Compass in One Piece Range Handle

Lenny

Lenny

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Joined
Oct 15, 1998
Messages
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I'm getting one of those tiny compass's from TAD to put into the handle of my Mountaineer II. Figure I'll mount it in the cap with some foam. However, I got to wondering if the knife steel is gonna affect the accuracy of the compass.
Any thoughts?
Lenny
 
I don't know if the handles are different from the Mountaineer I and II, but the NATO compass (the one I think you are refering to) won't fit in the cap of my Mountaineer 1 (just a few mm to big). If you can get it into yours, the aluminum cap shouldn't interact with the compass when detached from the knife.

B
 
I just bought one of those TAD Nato compasses for my Aviator. It's a millimeter or so too big to fit my knive cap, but will fit into the hollow grip. You should always be careful to keep a compass away from ferrous materials while taking a reading, but the cap is aluminum. In any case be sure to TEST the Nato compass against another. And of course use the Nato compass only as a backup to your regular compass.
 
Thanks guys.
I measured the inside dia of the handle, but not the cap.
What a doofus!!
Hey Rodmeister, do you just drop the compass into the handle or do you have it wrapped in something?
Lenny
 
I have a 14mm Brunton compas in the cap of my P-II. It fits in there nicely. BTW, this knife is currently for sale in the "Prod. knives for sale" forum. ;)
 
I used a rubber cement glue to attach the compass to one end of my cylindrical magnesium fire starter inside the grip. I'm not too happy about this arrangement, but can't think of a better solution right now. You could just throw it inside, but it would it would rattle inside, and wrapping it in plastic or a bit of cloth is too "inelegent" a solution.
 
There's a product available in a lot of hardware stores or home centers made by DAP called "Fun-Tak". It's a pliable putty that won't dry out and makes installing a compass in a CR fixed blade's cap easy. I've used it on a few and it's worked great. You just pinch off a piece, roll it in your fingers until soft, stick it on the bottom of the compass and push the compass into the butt cap. Won't come loose until you want it to and then it removes easily.
 
Chris,
It was one of those things where I didn't want to install the compass permanently and kept trying to think of a better way. I saw this stuff in a hardware store and bingo! It was the perfect solution for me.
 
Thanks for the recomendation Gene, was thinking about using Silicone RTV, but a non-hardening putty sounds even better.

Now for the magnesium... are there any available that fit nicely, or should I just buy the large chunk from Gander Mnt and trim it with a bandsaw?
 
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