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    Re: Old Sextant pictures
    From: Bill Morris
    Date: 2008 Jul 22, 13:34 -0700

    What lovely instruments, and thank you, Jeremy for sharing your
    photos. George has already commented about the C20 ones, which I think
    are by Heath and Co, a noted English maker, and about the early C19
    ebony one. That leaves the mid C19 one, Sextants_4. I find these
    interesting because, although there appears to be a multiplicity of
    makers, there is relatively little variation in the individual parts.
    Instrument makers I think were often instrument assemblers, just as
    contemporary clock makers were for the most part clock assemblers. For
    example, there was probably only a handful of people casting the
    frames in bell metal, a high tin bronze, not brass which did not cast
    well, and another handful finishing and dividing the arcs; and there
    is practically no variation in the construction of the wedge-shaped
    boxes. The "maker" would then probably put all the bits together,
    engrave his name on the limb and put it in the shop window.
    Occasionally, one sees a noted maker, apparently jealous of his
    reputation making it clear who made and who sold, e.g. "Crichton for
    A. Balarie, Sunderland."
    
    Bill Morris
    
    On Jul 23, 3:27�am, Anabasi...@aol.com wrote:
    > Im not quite sure how to make a new post with attachments, so I am going to �
    > try and see if this works.
    >
    > I was at the Long Island (NY, USA) Maritime Museum and a local nautical �
    > antiques dealer (_www.greatsouthbay.com_(http://www.greatsouthbay.com) ) had a
    > number of �items on display. �Included in this array were several sextants from
    > the �second decade of the 20th century, one quintant (175 deg total) and one �
    > octant. �I was interested in seeing that the sextants didn't �have micrometer
    > drums but rather magnifiers to read the tiny engraved �markings on the arcs. �
    > I wasn't allowed to touch them, but did take some �photographs for the list to
    > look at and comment.
    >
    > There are more pictures and prices on their website. �I see that he �lists
    > his quintant as a "pentant".
    >
    > I did ask at the museum about navigation, but they were more concerned with �
    > oyster and clam boats then navigation.
    >
    > Jeremy
    >
    > Ebony/Ivory Octant c 1830
    >
    > I think this is the German Quintant
    >
    > Jeremy
    >
    > **************Get fantasy football with free live scoring. Sign up for
    > FanHouse Fantasy Football today. � � �
    > (http://www.fanhouse.com/fantasyaffair?ncid=aolspr00050000000020)
    >
    > �Octant2.jpg.JPG
    > 124KViewDownload
    >
    > �Sextants_1.JPG
    > 118KViewDownload
    >
    > �Sextants_2.JPG
    > 118KViewDownload
    >
    > �Sextants_3.JPG
    > 110KViewDownload
    >
    > �Sextants_4.JPG
    > 58KViewDownload
    >
    > �Sextants_5.JPG
    > 117KViewDownload
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