Choosing / positioning your Sundial
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Horizontal and armillary sundials are best for gardens
Of the 8 types of garden sundials - horizontal and armillary are best suited for garden use. Horizontal garden sundials, the type commonly seen on pedestals, consist of a dial plate, marked in hour lines, and a "gnomon," the raised projection that casts a shadow.
Armillary spheres, which look like large, open globes, have the hour band fixed in the plane of the equator; the gnomon takes the form of an arrow shaft set diagonally - the angle being determined by the latitude the dial is being used in - we set the angle to suit that latitude where our dials will be used.
Other sundials don't work as well in the garden for various reasons. Vertical sundials need to be attached to a south-facing wall, and other types of fixed sundials (polar, analemmatic, reflected ceiling) are difficult to find commercially and can be hard to read. Portable sundials work well, but as their name implies, they need to be carried about.
Ornate or simple, a well-sited sundial will draw the eye.
When choosing a site select a sunny, level spot. A garden sundial set atop a pedestal draws the eye upward, so ideally you should position one in the line of sight of an interesting feature; a path between flower beds, perhaps, or in front of a trellis, a flowering tree, or, simply, a wonderful view.
Alternatively, use the sundial as a focal point, with triangular garden beds and paths radiating out from it. And make sure you set a bench nearby, so you can rest while contemplating Sol's journey from dawn's awakening to dusk's sleep. And of course they make stunning and memorable gifts.
To tell the passing of time setting up is easy. On a summer's midday set the dial up so that the shadow of the gnomon is a 12 o'clock.
Personalising Your Sundial.
Your sundial can be personalised with an engraved dedication or motto of your choice or I can supply a brass plate which can be fixed to the plinth or pedestal. Some suggested dedications for your personalised sundial are listed here.
The top band of most of my armillary spheres can be engraved. I can engrave directly on to the gnomon of the Spot On Brass or the dial plate of the Border sundials as well as the top of the small Wall Mounted sundial. See my Personalised Sundial page.
Setting up your Sundial
Your sundial needs to be mounted on a firm plinth or pedestal in an open area, with the arrowhead facing roughly north; at noon the sun is due south so stand with your back to the sun and point the arrow away from you.
The top of the plinth should be as near horizontal as possible. The dial is best fixed to the plinth with an epoxy glue or something like No Nails, alternatively can use screws and raw plugs (not supplied) but don't fix these until you have aligned the dial as explained below. You may need to drill holes in the lip of the base plate, being brass and a soft metal this can be drilled relatively easily.
Wait until your wristwatch is about to show an hour preferably midday. Turn the dial until the shadow from the arrow shaft (known as the gnomon) cuts that hour on the dial plate. In the summer this will be 1 hour ahead of "real" time but as the dial is only likely to be used in the summer the difference should be acceptable.
NOTE: Because of British Summer Time our clocks show the time 1 hour later the time shown by the sun. I have set the sundial up in my garden to show British Summer time as I don't venture out in to the garden much in the winter.
You can now fix the sundial to the plinth. You can use an epoxy glue like Grip Fix or No Nails. Alternatively you can drill the sundial base and then set raw plugs in to the plinth top. I would advise over drilling the hole and filling this with araldite. Once the dial has been fixed and the araldite hardened file down the screw heads to prevent these being unscrewed.