Compass repair

[mental floss]

I have a Brunton compass that has a loose lubber line. I'd like to fix it since this was my dad's compass and I'd like to be sentimental and keep him on the boat. It looks to me like I can drain the compass, fix the lubber line and refill it with oil. The guy at Ritchie wouldn't promise that their oil is the same. The Brunton guy said to use baby oil.

Any experienced compass repair folk out there?

Thanks.

[49208]

I've done a few drain/re-fills thru the years on various makes, as long as you have a clear oil around the proper viscosity, you should be good to go. (you just want to make sure you aren't working with a very old compass that used alcohol as the liquid)

You may have read the following, but I'll throw it up just in case
http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57990
The tip about chilling the compass and oil is a good one.

[mental floss]

Originally Posted by 49208

I've done a few drain/re-fills thru the years on various makes, as long as you have a clear oil around the proper viscosity, you should be good to go. (you just want to make sure you aren't working with a very old compass that used alcohol as the liquid)

You may have read the following, but I'll throw it up just in case
http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57990
The tip about chilling the compass and oil is a good one.

Thanks. I like the refrigerator idea.

[torrid]

I would think the exact fluid wouldn't matter, but that it might not work well if you mix them. Best bet would be to drain and refill the whole thing.