We decided to try a new area for Fall Colors, and found ourselves in the Springerville area in Northeast AZ.
Smoke lingered in the blue sky from a nearby fire adding to the ominous mood of fires past amidst new growth bursting in color outside of Greer, AZ.
While finding awesome scenery and enjoying our adventure through our beautiful state, we encountered more than we bargained for when our trailer spring broke.
In inspiring ingenuity, John used firewood to make a shim between the frame and the spring, tied up with chain, just to get us off the side of a dirt road and back to a better area to incorporate a more lasting field repair.
Once there, he was able to drop the axle, remove the broken spring, and re-install in the other direction, securing it with an allen wrench and bailing wire.
Fortunately, it held for the next hour and a half until we could get to a Home Depot to buy a 3-inch, 1/2″ bolt to make a more permanent repair to get us home.
While our leafing trip got interrupted, we embraced the adventure that awaits us, whatever it may bring.
We do the darnedest things!, as we have been told more than once. So why stop now.
We got a wild hair, and decided we had a paver stone pad that begged for some kind of artful adornment. After scratching our heads a bit, and pondering the self-made dilemma, we decided that special something should be a sundial.
Ok, I know, now I’ve got you scratching your head, but stay with me. This sundial would not only read time via shadows, but it would be a 6′ circle made from re-bar (thank you, Pat & Leonard). So we did a bit of astrophysics to calculate the longitude / latitude for our elevation to determine proper degree of alignment for the numbers, and appropriate angle and height of the gnomon (you know, that angled piece that projects the shadows).
We built a jig made up of spaced ‘bumpers’ to cold-form the 1/2″ rebar into a perfect 6′ circle. As we bent it around, the re-bar resisted, so we had to convince it to conform to our whim with a helper bar and inch-winch, putting ‘keeper’ bumpers on the outside to contain the re-bar.
It was definitely a learning experience as the re-bar let loose a couple time. John has the bruises to add insult to injury. The 3rd time was the charm, making it easier for the inside 5’2″ rebar inner circle. By the time we bent the 2nd circle we started putting straps around the circle such that we could safely flip it to weld the opposite side, hoping for no more ‘un-furling of the re-bar’ incidents.
With the rings bent, welded, and ground, we were ready to undertake the roman numerals. We cut and ground the 16- I’s, and built a jig for the angled X’s and V’s.
Then welded them together, and ground them.
Using a protractor, a string and our calculations we measured the angles for placement of our clock face roman numerals – 11 am and 1 pm at 8.64 degrees, 10 am and 2pm at 18.13 degrees, etc. Then we individually welded our numbers into position.
For added strength we welded 5 re-bar support struts from the center to the OD of the inside ring, one of which the gnomon will mount on.
After a lot of welding and grinding, we are looking toward the embellishment phase. The clock face will be powder coated a brick red color, so to make it pop we decide to add a removable adornment at the bottom. It will be mounted on bands, adding strength to the bottom of the sundial, and tying the bottom rings together. So that it can be removed to be painted another color (black) we have to get creative on a method to remove.
We individually cut, bent and ground 1/4″ bar stock to make letters spelling out ‘HAPPY JACK’.
Individual letters are cut, ground and formed to shape.
To tie the letters together we attach them to a wire to hold them in place and make them removable, adding washers to bolt to the bands on the clock face.
Are you staying with me? Whew! I know.
Aside from the clock itself, some of the most pondering came from trying to figure out how to make the HAPPY JACK and gnomon removable, and seamlessly elegant without clap trap.
Finally we get to the gnomon part and speeding that process along, we cut the gnomon with a plasma cutter and weld it to re-bar, attaching metal tabs to the clock face and bottom of the gnomon.
And wa-la, a conversation piece is born.
We had it powder coated at Arizona Powdercoat (on Washington / 202 in Phoenix), who have always done a fabulous job for us, and it pops… and tells time, in it’s own artful ancient way.
kritterspaw 