Bubbles

[John_N]

Any ideas about how to remove the bubble from a gimballed Bosun grid compass? Is it a DIY job to top it up with alcohol and if so what kind and from what source? Someone once told me in all seriousness that gin was perfectly acceptable, but it seems a bit of a waste to me. (Any references to bosuns' prediliction to a tipple or to Plymouth distillery will not be appreciated!).
Alternatively can anyone recommend a professional who would do the job, especially in the South West?

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[snowleopard]

not gin

i fell victim to that old wives' tale a few years ago and ruined a perfectly good compass. it may be that pure (96%) alcohol would work but certainly not booze of any description. the inside of the compass bowl went black!!

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[Guest]

Try the manufacturer. I had same problem with a 6 yr old large Silva binnacle compass. It also had much sludge in it when turned upside down. I was told by Silva that refilling is NOT a DIY job (apparently only very old compasses use pure alcohol - new ones use a variety of liquids not available to DIY-ers and may be sealed units). Good news is Silva UK sent it to Silva Sweden who sent me a brand new compass at no cost.

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[AndrewB]

Bubbles .. a warning.

As others say, these days its very unlikely to be alcohol. In the past I've found clear baby oil works as a replacement if you don't want the trouble of trying to get a small quantity of the real thing from the makers. But I'd strongly recommend a test mix with some of the actual liquid.

Do not refill a compass unless you know why its leaked and done something about it. A common reason for a bubble is a ruptured expansion bellows. If that is internal, nothing will have leaked out and when you refill, then there is no room for temperature expansion so you will break the compass.

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[maxi]

Re: not gin

Agree with the baby oil, worked perfectly on my Contest compass. Used know of other uses for baby oil, but can't remember now what they were! Sad.

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