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Hello all! Apologies if this question has been beaten to death before but searching this forum I found nothing exactly like this.

I have a Davis Artificial horizon which works fine with water but, and here's the but, after a few minutes the water condenses on the glass plates making out the 'tent'. In the summer I have heated the glass plates before using it and then they are clear for several minutes. Using only one plate – to increase air circulation – and even the slightest wind turns the water surface a bit wobbly. 

Now in winter the heating is not enough as they cool down too quick. Finding the moon is just about workable but planets take too long to find and the reflected image is quickly coarse due to the condensation.

I have read about using molasses but have not tried that. Dad used tar or oil in a pan I remember which was ok until it fell off the balcony! And I would prefer a more easy-to-use liquid, easy to fill and remove for a more portable setup. Mercury is definitely off. 

Any ideas?

Cheers Micke

PS I have a bubble sextant in the mail coming any day now. 

PS2. Oh, another thing I only realised through experience: I cannot take sights lower than 20 degrees with the Davis setup. When the sun's transit is lower in the fall I had to stop taking sun sights  :/