Compasses for One Piece Line

rnpollard

rnpollard

Joined
Dec 10, 2000
Messages
554
I have several of the Marbles 1/2" diameter compasses that will fit in the 4" and larger butt caps. The caps are aluminum and don't affect the compass reading at all. I have one in the handle of my 4" Mountaineer that I keep in place (and padded) with a Tinder Quik fire starting tab. Some people have relayed stories of using a gasket sealer to secure their compasses.

If you are interested in a compass please email me at rnpollard@hotmail.com

Thanks,

Rick
 
Rick,

Please put me down for one. I will send you an Email when I get off work.

Thanks.

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C.O.'s-"It takes balls to work behind the walls "
 
Absolutely Jailhack. I'll check my inventory but I still have a few left if anyone else is interested.

Thanks,

Rick


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Please reply to: rnpollard@hotmail.com

Hoah! (Its an Army thing!)
 
Rick,

Please put me down for one. I have a new Shadow IV on the way.

e-mail pending.

Roy
 
I mounted mine inside the cap to my Mountaineer I, all the way at the back. Before doing so, I put epoxy resin in and let the compass sink in against it until I could see the epoxy rise slightly along the side of the compass.

I've found that mounting it as far back as possible inside the aluminum cap cuts down on metallic interference from the handle, though it's only a theory.

Professor.
 
Just a small piece of advise. Make sure the compass works properly before putting it in. Those little things are VERY unreliable and have big quality variances. Here in Sausalito is a knick-knack shop for tourists and they have tons of those compasses of different material and type (fluid and non fluid). I compared many of them and it’s just amazing how different the readings are. The worst one (besides the ones which didn't work) mixed up north and south! I’m also convinced that they will suffer from the shocks the handle of a well used knife is subject to.

In other words, be aware that the reading of this little gadgets might be grossly off and always make sure that what you’re reading is (somewhat) right by checking it against the sun.
 
Remember the reason CR doesn't make a compass available with the one-pieces: they haven't found a compact compass that's reliable.

I recently bought several of the Marbles Mini-Compasses from the manufacturer. They've discontinued production. According to the woman I spoke with, almost *half* of the Mini-Compasses are returned or exchanged. On a good day, two of the Mini-Compasses I bought will point in a vaguely similar direction. As others have said in this forum, you probably shouldn't depend on the Marbles Mini-Compass to find your way in the woods.
 
My two cents...

I've had several of these compasses. One is the one that Randall Made Knives installed in my Model 18 almost 20 years ago. It has seen some fairly serious field time and is still fine.

I got a good deal on several of these a couple of months ago. Kept a couple sold the rest. Found another batch and posted those. I've lined them up and checked them out as best I could. Of them all one sticks occassionally. I will be keeping that one.

Life is a compromise. If you want a completely reliable compass that will never let you down, I would imagine that one is available. I doubt however that it would only cost $15 shipped and would bet my dollars to doughnuts it wouldn't fit in the cap of a Chris Reeve One Piece knife.

I am completely satisfied with the Marbles compass that was installed in my Randall. When I retired it and went to CR I wanted to outfit it in a similar fashion. Marbles seems the way to go.

If you disagree that is fine with me. Several of the gentlemen who picked one up from me the first time have come back again.

Thanks for your time.

Rick

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Please reply to: rnpollard@hotmail.com

Hoah! (Its an Army thing!)
 
I've had a pin-on version of Marble's compass for many years. It's been abused, but works fine for what it is. That's why
I've ordered one from Rick.

Walter
 
I bought two of these from Rick, one for the Aviator and one for my Project I. Both point true. I think it is well to remember that these aren't made for precise navigation, just to get you pointed in the right direction. There is probably as much room for error in the reader of such a compass as there is in the compass itself.
 
Years ago Marlin (firearms) had a feature on the Mod 336 in (30-30 & 35 Rem.) with small Marbles compass just forward of the rear sling swivel. In fact Fred Bear had them mounted just below the grip on a lot of the recurve bows he made, as did Bob Lee (Wing Archery). I realize that you can do a lot of pounding with one of these knives, but both the rifle and the bow will give a small compass one heck of a sharp jolt during firing. I would also surmise that you are going to fire your bow or rifle a lot more than you will pound hard objects with your knife (over the service lifetime of the implement). At least I hope so! If not, go get a hammer and get in some shooting practice!
biggrin.gif

Most of the compasses I’ve seen in both the bows and guns are still functioning quite well after years of service. Considering they are mounted directly info the wood (on both the bows and rifles) with no ‘gasket’ around them, I would say there is a good chance they will hold up under hard use in a knife (if properly installed).
However, that being said, I do not go into the woods with out a quality compass. I consider these as ‘extreme emergency backups’ and would always check any compass against the sun or stars before trusting my life to it.
I just ordered 2 of these from Rick. Yes, I ordered a spare, as nothing made by man is going to last forever except Twinkies.
biggrin.gif
Going forward, I will let ya’ll know how they are holding up under field use.


 
My two cents:

If the damn thing points acceptably close to north outside of the cap, it's probably going to strive to do as reasonable of a job once it's mounted inside the cap.

Rick, you got any left? elvislives@amaximis.com

Brandon
 
I respect the right of everyone to voice their opinions on these forums. I also thank those who voiced their support. I believe these are good little compasses. When I venture out into the woods or out to the AT I carry a quality Silva compass. I find it comforting to know that push comes to shove I have a little back up close by.

Have a good weekend.

Rick

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Please reply to: rnpollard@hotmail.com

Hoah! (Its an Army thing!)
 
I'm not trying to discourage anyone from buying the Marbles Mini-Compass. I bought one of them for each of my Reeve one-pieces (and several more as gifts to people to whom I've given Reeve one-pieces). I bought them, despite hearing bad things about them. I bought them, despite having the manufacturer tell me that roughly 50% of the Mini-Compasses they've sold (not the pin-on kind) are returned as defective. (And if 50% are returned as defective, think of the number of people who just don't bother to return them.) I didn't buy them thinking they would be effective, reliable navigational tools. I bought them because I like the idea of having a cool little compass in the handle of my knives, whether they work well or not. I'll probably never need to rely on one of these Mini-Compasses, any more than I'll need to rely on the magnesium firestarter, fish hooks, purification tablets, or other junk I stuff in the handles of these knives. So I don't lose much, having them in there. And it's worth having them there just to hear pleased exclamations from fellow campers, when they see one tumble out of the handle.

But if anyone thinks the Marbles Mini-Compasses are reliable, I would encourage him to contact the manufacturer (i.e., Marbles Arms).

Telephone: (906) 428-3710
Fax: (906) 428-3711
Email: marble@up.net

I was surprised at their candor about the product's limitations, failure rate, and reasons for discontinuance. It's nice to see a manufacturer acknowledge its problems, rather than try to bury them. (And I hope they can work on improving the design or quality, so we can have a completely reliable mini-compass readily available on the market.)

I agree--it's nice that people can share their views, information, and experience openly here. It was because of this forum that I found the Marbles Mini-Compass. And--reliable or not--I think they're cool little trinkets to have in one's handle.

 
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