Pocket Compass — I

Description

The plain one. A 40 mm case turned from solid brass bar, with a hinged lid that closes over the glass on a friction hinge stiff enough to stay where you set it. The card is dry-pivot, printed with cardinals and five-degree marks, and rides on a hardened point in a jeweled cup, so it settles in about four seconds and stays settled. The case measures 1.6 inches across and 0.6 thick, and weighs 3.4 ounces. We brush the brass lightly and put nothing over it. Expect brown within a month and green in the hinge knuckles by the second summer. A rag and a little polish will bring it back. Leaving it alone is also correct.

• Solid brass case, hardened pivot in a jeweled cup, mineral glass
• 40 mm case — 1.6 in across, 0.6 in thick, 3.4 oz
• Lightly brushed brass, uncoated, five-degree dry card
• Brass bar from a Connecticut mill; turned and assembled in Albuquerque, New Mexico