Creating Your Own Homemade Compass

[Nemesis]

Creating Your Own Homemade Compass






If you don't have a compass, you can create your own in much the same way people did hundreds of years ago. To create your own compass, you will need the following materials:

A needle or some other wire-like piece of steel (a straightened paper clip, for example)
Something small that floats such as a piece of cork, the bottom of a Styrofoam coffee cup, a piece of plastic or the cap from a milk jug

A dish, preferably a pie plate, 9 to 12 inches (23 - 30 cm) in diameter, with about an inch (2.5 cm) of water in it
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The first step is to turn the needle into a magnet. The easiest way to do this is with another magnet -- stroke the magnet along the needle 10 or 20 times as shown below.

If you are having trouble finding a magnet around the house, two possible sources include a can opener and an electromagnet that you make yourself (see How Electromagnets Work).

Place your float in the middle of your dish of water as shown below.

The "float on water" technique is an easy way to create a nearly frictionless bearing. Center your magnetic needle on the float. It very slowly will point toward north. You have created a compass!.

[Skvez]

While it is possible to create a compass this way it should be considered as a last resort.
For a few pounds you can buy a commercial compass that is more reliable, more robust, more portable, more compact.

[NorthernRaider]

I wear a tiny Silva one on a piece of paracord as a necklace

[Skean Dhude]

Skvez, NR,

I agree that cheap ones can be purchased easily but you never now when this knowledge will make the difference.

[Nemesis]

(29 November 2011, 14:57)Skvez Wrote: While it is possible to create a compass this way it should be considered as a last resort.
For a few pounds you can buy a commercial compass that is more reliable, more robust, more portable, more compact.

Good idea after shtf if I get robbed and then lost I will order a compass and wait for DHL to deliver it to me.

Skvez no point my posting a how to order a compass online, this thread was how to make a compass in emergency setting, as a last resort.

[NorthernRaider]

Ok then in that case you dont need a magnet to make a compass, you can create a weak magnetising effect on a pin by just vigoursly rubbing in on your sleeve or trouser leg, then just gently float it on a spot of still water. It will point magnetic north in this hemisphere which currently is some place over northern Canada.

[Skvez]

Wet and Cold

Certainly there are a few rare cases where creating a compass this way would be necessary but I wanted to point out that it’s a last resort idea.
I've read too many threads where prepers have been confused into thinking that a novel way of improvising something is a good way to do it!
An example of this being people who but a battery and wire wool into their BoB to make fire, yes this works but a more reliable, smaller, safer, cheaper, longer lasting way would be to pack a lighter.

I don't want people to be packing magnets and needles into their BoB instead of a real compass!

[Nemesis]

(29 November 2011, 17:22)Skvez Wrote: Wet and Cold

Certainly there are a few rare cases where creating a compass this way would be necessary but I wanted to point out that it’s a last resort idea.
I've read too many threads where prepers have been confused into thinking that a novel way of improvising something is a good way to do it!
An example of this being people who but a battery and wire wool into their BoB to make fire, yes this works but a more reliable, smaller, safer, cheaper, longer lasting way would be to pack a lighter.

I don't want people to be packing magnets and needles into their BoB instead of a real compass!

I think we all know that Skvez I would at least hope we all do! but that a side I think that the rule of 3 should be in place on these smaller life savers, for example 3 different ways to make ignition, lighter, fire steel, mag block, or flint and char striker, but always rule of 3, I myself would not use wire wool & battery but each to their own. This leads to a question, have you really tested these cheap small compass, do they break easy, have you tested in freezing temps, does the lens frost up and needle get stuck, can they be coloured orange or bought orange at this cheap price? Should we add them to the rule of 3.

Yes NR rub a pin I think I learned that when I was like 5 years old I would have thought people knew this but if they did not they do now, and that’s why we make these threads, to add knowledge some might not already know and to get better understanding or improve on the knowledge we do know.

[NorthernRaider]

I've seen a few neat EDC necklaces used by preppers usually a length or paracord or a flat braded paracord, then folks hang a flint and steel, tiny LED light, micro compass, pill capsule with puritabs and sometimes a tiny knife, some add tiny magnifier lens, second pill capsule with rolled up £5 cash note in it, pendant watch, etc etc

[JD1]

You can never know too many ways to find your direction, from trees to homemade compasses and everything in between, so thanks W&C