Hello Fer,
I recently purchased a sundial from a mail order catalog which was
advertised as a replica of a sundial by R. Glynne in the 18th
century. The replica is a brass disk about 4 5/16 inches in
diameter, mounted on a marble base of about 5 1/4 inches in diameter.
The brass gnomon is a pierced triangle about 1/8 inch thick and an
angle of about 52 degrees. A sticker on the base says "Made in
Taiwan." The information sheet packed with the dial says "Authentic
Models (USA) Inc., Creswell, OR 97426."
The dial plate is beautifully drawn and etched, with an astonishing
amount of detail. However, I noticed the gnomon had not been mounted
properly, for it did not intersect the dial plate at the line for 6
AM and 6 PM, being displaced about 1/8 inch north. Thinking it might
be possible to adjust the gnomon, I removed the two tiny brass screws
and took off the gnomon. There, where it had been completely hidden
by the gnomon, I saw, in letters not much larger than half a
millimeter high, "F J de Vries 1982."
Surely there is a story behind this. Won't you kindly share it?
Best regards,
Mac Oglesby
P.S. I don't think I'll be able to change the gnomon position, but
the dial plate is so lovely I believe I can live with that small
problem.
