Fellow Shadow Watchers,
Most of us are aware of the 'nail in a board' method of
determining the declination of a wall (see Waugh p.91 for a picture) BUT,
unless the nail is very precisely placed it can never give more than a crude
approximation (certainly not with the nail head left on!). To overcome this I
developed a precision version using a machined 'vice' to hold the sliding pin
gnomon truly vertical but with a central 'needle' point in its base to mark its
vertical axis on the plotting paper and a tapered top. The Mk.1 was
demonstrated at last year's BSS Conference. With a laptop/palmtop spreadsheet
to do the calculations on site a consistently accurate result is available in
minutes.
Since then the Mk.2 has been developed which is the same in principle but with
a neater clamping mechanism.
I shall be sending out 2 small JPEgs of the device next week to members already
on my JPEG sub-lists for anyone with workshop facilities to freely copy for
their own use (I retain the design rights for any commercial production -
however unlikely that may be!)
Anyone wishing to have their email address added to or removed from the list
please let me know by the coming weekend.
Best Wishes
Tony Moss
"What you give away...you keep!"
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\ ** ******
\\ ** **
\\ ** *******
*\\ ** **
*\\ ******* *******
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***\\ Tony Moss, Lindisfarne Sundials
*****\\ 43, Windsor Gardens, Bedlington,
*******\\ Northumberland, England, NE22 5SY,
**********\\ 55° 07' 45" N 1° 35' 38" W
Tel/FAX +1670 823232
Mobile: 07970 208 540
Website: http://www.lindisun.demon.co.uk
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The first choice for a Millennium Sundial.
(every one Y2K compliant)
Horizontal, Vertical, Declining, Analemmatic, Equatorial,
Polar and Capuchin Sundials individually made in solid
engraving brass. Professional-quality Dialling Scales,
'engine-divided' meridian layout instruments with software.
Analemmatic dial plots - any size for any latitude.
Graduation, re-cutting and restoration of scales.
'Lintique' patination of brass.
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