Fixing the sundial gnomon onto the wall and the finished result. Composite photo.
“I thought I would just fix up a garden cane sticking out from the house wall and mark where its shadows fall when the sun shines.” That was the original idea of one of our customers in Edinburgh when he asked if we had any thoughts to help him with his project for a wall sundial in his garden. He and his wife have made a lovely garden for themselves and they wanted a sundial fixed on the wall where they could see it from their sunroom.
We helped with measuring the direction the wall faces as the most important first step, so their sundial would be accurate. Then we looked at designing the proper angle and a suitable shape for a permanent metal gnomon instead of using a garden cane. In the picture you can see the exciting day when this new gnomon was finally fixed into position. We calculated and plotted out the angles for all the hour lines. This is the reliable method, which is easier than waiting forever for the sun to shine at each and every hour of the day. Now we look forward to seeing the sundial lines and numerals painted onto the wall to finish off the work. Our customer has a friend who knows exactly how to tackle this job. It is going to be a work of art!