SUNDIAL SECTIONS:

Sundials Home

History of Sundials

Why the Sun Dial keeps time

Developing and Making Sundials

Sundial Materials

Sundial Hour Lines Lay out

Sundial "Furniture"

Declination Lines of Sundials

Portable Sundials

Interesting Sundials of the World

SUNDIAL MATERIALS - Page 17

Brass is a hard metal, which requires care and special tools to work it. If you choose this metal, do not ask for ordinary brass, but specify "engraver's brass", which contains a little lead making it easier to handle. Engraver's brass is not soft, neither is it too hard. Unless the lines are to be cut in deep, no special tools will be required. The same material may be used for the gnomon. Natural weathering gives a pleasing effect, which can also be obtained by burying the completed sundial in a pile of well-rotted manure for a few days. Brass sundials are common, durable, and not easily damaged. They may be used in unprotected places, but the gnomon should be firmly attached to the sundial Figure, which in turn should be firmly anchored to its support. Many beautifully engraved memorial sundials have been made of this material. An old brass sundial at "Toddsbury" in Virginia. Bronze is another hard metal admirably suited to sundials in unprotected places, but it requires more experience in handling than any of the foregoing materials. Specify "sheet bronze" when ordering. Bronze is better adapted to large sundials of monumental character. Stone is also used more often for memorial and monumental sundials, than for personal sundials. Making a sundial in stone requires a lot of patience and frequently causes one to give up. Granite requires special tools as do other stones of similar character. Limestone, sandstone, and slate are comparatively soft and more easily "worked" by the novice. Limestone is the best of the three, for in addition to workableness, it has the advantage of a good background color to catch the shadow. Slates and sandstones are not so serviceable because of their tendency to chip and flake while cutting or on exposure to the weather. If you insist on making a sundial in stone.

  more on sundial materials...