Box Clock with Art by Los Angeles Hot Rod Artist "Coop"
How To Make A Lunch Box Clock
Here comes the fun part of this post on OnlineClock.net‘s blog, in which we show you how to make a lunch box clock! First, you’ll need to have some supplies. An old lunch box will be required. Not all vintage boxes are valuable – you should be able to find one for very little money online. If you already have a lunch box, you can use it if you’re willing to render it from its original form. If you find a box with your favorite theme, you won’t have to do much work, as you can leave it “as is.” For lunch boxes that are rusty or discolored and not presentable, you’ll need some decorating supplies. If you plan to decorate, consult the entire supply list and all of the instructions. If you don’t plan to decorate, consult the last three items in the list and skip to number 3 or 4 in the instructions, depending on whether or not you want to paint number markings on your clock with PermEnamel.
Stuff You’ll Need To Make A Lunch Box Clock
- A lunch box (duh!)
- Small piece of scrap wood in a block shape
- Any fabric you want to cover the box or parts of it
- Fabric scissors or pinking shears for special edges
- Jewel glue
- Paint brush
- Paints
- Disposable plate or plastic palette
- Water cup for paint brush
- Paper towels
- Stamps or stencil sponges
- Cotton swabs
- Ceramcoat satin decoupage & air-dry PermEnamel in desired colors
- A clock works kit
- Drill with a metal bit that matches the chosen clock works kit
- Hammer, pencil and a nail
Steps For Creating A Lunch Box Clock
- Look for fabric designs that will match any stencil themes to be painted on it. Most craft stores have patterns or shape stencils that are helpful for cut-outs. Rickrack and lining can also be used and is easy to cut with pinking shears. Craft stores will also have the decoupage and air-dry enamel, as well as any other supplies desired. The decoupage should be used to adhere fabric or trim to the box. Paint a thin layer of it where the fabric or rickrack will be, add the fabric, then paint another layer over it to hold it in place.
- Paint the box as desired next. Use sponge stencils dipped in the desired colors of paint to apply them to the box. When creating lines, use the fabric scissors to cut pieces off a wedge sponge to make it the desired width. You may choose to paint the entire box, paint over already-existing designs or simply touch them up – the creative part is left up to your own taste.
- Decide where the clock numbers will be. You can use the PermEnamel and cotton swabs to make small dots for the hour markings. Squeeze the PermEnamel onto a palette or plate and let it sit for several minutes before doing so. Be sure to measure the location of the dots first so they will be useful for time-telling in relation to the clock works kit’s size and measurements. After applying the dots, you may choose to add tiny decorations, numbers or jewels for the hours if desired.
- Determine where the clock center will be on the lunch box. Use a pencil to make light marks for the outline and guidelines. Read the instructions for the clock works kit carefully before drilling.
- Place the block of wood behind the lunch box’s lid. Next, decide precisely where the hole will need to be drilled. Place the nail over the exact spot and use the hammer to punch it in, creating the hole.
- Re-read the instructions for the clock works kit. Be sure you have the right size of drill bit for the kit you selected. Drilling too big of a hole will create a major problem, but too small a hole can be fixed simply by drilling a larger one. Put the right bit on the drill and create a straight hole. The wood block should cushion any miscalculations for long drill bits.
- Remove the wood block and dust out the inside of the box. There may be sharp edges where the hole was created, so be careful. Use a buffing head on the drill around the outside edges or a hammer to flatten the sharp areas that are sticking up.
- Follow the instructions for installing the clock works kit. Take your time to assemble it right. Once it is in place, you can close the lid to the lunch box, add any finishing touches you desire and then your lunch box clock is done.
Well, there you have it, Clock Fans – a step-by-step guide for creating your very own Lunch Box Clock masterpiece.
We hope this post on the Alarm Clock Blog has been fun and informative. If you decide to make your own Lunch Box Clock, send us a photo of it! We just might post it here for everyone to see.
Until next time, - we’re out to lunch!
Lunch Box Clocks is a post from: Alarm Clock Blog, the official blog of the original Online Alarm Clock.
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