Silly question for the knowledgable

[luvtoride]

Is anyone knowledgable about hand held compasses?

I have a couple on Ebay that were my dad's. I got a question today asking if there was indeed liquid in one of the compasses for sale or has it leaked out.

Uhhh, I was unaware that this could be an issue. I need to take a look at the ones I have for sale when I get home.

My question... are all compasses supposed to have liquid in them?

TIA, Heidi

PS, if it seems like I've been asking a lot of questions lately, please be aware... I have acquired quite a few things that I can really use some help with. I do appreciate the info highly.

 

[Ignacio]

I'm not an expert to be sure, but do know a bit from an college summer vocation of surveying.

Compass quality varies from the cliche CrackerJack toy that will point the right direction, to $10 air-filled modern compass for hikers from a sporting goods store, to oil-filled 5" surveyor compasses costing many hundreds of dollars. I'm assuming it's an older or antique compass with some collector value.

I might be able to tell if I saw a picture.

 

[HotRodZilla]

My question... are all compasses supposed to have liquid in them?
TIA, Heidi

No, not all, but since you say they are your dad's, I am gonna assume they are older. Older Military compasses were liquid filled to dampen the "bounce" seen in the indicator during movement. Per my resident compass expert, most of the liquid was some type of mineral oil. The military stopped the liquid filling around the 1960's +/- becasue it had a tendency to freeze and then leak out and sometimes render the compass useless. Some older civilian model compasses did not have liquid in them, and it depends on who made it. So...Military compasses after the 60's should be filled with some type of gas or maybe nothing other than air, and civillian compasses can be both. I would suggest looking at the information on the compasses, googling them and finding out if they were supposed to have it or not.

 

[Capt. Bob]

If it is of any quality, it will be damped by a fluid (usually oil). This reduces the erratic swing for a greater reading accuracy.

Capt. Bob, Old school surveyor.

 

[jekirby]

Not to hijack your thread, but I just went throught what you are. Sooo much stuff.

 

[spalkin]

Not all compasses have fluid in them. In fact the best compass you can buy, made by a company called Silva, never uses it. Compasses that use fluid almost always loose it over time. Not very dependable. Get a Silva. Sometimes the least expensive things are the best.

Just my .02¢

Good Luck!

 

[Knifemaker]

If they resemble a pocket watch, and have a cover that closes them, then more than likely they never had fluid in them.

If you examine them closely and find a "stop" (a bar than prevents the needle from moving when the cover is closed) it would not be fluid filled.

Photos would help, I own several antique pocket compasses , and none were made with liquid dampening.

KM

 

[boogahboogah]

If the compass was made to be mounted onto something (like a boat) then there is a 50/50 chance that it used fluid damping of some sort, oil or a special alcohol. If it's a pocket compass then there is only a one in 20 chance it was fluid damped, probably more like one in 40.

 

[jwilly]

Not all compasses have fluid in them. In fact the best compass you can buy, made by a company called Silva, never uses it. Compasses that use fluid almost always loose it over time. Not very dependable. Get a Silva. Sometimes the least expensive things are the best.

Your reading assignment for the week is to go back and read the original post. She's selling a compass not thinking about buying one there Sparky!!

 

[Capt. Bob]

Not all compasses have fluid in them. In fact the best compass you can buy, made by a company called Silva, never uses it. Compasses that use fluid almost always loose it over time. Not very dependable. Get a Silva. Sometimes the least expensive things are the best.
Just my .02¢

Good Luck!

That's not true. <_<

Silva does in fact produce hand held compasses that are liquid filled. Both my son and I have Silvas that are liquid filled His I believe is the Lensatic (sp) model and I have the Huntsman (or hunter, don't remember).

Both are liquid filled. They do make non-filled. I have an inexpensive model I use with my Scout Troop. So yes, not all compasses are liquid filled.

 

[luvtoride]

Thank you gents,

I'm really learning new stuff here. Stuff that I actually didn't want to learn, too. But interesting... it has all been interesting. I'm still wondering if that short wave radio works properly. I am guessing that it'll be worth at least a couple of hundred dollars to someone.

The compass in question, which is a Silva, is indeed liquid filled. I almost couldn't tell. I had to hold it up to the sun & look for something... even the very smallest something to drift south... which it did.

Two of the compasses that I am selling are made by Silva. A Huntsman & I forgot what the other is... but it has a mirrored lid. Both are filled w/ fluid. I am also selling a Brunson GPS compass. Again, it's filled with liquid, too. The Silva's are the oldest & the Brunson being the newest.

Thanks for everyones help. I certainly do appreciate it highly.

Heidi