Stanford’s once elegant, $500,000 sculpted clock/fountain sits glumly in storage
I guess I’m not the only one running into trouble with a fountain clock (and I have more on that, later).
The clock sculpture is made of a black granite turntable on an asymmetrical base that revolved once a year and was in constant motion 24 hours a day. To support it, and create a perfectly level surface for the heavy slab, Stanford sank five concrete columns deep into the earth.
Powered by electricity, it ran on a mechanical system with custom gears that were submerged in running water, according to Susan Roberts-Manganelli, manager of collections for Stanford’s Cantor Center for Visual Arts.
1) “But now, sitting in storage — its elegant mechanics stopped by corrosion and carelessness — it tells no time at all. ”
It is exactly correct twice each 24 hours, thus outperforming most of the world’s running timepieces.
2) “And water is a corrosive environment.”
Inconel 686 or Hastelloy C-2000. It would run in boiling Green Death.
3) “A broken underground water pipe further contributed to its problems.”
If only Stanford had an engineering school. Run it solid state: powered by sand. Studies must be done to optimize the tyope and the source of the sand. Uncle Al suggests monazite to keep back the crowd, Kerala (Travancore ), India.
Your title reminds me that Missouri should make its official tourism slogan “Missouri Loves Company.”