Here's a potentially useful tip that I just learned while away on military training.<br><br>Take the needles that are in you PSK or sewing kit and run them repeatedly in one direction along a powerful magnet. Now you have magnetized needles that can be used to make an improvised compass. <br><br>Make the compass by floating the needles on a cork or leaf in a cup or small pool of water.<br><br>I used the magnets on the speakers in my car by opening the trunk. If anyone has tried this please let me know if it was successful.

I have tried it, you can also supposedly run the needle over a piece of silk and get the same result. The biggest problem I have always had is actually getting the darned thing to float. No matter how careful I was, the needle always ended up on the bottom...I guess that I just don't have the fine touch...

Rubbing the needle through your hair will put a light coat of oil on it and keep it from breaking the surface tension of the water. Give it a try, it works.

"Rubbing the needle through your hair"<br><br>rofl....somehow this sounds like it might not work well for OBG if his nickname is accurate. Let me hasten to add that it would NOT work for me!<br><br>Robb

Same reaction from another of the follicly challenged.<br><br>John

I did that - magnetized needle - as a Scout and it worked well enough to remember. I recall a few more details to make it work well. Can't hurt to pre-magentize the needles, as you suggest. Also, in a pinch, a magent is not required in order to magenitze a needle enough to respond to the earth's magnetic field.<br><br>There are other expedient methods for determining direction and it's prudent to learn some of them as well. I've found that I'm almost hard-wired for the Northern Hemisphere, though - I have to stop and think about what I'm doing for expedient direction sensing in the Southern Hemisphere, where as it's pretty instinctive for me in the Northern half of the world. Depends on where one spends most of their time, I suppose.

well the "Rubbing the needle through your hair" way does works. it uses your hair's static electricitie....<br>

During their experiments with magnetized pins or needles, is there or has anyone noticed a distinctive north/south line indicated by the orientation of the item? For example does the eye point in one direction only, or is it totally random.<br>Just a trivia question but would be interesting to know if the needle point actually faced north or south.

The way to get the needle to float is to first rub it along the side of your nose to coat it in oil from your skin (carefully)<br>Make a forked device using paper clip or safety pin with the needle nestling in the crook and gently lower the needle into the water, this enables the oil coated needle to float off the fork.<br>Best regards<br>Dave

It's all in how you orient the needle when magnetizing it. If the eye is magnetized as a "North" pole, the point will orient to the North.

You dont have to "float" the needle. Although you can if so inspired. If you spear a small piece of green leaf front and back (so the point and the eye are on the same side of the leaf) it will float.<br><br>My question is: Is this practical or is it a waste of time? Will the needle hold a charge for a period of time or will it be dead by the time I need it? Is this useless redundency if I already have a compass in my kit?

Knowledge is the ultimate expedient redundancy. It weighs nothing and cost little. It can often be used on whatever happens to be around. <br><br>In this case the needle can be replaced with almost any long straight piece of steel that is light enough to be handled in this manner. The silk can be replaced by other fabrics or you could carry silk thread wound around you needles and have that available for re-magnetizing it as well as fixing you ripped skivvys. Anyone know the list of fabrics which will impart a sufficient static charge on the needle / straight pin / small nail / short steel wire? <br><br>If you have a lensatic orienteering compass in you pack you probably won't use the button compass in you PSK. OTOH if you lose the orienteering compass from your pack you would be glad to have the button compass in your PSK. If you lose your pack and psk it is handy to know how to pick up a small short length of steel and magnetize it and use it on water. In true wilderness the length of steel might be difficult to find but if you are standing beside a downed aircraft it shouldn't be too hard. <br><br>Is it pratical? Well, 'depends upon the options.

I seem to recall that certain rocks can impart a slight magnetic field to a needle. Does that ring a bell with anyone or am I dreamin'?

I should have browsed a bit before I posted. I found some info on magnetic rocks and then it hit me like a ton of bricks.. Lodestones! Naturally occuring minerals where the first magnets. I found some info on About.com on the history of compasses. It doesn't answer my question directly, but it would stand to reason that naturally magnetic stones, ferrites, would magnetize a needle.

Dude! skip the darn needle. If yous gots lodestones just braid some thistle and hang the dang lodestone in the air and - TaDa! a compass. Worked for centuries before there were forges. Walk on.