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Struggling a bit with the maths of Joyce's Garden dial. Got some thinking to do. Meanwhile, starting another new dial to give my tiny brain a break. Been wanting to do a new gnomonless sun dial for a bit and this seems like a good opportunity to reset my brain. This is a mockup of the new dial.  Also, trying out a new numbering system. The Cistercian digital system was developed by John of Basingstoke, the archdeacon of Leicester in the 13th century. Before Hindu-Arabic numerals were widespread throughout Christendom, the Cistercian monks throughout Europe in the Middle Ages used a single and unique, condensed, alphanumerical numerical system. They are more compact than Arabic or Roman numerals, and a single glyph can indicate any integer from 1 to 9,999. I'm hoping the Cistercian system will provide the opportunity for a more visually compact and balanced perspective of the dial display. Just some stuff laying around that were left by visitors. Messed up by not getting the right number of 'ones' . Unfortunately rain has threatened all day today so no shadows to confirm the dial layout.  Starting the design of a garden sundial for our anniversary that presents the hours until sunset. There are a variety of hour indicators that can be used on a sundial, for example, Babylonian and Italian. An "Italian hours" sundial measures time based on a 24-hour day beginning at sunset and ending at the next sunset. The hours marked on these sundials represent the number of hours elapsed since the previous sunset. The length of each hour changes with the seasons because the time between sunset and sunrise is not constant. This system was used in many European countries, particularly in Italy, for religious and daily life from roughly 1200 to 1800. However, a gardener is generally of more interested in the hours remaining until sunset. This can be found simply by reversing the order of the hour numbers. Structurally, the goal is to have a dial mounted on the side of her greenhouse that’s geodesic dome. Since the sides of the dome are neither exactly vertical nor horizontal certain serious geometric design challenges present themselves. Often I will find that the neighbors have left me a bit of a surprise from their travels. In this case it was a (cast) manhole cover. It quickly assumed a secret identify as a time traveler. The white chalk mark indicates solar noon. Temporary bolts were placed to allow the rivets to be set. The bottom of the dial is hinged so that the latitude angle can be be adjusted if the dial is moved to a new location. The blue plinth is a flower pot from Jackalope in Albuquerque, NM. The pot has been inverted. The finish is a new (to me) metal finish that has both a colored (black) and a clear finish. The temporary gnomon is mild steel and will be replaced by a 3/8" copper rod. |
the Mad tinkerJust an archive of projects as they progress. Nothing really to see here. Move along ... |
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