[NCC320]

Does anyone know of a way to clean up / clear up a compass globe that has fogged up over time (from sun)? I'd like to restore it in place if possible.

 

[JohnRPollard]

There might be some useful info in this thread:

Hazey Ritchie

 

[Bilgewater]

In the past, I have used this #3 Novus on a compass and some plastic port lights and it worked very well. Novus Scratch Remover at Xoxide! You can usually get it at a plastics shop.

 

[hellosailor]

The Novus products work very well. But you can also go to most auto chains these days and get "headlight" restorer, sold to remove the yellow and fogged top layer of plastic auto headlight lenses. Similar stuff but in theory optimized for optical plastics. Novus might need #2 and then #3 grades, and is available in many plexi places and some of the hardware chains.

 

[Pub911]

Hi, I posted the Hazey Richie post referenced above.

I fixed my problem with "Mother's" aluminum polish - no kidding, the same stuff I use on the rims of my car. I tried it first in a descrete area of the compass, an area covered by the illumination housing, just to see if it caused more harm than good, and son-of-a-gun, it worked. I polished the whole dome and it cleared the haze with no side-effects.

Caution, the results could have gone the other way. Don't just jump in and use metal polish!!! I could have had a luck bizzare experience. Try whatever you choose in a small out-of-the-way area to validate.

Good luck.

 

[NCC320]

Thanks for your help. I'll give these ideas a try --probably will order the Novus product first.

 

[sailortjk1]

My buddy had real good results from the same product that Hello sailor refers to; Permatex Headlight Lens Restoration Kit from an auto parts store.

The complete article of the restoration can be found here http://www.pmyc.net/library/Projects%20and%20Repairs/Compass%20Dome%20Repair.pdf
Submitted by Steve; Rainmaker
From the Poor Man's Yacht Club web page Welcome to the Poor Man's Yacht Club

 

[Bilgewater]

Thanks for your help. I'll give these ideas a try --probably will order the Novus product first.

Whatever you do, don't get too carried away and do what I did. After finishing my compass, I decided to polish some small scratched out of my eye glasses. Trust me on this...this does not work and will ruin the glasses. My optometrist was mystified as to why I would even attempt this.

 

[T37SOLARE]

J. Gordon & Co, in Annapolis is a Richie service center (don't know if they do others, but probably do). For about $150 they completely rebuilt my Globemaster, new seals, fluid & a new acrylic dome. Well worth it seeing how a replacement would have run $1K.