John:
I owned one of these when I was a child and started hunting for one a few
years ago. My desire to own one was a combination of nostalgia and a desire
to use it as a pattern to remake them (easy bends with a box and pan brake).
I tried to contact the original manufacturer, I contact the boy scouts and
I put ad's in newspapers and in the internet. I got nowhere until last
December when I saw one for auction on eBay. I bought it (I think it was
$40) and since that time I have see about 20 go up for sale on eBay. I
don't know where these were when I was advertising for one but they are
emerging now.
Let me know if you need any other information.
Anthony
> Hello all:
>
> Of all of the modern portable sundials I have seen, the portable Boy Scout
> sundial ("sun watch") appears the be one of the very best designs. It is
> described by Waugh on pages 160 and 161 of his book with a picture on page
> 162.
>
> "The instrument is housed in a thin metal case which, when opened,
> dicsloses
> a horizontal sundial with three sets of concentric hour lines for
> latitudes
> 35 deg., 40 deg., and 45 deg. The gnomon is also adjustable and marked
> for
> the same latitudes. The base of the instrument contains a tiny compass
> for
> aligning the dial and the cover contains a list of over 40 major U.S.
> cities
> with their latitudes, longitudes, longitude corrections, and compass
> variations. There is also a table showing values of the equation of time
> for selected dates."
>
> I would love to own one of fabulous little instruments but have been
> unable
> to locate. It is impossible to read the name of the manufacturer that is
> printed on the face below the compass in the photograph.
>
> Does anybody know where this little gem can be purchased or the name of
> the
> manufacturer, or even if they are still being made?
>
> John Carmichael
> http://www.azstarnet.com/~pappas
