Self made compass

[DavyRocket]

I watched a video awhile back on Youtube that google has now deleted do to copyright blah blah. I remember how to make this so figured I would share. To make a compass you will need 3 items as listed.

1. small shallow bowl with a lid preferred
2. water
3. sewing needle

Add some water about 1/4 full of the bowl or cup. Place the needle in the water. Chances are it is to heavy, so it will sink. To fix that find a small piece of styrofoam. Small enough to fit in the center of the needle. Or anything that will cause the needle to float. What I done was cut a small piece of cardboard smaller in length, slightly wider than the needle. To know which end is facing North you will need another compass to verify. Not all needles will face the same way. The tip may face North on some, others may face South at the tip. Just another survival tip. Give it a try.

 

[WilliamAshley]

Yeah there are a variety of other methods that are more time dependent. Example the wrist watch type, and the stones or sticks shadow type.

I don't often carry a bowl in the woods but anyone with a sewing kit in their BOB can benefit from this. I have two compasses (one button one and one more engineering style one which i got in mexico for like $5) Overall you can get a pretty good idea of east and west from the sun, as well as if you are in the northern hemisphere the North south by tracking the suns shadow. Of course you can also look at hows trees and plants grow usually toward the sun what side the moss is growing on etc.. I still have a compass in my BOB though. they have pretty cheap multi keychains with themometers and compasses on them. So if you need to carry your keys you can be covered with that. Of course you might then want to carry paper maps too.

I'm working on getting my raspberry pi set up to act as a GPS, as well as other tools. As a good GPS/GIS system is pretty darn useful. of course paper will always be a standard.

In the woods you can use a leaf as a floater.



--- I wonder if this works for someone with pins in their leg or a steel plate laying in water?

 

[rudyc]

--- I wonder if this works for someone with pins in their leg or a steel plate laying in water?

just floating in a lake waiting to face north....

 

[Kenprep1979]

I watched a video awhile back on Youtube that google has now deleted do to copyright blah blah. I remember how to make this so figured I would share. To make a compass you will need 3 items as listed.

1. small shallow bowl with a lid preferred
2. water
3. sewing needle

Add some water about 1/4 full of the bowl or cup. Place the needle in the water. Chances are it is to heavy, so it will sink. To fix that find a small piece of styrofoam. Small enough to fit in the center of the needle. Or anything that will cause the needle to float. What I done was cut a small piece of cardboard smaller in length, slightly wider than the needle. To know which end is facing North you will need another compass to verify. Not all needles will face the same way. The tip may face North on some, others may face South at the tip. Just another survival tip. Give it a try.

dont you need to magnitize the needle?

 

[DavyRocket]

dont you need to magnitize the needle?

The video did not say too, nor did I, and it worked. I am sure it would work though. I will have to give that a try.

 

[Clyde]

I watched a video awhile back on Youtube that google has now deleted do to copyright blah blah. I remember how to make this so figured I would share. To make a compass you will need 3 items as listed.

1. small shallow bowl with a lid preferred
2. water
3. sewing needle

Add some water about 1/4 full of the bowl or cup. Place the needle in the water. Chances are it is to heavy, so it will sink. To fix that find a small piece of styrofoam. Small enough to fit in the center of the needle. Or anything that will cause the needle to float. What I done was cut a small piece of cardboard smaller in length, slightly wider than the needle. To know which end is facing North you will need another compass to verify. Not all needles will face the same way. The tip may face North on some, others may face South at the tip. Just another survival tip. Give it a try.

Has anyone tried this yet?

 

[sharkbait]

dont you need to magnitize the needle?

Yes by swiping it across a magnet several times.Also,if memory serves me (i'm going back to my boy scout days here) you can also swipe the needle with your fingers several times which will coat it in natural skin oils and make it buoyant enough to get it to float when placed very carefully and level to the waters surface.I used to be able to do this with ease,but that was also many years ago.

 

[Overlord]

Has anyone tried this yet?

When we were in Grade School, we had this as part of our science class. We used cork to float the pin.

 

[Colt 1911]

Has anyone tried this yet?

In my ALTOIDS sewing kit I have a magnetic with sewing needles. I use a plastic cap off a coke bottle or whatever, cut two V notches so the needle can rest in, then float it in water.

 

[Colt 1911]

 

[Clyde]

View attachment 1642
View attachment 1643

thanks for the pictures!

 

[Longhorn]

That's pretty cool.

 

[Kenprep1979]

Only thing about a homemade compass is yea they are handy in a tight situation but they only give you a general north / south direction you gotta read nature to figure out which is north and which is south. moss on trees and rocks / were the sun came up /were it is going down.

 

[Colt 1911]

Only thing about a homemade compass is yea they are handy in a tight situation but they only give you a general north / south direction you gotta read nature to figure out which is north and which is south. moss on trees and rocks / were the sun came up /were it is going down.

Yep and the North Star