Got this but no Instructions. Are there any?

This portable sundial is beautifully made and amazing value for money (£12.99|) given that it appears to be made of solid brass. It makes a great mantelshelf decoration – however it is not a practical instrument to use. The two main defects in this respect are that the compass is undamped (it needs a liquid or a thick aluminium ring to damp it) and the shadow of the pointer (gnomon) is invisible on the shiny brass ring scale– it needs to be painted over which would spoil it. There are no instructions. To release the compass needle there is a catch on the side and another catch can be used to stop the needle oscillating if used carefully. The instrument should be rotated until the end of the compass needle with the red dot points to north on the scale. Ideally allowance should be made for magnetic variation but this is small in much of the UK. The gnomon and the latitude scale are hinged and should be set upright. The device needs to be set by tilting the time scale and gnomon to your latitude as the gnomon must be parallel to the earth’s axis – in particular it will be horizontal at the equator. I do not think it can be used in the southern hemisphere. The highest latitude this device can be used at is 60 degrees north which covers the UK. The time marks on the scale should have been calibrated to take account of the angle between the gnomon and the scale. I would give it two stars as a working instrument because of the above-mentioned shortcomings but five stars because of its decorative value for money. N.B. Sundials give local time. They do not allow for differences between local time and standard time in the country concerned. (GMT or BST in the UK) There are three possible differences. The largest difference in summer is the one hour which needs to be added in summer to local time. In addition the length of a local day varies throughout the year because the earth’s orbit is elliptical rather than circular. Standard time assumes a fixed average day length. The difference is up to a maximum of plus or minus 15 minutes and can be found by looking up the Equation of Time. Finally there is a correction for the difference between the local longitude and the longitude for which standard time is given – zero degrees in the UK. The difference is 4 minutes per degree of longitude and so can amount to 25 minutes in Britain.

Can you confirm whether the roman numerals on this are definitely as shown on the photo and not slanted towards the bottom.

yes the roman numerals are as shown and not slanted towards the bottom.

Is the packaging of this sturdy? I really want to order it but I am afraid the glass will break because that is what happened the last time

Did not come with wooden box, just bubble wrap

Could this be placed permanently outside?

Hi, I don't think you can leave this type of sundial compass outside because it is not fully weather proof, there is a glass top for the compass which may not withstand heavy weather. But it is small enough to put in your pocket and use when ok. I have asked for written instructions about this item and still waiting for a reply!

Mounting type	Tabletop Mount
Manufacturer	NAUTICALMART INC
Age range	Adult
Color	Brass
Size	4'' approx
Style	Antique
Display type	Analog
Frame material	Brass
Shape	Round
Material type	Brass
Number of items	1
Number of pieces	9
Power source	Battery Powered
Features	Silent clock
Batteries included?	No
Item model number	LN00114
Product Dimensions	2 x 3.81 x 5 cm; 250 g
ASIN	B016UOBVV6

THORINSTRUMENTS 4" Sundial Compass - Solid Brass, Adjustable Legs, Rugged Outdoor Design

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