Plastimo Compass

Norman_E

Norman_E

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I have two of these compasses, both have air in them and need the oil replacing or topping up. The second photo shows the compass with the black plastic shroud removed. Is the part with two screws the plug covering the oil drain/filler? The compass appears to be strongly glued to a rubber gasket and will be very hard to remove. Should I try to remove it from its cylindrical base, or simply get underneath and remove the whole thing? I obviously need to get the filler hole to the top if I am to eliminate the bubble.

Finally is baby oil OK or is there something better?

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I have not tried contacting them yet, But thought that someone on here will have had the same problem. The leak must be very tiny, because the pictures show the worse one of the two, and the bubble has taken 5 years to double in size.
 
I cannot help with the removal/access but Plastimo compasses were filled with one of Esso's Bayol range. It is no longer available.
I know one forumite has successfully used paraffin ( kerosene) to top one up.
Baby oil is a little viscous and adding much could affect the damping it may or may not be suitable.
Some compasses use white spirit.
I have used barbecue lighting fluid .. but that was just a purer form of kerosene

The only sound advice you can be given regards the choice of fluid for topping up is to contact a compass repairers for the correct fluid or an acceptable substitute. You would not want to add an unsuitable fluid and wreck two compasses!

Sirs Navigation, http://www.sirs.co.uk/ , is one name that springs to mind along with occasional forum contributor BPSCmarine, http://www.bpsc-marine.co.uk/
 
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Yes it is the light, but until I get the whole compass removed I do not know if there is a drain/fill plug elsewhere, or whether the thing is filled by removing the light fitting.
 
It is just the light, there is no filler hole under it and I don't know where or if there is one for topping up.

Plastimo used to sell complete replacement spheres, how much that saved over a new compass however I know not. If it were me I would look at replacing the whole compass with a newer one from one of the discount stores. As already pointed out there might be a problem anyway that simply refilling will not fix and IIRC Plastimo cards are not on jewelled bearings so can get sticky after a time. I had to replace a bulkhead Plastimo on a previous boat that would read wrong until tapped because it stuck which explained why I was having trouble getting a consistent deviation chart, I was getting different results every swing.
 
I also doubt there's a proper facility to top up your compasses.

I was caught out in a big way in fog when my Plastimo bulkhead compass, which had a slight bubble for a long time, chose that moment to empty !

I'm afraid it's hand on wallet new compasses time...
 
I was fearing as much. Plastimo were useless, there "contact us" e-mail link required me to use Outlook Express, which I cannot do from the boat, so I copied the address into Yahoo Mail. Guess what, I had a reply from them (in French) telling me to write via their "contact us" link. Talk about chocolate teapots.
 
VicS said:
I cannot help with the removal/access but Plastimo compasses were filled with one of Esso's Bayol range. It is no longer available. ...
Sirs Navigation, http://www.sirs.co.uk/ , is one name that springs to mind along with occasional forum contributor BPSCmarine, http://www.bpsc-marine.co.uk/
Click to expand...

SIRS could supply Bayol (or perhaps a Bayol equivalent) when I enquired a couple of years back. However, I see they only list silicone fluid now, so perhaps that supply has gone too. Worth ringing them, though, as they are very friendly and helpful. Don't email - they're rotten about replying.

It turned out that my Sestrel Radiant was sufficiently old to have an alcohol based fluid: it now runs very happily on London Gin!
 
I have topped up a Plastimo Contest bulkhead mounting compass and the construction may well be similar. In that the two globe halves are bonded to a rubber diaphragm for expansion. In the flange of one half - the out of sight half -there is a small filling point with a brass screw in it. I suggest you explore a bit further.
The fluid appeared to be kerosene or similar. In fact I had a u/s identical compass so I just took some from that but I'm sure a bit of any thin mineral oil would mix. Lamp oil maybe?
I sealed the screw with Calortite - or it might have been Red Hermetite - and that dried OK once the bit of spilled fluid had evaporated. They seemed compatible. It's been OK for a year or so now.

PS Just noticed your location as East Sussex. I'm in Lewes (boat at Shoreham) you can have a squirt of fluid from my old compass if it helps.
 
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Thank you for that. I will investigate after I put the boat on the hard in just over two weeks time. The boat is in Turkey, so I will have to source oil for it locally, but thanks for the offer.
At the moment I am about to have a few more days sailing with just my wife for crew then entertain my neighbours for a sailing holiday until 12th October. Not much wind here most days, though today we sat it out on a nice restaurant jetty, and went for a trip inland, whilst the wind howled around at up to 35 knots, and sent up a waterspout in Sogut bay, which we saw from the bus on the way back.
 
I flew back from Foca just north of Izmir last night. Had some very strong winds in the week (had an exciting time on an SB3 knocked flat for what seemed a very long time) and it was increasing in the afternoon before I left.
Looks like I picked the right week. Any rain today? They were forecasting it.
 
bay oil

VicS said:
I cannot help with the removal/access but Plastimo compasses were filled with one of Esso's Bayol range. It is no longer available.
I know one forumite has successfully used paraffin ( kerosene) to top one up.
Baby oil is a little viscous and adding much could affect the damping it may or may not be suitable.
Some compasses use white spirit.
I have used barbecue lighting fluid .. but that was just a purer form of kerosene

The only sound advice you can be given regards the choice of fluid for topping up is to contact a compass repairers for the correct fluid or an acceptable substitute. You would not want to add an unsuitable fluid and wreck two compasses!

Sirs Navigation, http://www.sirs.co.uk/ , is one name that springs to mind along with occasional forum contributor BPSCmarine, http://www.bpsc-marine.co.uk/
Click to expand...

I got some bay oil from a compass adjusters in hull about 6 years ago to repair a sestrel minor compass.. If I remember their name over night I will post it . .. Fred drift when I soldered the pressure adjustment plate underneath I realised the compass was all solid brass, painted black what a difference to the look when I cleaned all the black paint off and polished it .
 
warning !!

Careful if you use a different oil .. Make sure its compatible with the compass card . the wrong stuff will de-solve the markings on the card !!! Edit some oils go cloudy and brown very quickly .
 
Thank you everyone. I have work to do when I finish sailing!
As for the weather here, today is a big change from yesterday's powerful winds from the East, sunny with the wind from the West at less than 10 knots, there were a few drops of rain about at dawn, but now hardly a cloud to be seen.
As soon as SWMBO is ready we are off sailing. For those who know the region we are currently at Octopus restaurant at Sogut, probably a few hours sailing then either Dirsek or Selimiye, then via Bozburun to Ciftlik and then accross to Gocek by Saturday to pick up our guests.
 
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