Compass Oil

[gah964ya]

Hi anyone know what kind of oil should go into my compass I think it smelt like lamp oil does this sound right? or i heard baby oil.

Thanks greg

[Dynamo1181]

My Sunto contained clear kerosene.
A

[CDunc]

Yeah, Go to west marine and buy compass oil, I believe it comes in quart bottles, dont use baby oil, additives will mess up your compass, lamp oil or naptha isnt good either it will discolor quickly. and its flamable. the origional oil was probably mineral oil.

[Zednotzee]

For the compasses we repair (which admittedly are not marine compasses), we use a Dow Corning fluid. Then we pop the compass in the freezer overnight, then crack the screw & refill (to remove bubbles).

Whatever you use, you want something that won't freeze, but I would also avoid any sovents, as they can degrade the compass card (depending on what it's made of).

[GordMay]

Some earlier CF discussions:
compas fluid - Google Search

[psneeld]

the compass manufacturer recommends specifically for their compass...
some are alcohol based some mineral oil..the last compass I did (ritchie I think) just recommended medical grade mineral oil from a drugstore.

[captngrs]

I have a Plastimo 105 Offshore compass which needs oil added.
Anyone know which oil I should use?

Thx,
Gary

[Noname]

Frequently Asked Questions

[virginia boy]

Oh great, Another maintenance chore I didn't know about! I'm supposed to add oil to my compass?

[Cheechako]

I thought it was mineral oil?

[bobconnie]

Not all compass's take mineral oil, as stated above some older model flat top compass's take alcohol, I have heard of useing oil in them also but I would not use anything but alcohol in a compass that has or had alcohol in it ! just my 2 cents

[HappySeagull]

"mineral oil" (a laxative and THICK) is not the same as "mineral spirits" =Paint thinner ,pretty much.

(Isopropyl)Alcohol is rarer in compasses because somebody would drink it and go blind, eh....