Compass bubble

[Grehan]

My (horizontal) (by the wheel) (binnacle) steering compass has recently spawned a bubble.

Why has this naughty thing happened?
I guess I get a compass adjuster person to fix it? Do I?

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[mickshep]

When the bubble in my old alcohol damped compass got so big that the card was exposed I figured I had nothing to lose in attempting to refill it. on the under side of the casing there was a threaded bung. I used gin but could never quite get rid of all the air. A friend then told me to put both the compass and the gin in the freezer overnight, then on removal to fill the compass. This I did. the tiny air bubble that remained disapeared when the compass warmed up. It sounds silly but 3 years on the compass is still bubble less. I'm sure some one out there will be able to say why it works or that it shouldn't, but it worked for me. Cheers, Mick.

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[Johnjo]

Three weeks ago when I was launched, my compass had a huge bubble in it !
The card would not revolve and I was on the verge of buying a new one,
After a couple of days the bubble had disapeared and the compass was working perfectly again,
What I thought was air getting into it , must of being a vacumn caused by cold or lack of use over
the winter, I still do not really know why !
But I have hads no further problems with it and no more bubbles !

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[bob26]

I had a bubble in compass once and topped up with alcohol.

Got rid of bubble but turned out was't filled with alcohol after all - I think it was some sort of oil.

The two mixed ok but the alcohol dissolved the luminous paint on the card!


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[LadyInBed]

B&Q White Spirit works well on a oil filled compass.

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[bigmart]

I used Liquid Paraffin, from the chemist, although I got a funny look from the assistant, when I told her what I wanted it for.

Martin

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[pvb]

It\'s probably happened because...

The bubble's probably happened because there's a slight leak somewhere (most likely in the expansion bellows). You can top up the liquid, but if you don't fix the leak the bubble may well reappear before too long.

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[chrishewett]

Topped mine up two years ago with seriously strong Polish vodka, no problems since. When I'm staring at it in the middle of the night it gives me a strangely comforting feeling.

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[wpsalm]

its leaking ,try to find the leak only 3 places it can leak from expansion bellows bottom of the compass, filling bung usually slot headed screw on the side of the compass or bezel ... this is the ring that holds down the glass try to tighten the scews on the bezel very gently and in a cross patern ,that is north,south, east, west if the screws will take a half turn or so you,ve solved the problem if your fussy about the bubble get a professional to fix it ...

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[Adrian_Morgan]

mikshep's right. Compass in fridge (with bung out). Liquid in fridge too. Top up with syringe until overflowing. Bung in. Bubble gone as liquid expands. Sestrel liquid available in bottles from SIRS (Sestrel agents). It works. I made a kit hand bearing Sestrel compass once and the instructions included the above advice about filling. Five years on, no bubble, but then I haven't used it in the Arctic (or Antarctic) when, I suppose, a bubble might well appear. In which case, instead of fridge I'll use freezer.

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[ozzyb]

It happened to me a few years ago with contest compass. I was told plastimo used liquid parafin in there compasses, used the fridge/freezer method never been a problem since. Can be a bit messy though and had problems getting a syringe. Good luck

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