LINKS


CONTENT

GENENERAL INFORMATION AND ESPECIALLY ON FRANCIS BARKER & SON


trademarklondon.com is the most informative website concerning some technical aspects like repairing compasses (beware of the painting's radiation hazard!). Some items are presented on videos. Be sure to switch the sound on to hear the descriptions.

Moreover, you can download free of charge the excellent and comprehensive book "TRADEMARKLONDON" (see pics at left, 540 p.) about Francis Barker's life and oeuvre.

 A typical collection of
BARKER compasses
 


(Click on the picture above for a high-resolution enlarged view)


POCKET WATCH-TYPE COMPASSES, HUNTER ETC.

 Kornelia's Pocket Compass Guide

Kornelia Takacs is also the author of the Compass Chronicles. This book is a true milestone and a must for all compass collectors and whoever is interested in beautiful ancient instruments.
(for orders go to CONTACT).
ISBN: 9780764333965
Size: 8 1/2" x 11", Illustrations: 507 color photos, index, 176 p., hard cover

(Click on the pictures for enlarged views)

A small encyclopedia for collectors :
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MILITARY COMPASSES

- An excellent web site with background information about military compasses from many countries: Ted Brink's Collecting Military Compasses.
- A perhaps exhaustive website concerning US Paratroopers' Wrist Compasses.
- 1st Reconnaissance Battalion US Army Lensatic compasses
- Olive drab's US military wrist compasses
- Website of the Corps of Engineers ( U.S.C.E).

Check out Spazioinwind's website even if you don't speak Italian. Nice pictures and interesting data:

COMPASSES FROM EASTERN EUROPE AND JOHANN VON BEZARD'S STORY

Unfortunately only in Polish language, this book (see pict. at left) is worth buying for the numerous pictures of the Kosciuszki Foundation's compass collection! If you have some knowledge of any Slav language, you will discover:
  • Johann von Bézard's life,
  • His experience during WWI,
  • the full catalogue of the Foundation's compass collection.
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SURVEY COMPASSES

- Compared technical features of some geological compasses by students of the Potsdam University (German)
- The virtual museum GÉOMUSÉE displays many topographical instruments (French)
- Surveyhistory.org is a virtual museum dedicated to survey compasses (English)
- For repair, copies of ancient catalogs etc. go to Surveyantiques.com (English)
- The website of the U.S. Geological Suvey.

The BRUNTON Compass

- Websites with lots of details about the famous BRUNTON compasses but also the fakes only made for decoration purposes.
- Excellent Tutorial to learn handling a  Brunton-type survey compass.


COMPASSES FOR DIVERS

- A very good blog about diving equipment by Jean GRÉPINET (French and English)
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OTHER GOOD ADDRESSES

- A good shop for pocket compasses: THE BOREAL ARROW.
- List of German company codes during WW II.
- Aircraft  Compasses: Spitfirespares
- RADIOACTIVITY HAZARDS
Concerning the radioactivity in the paint of watches' and compasses' figures and markings: Vintage Watch Straps (find more information on www.trademarklondon.com).

MILITARY SUN COMPASSES

Discover the world of the military sun compasses in the excellent essay by Malcolm Barnfield The Sundial Goes to War on the website Sundials.

VIRTUAL MUSEUMS (antique instruments, compasses and sundials)

- EPACT: Scientific Instruments of Medieval and Renaissance Europe
- National Maritime Museum (NMM)
- Smithsonian Institution

CAR COMPASSES

COMPASSIPEDIA doesn't deal with this topic since a collector (Jeff) plans to create a dedicated website.
Jeff has been collecting compasses for over 10 years and has an array of compasses from the early 1920's to the 1980's.  He literally has hundreds of compasses and photos of New Old Stock (NOS) and used compasses to include the following companies: AAA Compass, Airguide Instrument Company, American Parts, Automark Industries Incorporated, Cobbs Manufacturing, Dinsmore, Germany Auto Compass, Blackstone Manufacturing Cooperation, Donaldson Manufacturing Cooperation, Franklin Accessories, Hull Manufacturing Company, Napa, North Star, Noisom, Peerless, Pilot Compasses, Ranger, Sears, Shell, Sherrill Instrument Company, Taylor Instrument Company, Thermometer Corporation (TCA), U.S. Gauge Company, Wilson Freight Forwarding Company, Western Auto Sports, and the World Auto Compass Company.

In addition, he has compasses that were specially made for automobile manufactures such as: American Motor Company (AMC), Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Cord, De Soto, Dodge, Ford, General Motors Corporation (GMC) (GM), Hudson, International, Jeep, Kaiser, Lincoln, Mercury, Mopar, Nash, Oldsmobile, Packard, Plymouth, Pontiac, Studebaker, and Willys.

He has both non-liquid and liquid filled compasses, non-illuminated and illuminated compasses both hard-wired and battery operated.  Finally, he has miscellaneous compass that fit aviation, marine, auto, and tank applications.

Jeff can be contacted at:
jjs55belair {A T}   yahoo    {D O T}   com
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