Filling a compass

[Guest]

I had my Contest compass off the boat briefly whilst replacing the interior lining on my boat. Whilst cleaning up the compass I foolishly loosened a screw on the compass bowl and managed to lose quite a bit of the fluid from out of it- I won't do that again! The fluid had a smell of turpentine about it and had a slightly oily feel. As I need to replace it I wonder if anyone can identify just what the fluid is.

Tom

 

[Guest]

Hello Tom

I use white spirit to fill my compass.

Cheers

John Dillon

 

[Guest]

See below :: brendan -- Sunday, 8 April 2001, at 11:32 p.m. *

nm

 

[Guest]

I used Johnsons Baby Oil to fill mine some months back as it has a neutral pH and it has worked fine. I have heard that some other fluids such as kerosene will attack the plastic sphere.

I cooled the oil in the fridge before syrnging it in through the fill hole (the one with the brass screw). The reason for cooling was toensure the sphere was full when the temperature reached ambient.

Good luck rv sv Haliastur

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the ideas- I suspect I wasn't too far off the mark thinking the liquid in the compass smelled of turps. I do like the baby oil idea as I think it may be slightly more viscous than spirit and could offer better damping. I'll give both a go!

Have a good season all.

Tom

 

[Guest]

The compass may have originally been filled with glycerine which (if memory serves me correctly) is miscible with water and immiscible with oil. Before you start using Baby Oil outside of the bedroom I suggest that you make sure that whatever is in the compass is compatible with what you re-fill it with. Try a bit of it in a glass first with Baby Oil and then with water. If it mixes OK with Baby Oil fine, re-fill with Baby Oil. If it doesn't then I suggest you try a bottle of clear gycerine from the Chemists.

Best regards )

Ian D

 

[Guest]

Thanks Ian- the liquid had a very strong smell which I don't think glycerine has but I take the point re checking that the liquids mix......I would have missed that one!

Cheers

Tom

 

[Guest]

I had more or less the same problem a couple of weeks ago. Barry from BPSC Marine (Southampton) told me the original liquid for oil filled compasses is something called "Esso Bayol grade 35". I suppose he knows his stuff, compasses being his main line of work. For minor topping up white spirit is ok, but too much white spirit will result in softening of all the rubber/plastic parts inside the compass.