Magnetic Compass

[Ultradog MN]

I Saw this tool up at hunting camp yesterday.
It's been there for years and I rarely give it any thought. It's nothing special but we still use it now and then.
We're real friendly with our neighbors up there but each side will occasionally "walk the line" and flag the trees with tape.
Best when you can do it with a couple of youngsters. Train them on a compass and throw in a little about Earth's magnetism while you're at it. Then have them run ahead and "hold the tree" we sighted on.
Not many kids around anymore tho. Maybe folks are forgetting to have them?
I looked on ebay and found a couple like this one.
Worth about $20.
They have some nicer ones there too.
$45 for a brass one. Same style and brand.
But I didn't bite on any.
Anyone here collect compasses?
I'm thinking there might be some who do. Maybe one that sits on its original binnacle and is valuable as heck....
Or you got one from your Grand dad that you like.
Or one that survived the wars?
Anyway...
Compasses are great tools and I don't remember seeing them talked about much here on Tool Talk
So let's see yours.
And No, the app on your phone doesn't count.
Thanks

 

[THinAl.]

Here’s one that I have, it’s a staff compass used by surveyors in the 1800’s. I have the 66 foot Gunters chain that was used with this compass.

 

[tomtinker]

Why does my compass always point south ?

 

[Phill Tibbetts]

I have several Surveyor compasses in my collection of collections. I like lots of old things.

 

[Russ from MN]

My wife and I ran a line through the woods once using my Silva compass, after 300 yard we were within a couple of feet, we were happy with that! We try to keep our property lines marked, but some of the back lines aren't. If there was an old fence line, I put in some steel fence posts.

 

[old]

I Saw this tool up at hunting camp yesterday.
It's been there for years and I rarely give it any thought. It's nothing special but we still use it now and then.
We're real friendly with our neighbors up there but each side will occasionally "walk the line" and flag the trees with tape.
Best when you can do it with a couple of youngsters. Train them on a compass and throw in a little about Earth's magnetism while you're at it. Then have them run ahead and "hold the tree" we sighted on.
Not many kids around anymore tho. Maybe folks are forgetting to have them?
I looked on ebay and found a couple like this one.
Worth about $20.
They have some nicer ones there too.
$45 for a brass one. Same style and brand.
But I didn't bite on any.
Anyone here collect compasses?
I'm thinking there might be some who do. Maybe one that sits on its original binnacle and is valuable as heck....
Or you got one from your Grand dad that you like.
Or one that survived the wars?
Anyway...
Compasses are great tools and I don't remember seeing them talked about much here on Tool Talk
So let's see yours.
And No, the app on your phone doesn't count.
Thanks

I have one that looks just like that one does

 

[caterpillar guy]

I don't have a compass so I lost my way.

 

[Wdj]

I used to be the one guy on the job that could run a compass line . Now just another of my obsolete skills.

 

[teddy52food]

Around here in mid Mn. they point slightly to the east not true north.

 

[TheBartman47]

Why does my compass always point south ?

Maybe it's an Australian compass?

 

[SkipperII]

Maybe it's an Australian compass?

Or he has a piece of steel in his pocket.

 

[SkipperII]

We got pretty good with a compass, while on our all expense paid vacation in beautiful South East Asia. It was literally a matter of life or death. In pitch dark, with no landmarks, is a real challenge.

 

[GChief]

I am pretty good with one still. I can also do celestial navigation with a sextant, that may require some knocking off of the dust.

 

[Russ from MN]

Around here in mid Mn. they point slightly to the east not true north.

I believe that's called magnetic declination, it varies with the area and sometimes changes. The magnetic N pole and the geographic one aren't in the same place. This website shows it. https://www.magnetic-declination.com/USA/Minnesota/2746764.html

 

[stevieb49829]

According to some recent news, the N pole has moved significantly over the past several decades. It makes me think I need to reset the declination on my Silva before I run another property line for the neighbors. It's a good thing we are going between established pins, but once in a while it takes a bunch of off-setting to get it to be a straight line between pins. There's always a lot of trees in the way, too. steve

 

[moresmoke]

Not many kids around anymore tho. Maybe folks are forgetting to have them?

By some estimates they cost a million $ each to get them to the point of leaving the house.

 

[tomturkey]

We got pretty good with a compass, while on our all expense paid vacation in beautiful South East Asia. It was literally a matter of life or death. In pitch dark, with no landmarks, is a real challenge.

Thank you for your service to our country, when I served, no one was after my hide.

 

[Dingo3]

Why does my compass always point south ?

You have it set to retirement mode.

 

[Richard G.]

I Saw this tool up at hunting camp yesterday.
It's been there for years and I rarely give it any thought. It's nothing special but we still use it now and then.
We're real friendly with our neighbors up there but each side will occasionally "walk the line" and flag the trees with tape.
Best when you can do it with a couple of youngsters. Train them on a compass and throw in a little about Earth's magnetism while you're at it. Then have them run ahead and "hold the tree" we sighted on.
Not many kids around anymore tho. Maybe folks are forgetting to have them?
I looked on ebay and found a couple like this one.
Worth about $20.
They have some nicer ones there too.
$45 for a brass one. Same style and brand.
But I didn't bite on any.
Anyone here collect compasses?
I'm thinking there might be some who do. Maybe one that sits on its original binnacle and is valuable as heck....
Or you got one from your Grand dad that you like.
Or one that survived the wars?
Anyway...
Compasses are great tools and I don't remember seeing them talked about much here on Tool Talk
So let's see yours.
And No, the app on your phone doesn't count.
Thanks

I have an old WWII compass that has the radium dial.
It really sets off a gieger counter.
My brother used a gieger counter where he worked and could not believe the radiation coming off a compass.
They can be dangerous to the point that kids are not supposed to play with them like we did when I was a kid.

 

[504]

I have a friend who teaches mapping and compass reading in 4 H they have to take the class before they learn trap shooting