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Hello:

I just spent another hour trying to find more info on line.....some success.

For anyone interested, the most useful information can be obtained using
"mercury artificial horizon" or even better "roof artificial horizon".

The UK national maritime museum (and observatory) has them  in their
collection. At the Royal Observatory  pictures of  several  roof artificial
horizons can be seen at items # 20 and # 27.  Ooops,  I think under
surveying....sorry about incomplete info.

Also the University of New south Wales has an extensive collection of
surveying instruments...really neat stuff! Good photos can be seen at UNSW
surveying instrument collection catalog numbers 103 and 157.

It is interesting to see that some of the roof artificial horizons have
jugs with broken tips, just like mine.  The oldest ones have wood jugs and
troughs which appear to have covers. On my  K&E, I now suspect there was a
simple transition piece /tip that just threaded onto the broken tip and into
the corner. The jug is so heavy ,especially with the Hg, that this
connection was the weak link..  A bump would break it off. My next stops are
the Smithsonian collection and RPI.

Bruce















----- Original Message -----
From: 
To: 
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2012 10:31 AM
Subject: [NavList] Re: Artificial Horizon, K & E USN No. 6


>
> It is also interesting to think of the procedure of returning mercury to
> the bottle:-)
>
> I would search the Internet (museums pages?) to see pictures of an AH
> of exactly this kind, before trying to make the missing part.
>
> Alex.
>
>> I agree it is hard to believe the inverting process.   It is easier to
>> explain with you having the pictures.
>>
>> The upper portion of jug..... the funnel,  was an intermediary piece in
>> the
>> filling process..... the missing transition piece screwed into the basin,
>> the funnel piece attached to the opposite end of the  transition piece,
>> and
>> then the funnel threaed onto the jug with the plug removed. During
>> preparation the jug was in its normal orientation, base down.Other pieces
>> was inverted.   Then all were rotated for the fluid to flow into the
>> basin.....maybe.
>>
>> Bruce
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: 
>> To: 
>> Sent: Monday, November 26, 2012 9:20 AM
>> Subject: [NavList] Re: Artificial Horizon, K & E USN No. 6
>>
>>
>>>
>>> It is hard to believe that for filing the mercury
>>> the basin had to be inverted.
>>>
>>> I have another conjecture. That the upper portion of the jug served
>>> as a kind of funnel.
>>>
>>> Alex.
>>>
>>>> Hello:
>>>>
>>>> With  help from a friend, here are some photos of AH. Since I last
>>>> wrote,
>>>> I've found on-line more pictures of these devices, but none with a
>>>> basin
>>>> having a threaded connection in the corner.  The tip of the cone/jug
>>>> is
>>>> missing, and the small threaded connection on the interior tip is
>>>> partially broken off.  There is a fine hole in the broken tip/threaded
>>>> piece.
>>>>
>>>> I now believe the missing tip was a transition piece that allowed the
>>>> jug
>>>> of fluid to be directly threaded to the basin. The basin has a 3/8 inch
>>>> bolt thread. The top of the jug where you see the plug is a 7/8 inch
>>>> bolt
>>>> thread.
>>>>
>>>> I suspect the pouring process went something like this: 1. The jug was
>>>> removed from the carrying box and the missing transition piece was
>>>> screwed
>>>> into the basin. 2. Plug removed. 3 .  With the basin inverted , the
>>>> basin
>>>> was screwed onto the transition piece with  jug. 4. Then the entire
>>>> unit
>>>> was inverted with the Hg flowing into the basin.   After CN work
>>>> completed, the HG was poured back into the jug.  Note how the cone can
>>>> be
>>>> inverted so it acts as a funnel for the fluid going into the jug. The
>>>> corner of the basin has the pouring spout.   Maybe?? Pretty simple and
>>>> neat!?
>>>>
>>>> A friend has access to a machine shop and I'll have a brass transition
>>>> piece machined. I would love to know how the original  top piece and
>>>> any
>>>> other components looked. I've given up looking online and maybe I'll
>>>> contact the RPI library in Troy NY.  Maybe they have some old Gurley
>>>> catalogs.
>>>>
>>>> Has anyone ever used something like this?  Thoughts?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Bruce
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Attached File:
>>>> http://fer3.com/arc/img/121212.artificial-horizon-0554.jpg
>>>>
>>>> Attached File:
>>>> http://fer3.com/arc/img/121212.artificial-horizon-0555.jpg
>>>>
>>>> Attached File:
>>>> http://fer3.com/arc/img/121212.artificial-horizon-0557.jpg
>>>>
>>>> Attached File:
>>>> http://fer3.com/arc/img/121212.artificial-horizon-0559.jpg
>>>>
>>>> Attached File:
>>>> http://fer3.com/arc/img/121212.artificial-horizon-0560.jpg
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> : http://fer3.com/arc/m2.aspx?i=121212
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>> : http://fer3.com/arc/m2.aspx?i=121218
>>
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