Exceptional Handcrafted Sundials
- Incredible quality
- Immediate dispatch available to Europe or North America
- Direct from the maker prices
Introduction
Click on images to enlarge
This sundial functions beautifully as a garden sculpture, a gift to celebrate a Birthday or Anniversary or a Memorial to a loved one.
This sundial has tremendous "presence" in any garden, my training
and experience of over 30 years tells me I've produced a really good
design that has a timeless quality. Something that in 50 years time will
still have that just
made feel to it. The arrangement of the basic elements of the
design has that "rightness" about it that is very satisfying,
functioning perfectly as a finely engineered piece of sculpture. I only
make 10 of these dials a year, so early ordering is advised. The dial
can be purchased individually, or with the obelisk, or with the wall
mounting should you so require. This design fits in well with any style
of garden.
The
Dial
This design has been painstakingly developed and fine tuned, every part made completely by me to my own exacting engineering tolerances.
Great care is taken with each dial which is beautifully hand finished
to museum standard. Materials used include C101 copper for the circular
scales and Naval brass for for the adjustable latitude mounting. Nowadays
Naval brass costs much more, in years gone by was standard Admiralty
spec. due to it's superior corrosion resistance. Patents have been applied
for, for the circular joint and adjustable mounting. I have a 
very good
engraving machine, so a simple inscription/dedication can be easily fitted
on to the 2" x
1" area
between the two front custom made mounting bolts.
The hand turned nickel silver gnomon bobbin indicates both the solstices and equinox at noon, as engraved on the vertical scale. The inner face of the base side clamping block is engraved in degrees allowing the dial to be re-aligned for a new location of latitude should you ever move home. An easy way to remember the orientation of the circular gnomon rod (the bit which casts the shadow) is that on the equator it is horizontal and at the North Pole it is vertical.
The intersection of the two ten inch diameter circular scales incorporates a very clever piece of toolmaking. I devised a special purpose press tool to conform the vertical scale to the geometry of the horizontal scale, resulting in a very robust joint.
Installation
The
Naval brass hexagonal nuts and thick section washers can cope with a
great length variation in the mounting bolts, 6mm threads. As part
of the package I supply the four bolts, the spanner to fit them and a
custom drill jig, including the carbide drill, which has the four holes
very accurately pitched at 3 inch centres. I also include a guide to
installation.
The combined weight of the dial and mounting is 4kg, i.e. 8 1/2 lbs. The obelisk mounting platform is 35 inches above ground, the base mounting bolts at 17 inch centres.
My
price for the dial to fit your own base is £1450
GBP, the four-sided
obelisk is £1050 GBP and
the adjustable wall mounting is £210 GBP.
If you are resident in the UK, v.a.t. will
be added to the invoice total at 17½%, otherwise no purchase tax
to pay for my overseas customers.
To give my customers the utmost security, I'll issue an invoice from your written order, payment by wire transfer on my IBAN is fine, or I can accept a personal dollar, euro or sterling cheque. When the money is cleared I'll despatch by UPS including the price of £100 GBP to North America or £70 anywhere to Europe £25 to anywhere in the UK, the price of this being added to the invoice beforehand. My good name and reputation ensures you receive a first class service.
Interestingly the British Museum website has a large collection of scientific instruments
Ring me anytime on 01670 363626 (phone and fax)
e&oe copyright 2004© Richard Kell