Thanks for the question, to be honest I am unsure if mineral oil works with all oil filled compasses. However there is specific compass oil that you can buy if you wanted to play it safe. That being said the compass in the video has performed very well since our DIY refill. Hope that helps.
Now, once you've filled yoiur compass and sealed it, do you see the e-w and n-s marked holes in the base? These are for "swinging" the compass to take out (as much as possible) any errors induced by nearby operating electrical circuits or ferrous metals... they can affect the accuracy of the compass reading. Then you can make up a "Compass card" to record the indicated reading vs the true heading. I used to "swing" the AN/AJB-7 Compass Adapter Compensator on the Bomb/Nav system and also the "standby" B-16 compass on the F-105 fighters (Those B-16s are still in use!) back in the late '60s at Tahkli RTAFB in Thailand during the Viet Nam war. Cheers!
Really helpful info Spamcan Thankyou. I haven't spun my compass but still hold the intention to in fact I need to calibrate the bearing on the autohelm, gps maps and the compass so they all read the same heading. Thanks again for the comment 👍
@@sailingsofar Oh, and just in case, the compass will always read magnetic north, the autohelm could read magnetic or true (don't know if it is flux gate or gps driven) and of course, gps maps will be oriented to true North, I'll bet, but it might be selectable between the two norths. Then there's "grid north" and ....... nevermind! Happy sailing!
I need to refill mine so thank you for the video. One question my compass mount is on vertiical on the bulk head but the card is upside down. How do I fix that? Just one comment an Aliminum baking pan would save the work bench from an oil spill :
Hi, i have the same problem you had, also no bung in the base. Other internet posts talk of a "bellows" arrangement int the base cup of the compass. Presumably this is to allow for expansion and contraction of the fluid. After a year is your fix still good?
Hi, thanks for question. It was missing the original bung that the compass is suppose to have, the compass never came with it. So it was empty when I got it and the oil had drained because the bung was gone (The compass was on the boat when we bought it). So that's why I had to make a DIY bung. So no broken plastic, just an absent piece, and I had to plastic weld some holes that I assume are important to secure the original piece, but didn't work with my make-shift bung. I hope this all make sense.
I hear you about having no bubble at all. I tried but it was getting to messy and wasting oil. There is a part of me that wants it full no bubbles, but the compass is working for what I need it for. If you find something that works I'd like to know as well. Thanks for the comment.
Hi Filip The oil I used has a baby oil by Johnson and Johnson which I got from the local chemist. But I have seen it everywhere i.e. the corner store, pharmacist, some hardware and even Petrol stations. Thanks for question 🤙
Used white spirit in mine, as that is what the small remaining liquid inside smelled like. Used a syringe until full, then put the needle on the syringe while moving it until the small remaining air bubble was in the screw hole, then with the needle filled it to the top of the threaded hole, fully functional, and no trace of any bubbles, even after shaking and rolling to release any trapped beneath the card. Hope this helps someone else.
Is there a way to reverse the polarity of a compass like this one?
Great video mate.
Hi Luis
Thank you for the comment.
Mineral oil. Does that work with all 🧭
Thanks for the question, to be honest I am unsure if mineral oil works with all oil filled compasses. However there is specific compass oil that you can buy if you wanted to play it safe. That being said the compass in the video has performed very well since our DIY refill.
Hope that helps.
Now, once you've filled yoiur compass and sealed it, do you see the e-w and n-s marked holes in the base? These are for "swinging" the compass to take out (as much as possible) any errors induced by nearby operating electrical circuits or ferrous metals... they can affect the accuracy of the compass reading. Then you can make up a "Compass card" to record the indicated reading vs the true heading. I used to "swing" the AN/AJB-7 Compass Adapter Compensator on the Bomb/Nav system and also the "standby" B-16 compass on the F-105 fighters (Those B-16s are still in use!) back in the late '60s at Tahkli RTAFB in Thailand during the Viet Nam war. Cheers!
Really helpful info Spamcan Thankyou. I haven't spun my compass but still hold the intention to in fact I need to calibrate the bearing on the autohelm, gps maps and the compass so they all read the same heading.
Thanks again for the comment 👍
@@sailingsofar Oh, and just in case, the compass will always read magnetic north, the autohelm could read magnetic or true (don't know if it is flux gate or gps driven) and of course, gps maps will be oriented to true North, I'll bet, but it might be selectable between the two norths. Then there's "grid north" and ....... nevermind! Happy sailing!
I need to refill mine so thank you for the video. One question my compass mount is on vertiical on the bulk head but the card is upside down. How do I fix that? Just one comment an Aliminum baking pan would save the work bench from an oil spill :
Hi, i have the same problem you had, also no bung in the base. Other internet posts talk of a "bellows" arrangement int the base cup of the compass. Presumably this is to allow for expansion and contraction of the fluid. After a year is your fix still good?
Older compass used mineral spirits, not mineral oil.
I refilled mine with aviation petrol plus oil and have the exact size of bubble. I cant fill fully
What caused the plastic to break and released the oil?
Hi, thanks for question. It was missing the original bung that the compass is suppose to have, the compass never came with it. So it was empty when I got it and the oil had drained because the bung was gone (The compass was on the boat when we bought it). So that's why I had to make a DIY bung. So no broken plastic, just an absent piece, and I had to plastic weld some holes that I assume are important to secure the original piece, but didn't work with my make-shift bung. I hope this all make sense.
How to remove bubble brooo?
I hear you about having no bubble at all. I tried but it was getting to messy and wasting oil.
There is a part of me that wants it full no bubbles, but the compass is working for what I need it for.
If you find something that works I'd like to know as well.
Thanks for the comment.
what s the name of the fluid
Hi Filip
The oil I used has a baby oil by Johnson and Johnson which I got from the local chemist. But I have seen it everywhere i.e. the corner store, pharmacist, some hardware and even Petrol stations.
Thanks for question 🤙
Mineral oil us too thick
not an issue unless you live in a region with below freezing, in which case you wouldnt boat anyways.
@@juslitorGood point. It is normally hot as hell here so I guess it will work fine.
Used white spirit in mine, as that is what the small remaining liquid inside smelled like. Used a syringe until full, then put the needle on the syringe while moving it until the small remaining air bubble was in the screw hole, then with the needle filled it to the top of the threaded hole, fully functional, and no trace of any bubbles, even after shaking and rolling to release any trapped beneath the card. Hope this helps someone else.