fluid for filling compass

Go to an aircraft parts outfit and buy the diaphragm kit and a bottle of Compass Fluid. Cheaper than fooling around with stuff that will take the numbers off the compass card sooner or later. BTDT. Look in the Yellow Pages under Aircraft Parts.

Dan

Compass fluid is also available through marine chandlers. May be cheaper there than at an aircraft supplier. I bought some once about

Ritchie uses mineral oil.

I would be tempted to try so called DOT 5 Silicone brake fluid. It should be available at most specialty auto parts stores.

I have no experience with liquid filled compasses though, so it is just a thought!

John

'Standard' fluid-filled marine compasses are usually filled with isopropyl alcohol. The method used to re-fill them: Thoroughly chill the compass and the alcohol in the freezer. Fill the cold compass with the cold alcohol. When everything warms up the inevitable bubble of air (no matter how careful you are to eliminate it) will shrink slightly as the pressure rises. This is the method passed on to me by an 'old time' mariner. I have done this and it works.

Ken.

Glycerine LLoyd

My uncle was an old Navy man and avid sailor, I remember him rebuilding a compass and filling it with ice cold vodka.

Non TSOed compass replacements are inexpensive

Compasses can be filled with mineral spirits, alcohol, glycerine and many other fluids. It is necessary to know what the fluid is supposed to be for your compass because the specific gravity and the viscosity must be exactly correct. This is especially true in gyros because there must be no load on the bearings when the gyro sphere is suspended in the fluid or the gyro will hang and not precess correctly. In some cases, the suspension fluid is blended as in my case where I must blend 6 parts of Halocarbon 6.3 oil with

Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a magnetic compass and a gps?

Maybe because the oldtimers used to drink the compass fluid.

"IN CASE OF EMERGENCY - BREAK GLASS"