One more

Re: One more

Thomas Skaggs, Foothills of Mount Level

It's a crystal ball....but one that is used for more precisely looking into one's future? ;-)

Its about time!

Stokes the solar flame

Gary Smyth

I would love to own that one! It's the best one I've ever seen. It's a card burner. From the landscape this looks to be a southern model, Chile perhaps.

Need more specific

Dan Donaldson

What is it called and the more exact use;-)

Re: Need more specific

Gary Smyth

Stokes Campbell (Campbell-Stokes) Sun Recorder. It burns a hole or rather a line in the paper below. During the day clouds will stop the line until the sun pops out. The unit is designed to record the hours of sun. At days beginning and end it might not burn through and will leave a brown mark on the card. There usually are three settings for the time of the year at that location. It may be an adjustment of the sphere holder or a different groove on the bottom on the "cup". It faces South, and level. The instrument is a set and forget daily, but is weather sensitive if rainy, the paper is wet, or other blocking of the sun happens.

;-)

Dan Donaldson

Cool instrument isn't it. I think one of those would be neat to have in a garden, just for looks.

Re: ;-)

Gary Smyth

They are relatively small with the ball being 4" in diameter or so, so the scale is a bit small for the garden. BUT...definitely cool. Bookcase display would work as few people know of these and technology and Naval tables and charts have relegated these to be obsolete. Had one on a table. It works at a window too. Kind of a surprise when the smoke drifts up from the paper though. I'd like to see a larger diameter ball to see how hot it can get. With the small ball the heat is over 451 degrees F as it burns through paper.