We will need:

Any container, except metal, filled with water (metal ones are not suitable, as they will distort the magnetic field).

In order to make a compass, we take floating material and cut out a platform for a needle from it. The main parameters of the piece are the smaller the better, but the needle should not be above the surface of the water.

As you already understood, the needle acts as an arrow. In order to use our homemade compass It was possible to determine the cardinal directions; one end of the needle must be magnetized. If you have magnets at hand (they are present in the speakers of the player, receiver, electric motors, etc.), then you can magnetize the needle-arrow with their help. If there are no magnets, then you can simply hold one end of the needle over the flame for 25-35 seconds, after which this tip will be demagnetized. So, the arrow is ready. Its magnetized end will point to Serer, and its non-magnetized end will point to the South.

We attach the needle-arrow to the float. The most convenient way is to carefully pierce the float with a needle along the axis of symmetry (if the float is voluminous). This fastening is simple and at the same time reliable. Next, place the float with the needle in a container of water so that they do not touch the walls of the vessel. The compass is ready with your own hands, all that remains is to calibrate it.

If you know which tip of your needle was magnetized and which was not, you can immediately judge where north is by the position of the magnetized tip. If you don’t know, then the following facts will help you determine where North and South are: the place where the sun rises and where it sets (Sunrise-East, Sunset-West) or the position of the polar star. Using these signs you can easily calibrate your homemade compass.

Sometimes, apart from a needle, there is no floating material at hand. In this case, to make a compass, you can pick any leaf that can hold the needle above the water. Again, the smaller it is, the better.

I made a similar compass, but at home.

1). The sharp end of the sewing needle rubs against the magnet.

2). I pierced the wide cork of a bottle (or a thermos) with a needle so that it came out from the sides and not from the ends of the cork.

3). I lowered the stopper with the needle into a container of water so that it did not touch the walls of the container.

In the forest you can use a puddle of water.

The cork became a kind of float in the water and it turned out that the sharp end of the needle began to point north.

I also tried to do something similar without using water and a magnet.

1). The sharp end of the needle is rubbed artificial fabric from clothes that have static on them.

2). I tied a thread to the center of the needle so that the needle hung evenly - neither end outweighed the other.

3). I put the thread and needle into the jar (it might be windy outside).

The result was the same - the sharp end of the needle began to point north.

In an emergency, you can navigate the terrain without a compass. For example:

On a clear night, according to the stars (polar star for the northern hemisphere, southern cross for the southern hemisphere).

Moss grows on tree trunks, stumps, and stones on the north side.

The tree crown is more luxuriant on the south side.

Snow does not melt for a long time on the northern side of the slopes of ravines, trees, large stones, any objects creating a shadow.

By using wristwatch with arrows on a sunny day. Hour hand point towards the Sun. Divide the angle formed between the hour hand and the number 1 in half and this line will be an indicator of the direction to the South. The only condition- this angle must be less than 90 degrees.

And of course, you can build a primitive compass from scrap materials. To make it you will need a steel object ( sewing needle, nail, screw or piece of wire) and any floating object in the water into which an object made of steel can be stuck or attached to it (a piece of foam plastic, a piece of cardboard paper or torn from a tree, a cork stopper from a wine bottle or thermos, a sliver of wood, and finally and of course same container with water (not steel) in which you need to place a steel object attached to a floating object in such a way that they do not drown together. The floating steel object is oriented in the South-North direction. The meaning of all this is that steel objects have weak magnetization from magnetic field land sufficient for use as a primitive compass. The only difficulty that may arise is which end points to the North and which to the South. In this matter, only the Sun can help during the day, at night - the stars or the Moon.

A small steel needle can be made to float on the surface of the water on its own. To do this, you need to rub it a little with your fingers (the oilier your fingers, the better) and carefully place it on the surface of the water. If this procedure is carried out with due care, it will float held by the forces of surface tension of the water.



The children's compass shows that the point of the needle is directed towards the South. No manipulations were performed with the needle (such as magnetizing it with a magnet or heating the tip).

If the compass breaks down, the easiest way is to remove the compass needle from it and make a homemade compass by attaching the arrow to the point of a vertically placed needle. Then wait for it to turn in a north-south line. But in this case it will be very difficult to navigate the degree count. Therefore, it is advisable to preserve not only the needle of a compass that has become unusable, but also the scale, which can be attached to a flat piece of bark or foam plastic using thread or resin.

In the center of an improvised homemade compass, with the eye down, you need to stick a small needle or a sharp, dry fish bone on which to put an arrow. The main inconvenience of such a compass is that after each use the needle has to be removed from the axis and hidden securely.

To use a homemade compass constantly, you need it work surface cover with protective glass. To do this, cut a recess in the bark or foam plastic with a diameter 1-2 mm greater than the length of the arrow so that the arrow mounted on the axis is 0.5-1 mm below the cut of the scale. This is necessary so that the arrow on one side does not cling to the scale when rotating. On the other hand, it was not slowed down by the protective glass that pressed it on top. Working plane can be closed with a shard of any glass set on resin. Or puffs on a piece of transparent polyethylene film, which is attached to the edge of the compass using a circular thread or elastic band.

The film will protect the homemade compass from water and wind and at the same time prevent the needle from jumping off the axis. The role of a brake can be performed by a thread or a thin elastic band stretched over the film, and a piece of cork, foam plastic, bark, or elastic placed under it, resting on the center of the arrow.

Homemade compass from a steel needle or pin.

In addition, steel needles and pins can help you navigate the cardinal directions. To do this, before going on a trip, all needles and pins should be magnetized by sticking them to any existing magnet for several tens of minutes, and after checking with a worker, mark the northern end with paint. In emergency conditions, you can use a magnet located in the speaker of any portable receiver for this purpose. In the headphones of the audio player or try to magnetize the needle using electricity.

To do this, you must have a power source (battery, accumulator, battery from a powerful calculator or other portable electronic device, bug flashlight, etc.) with a voltage of at least 2 Volts (some sources indicate 6 Volts), as well as a piece of insulated wire. When working with varnish insulation, extreme care should be taken as it is easily damaged. If the wire is bare, then the needle should be wrapped in several layers of dry paper, plastic film or other insulating material before magnetization.

The wire is wound around a needle and connected to the battery terminals for at least 10 minutes. At the same time, you should try to have as many turns as possible. The northern end of the magnetized needle will be where the wire from the negative terminal of the battery goes. In case of doubt, the north end of the arrow can be determined by checking it against the North Star. If necessary, just rub a magnetized needle or the “sting” of a broken pin between your fingers or on your hair and carefully place it on the surface of calm water. Restrained by the forces of surface tension, the needle will gradually unfold in a north-south line.

If the needle sinks, it must be additionally rubbed with any edible or technical fat and lowered to the surface of the water on two thread loops. To give them additional buoyancy, thicker needles and pins can be inserted into a piece of cork, bark, polystyrene foam, straw or two or three matches and also lowered into the water. You can insert the needle completely into the straw. Having previously remembered where the northern end is facing. Finally, you can carefully place it on a piece of paper or a piece of wood floating on the surface of the water. Or simply hang it on a thin thread, tightening it with a small loop at the balance point, or stick it into a knot previously tied at the end.

Remember that the containers used for water in such primitive compasses should not be made of metal, but of glass, plastic, or wood. Or similar non-magnetic materials. The proximity of metal distorts the readings of the magnetic needle. And the water itself should be unsalted.

Homemade compass from a blade safety razor.

In addition to needles and pins, you can use a safety razor blade or half of it as a compass needle. Pre-magnetized and suspended with a thin thread or stuck into the bark of a tree floating on the surface of the water. The thread on which the blade will hang should only be used as a single thread, since a double thread, passed through the central hole and held at both ends, will prevent the free rotation of the blade!

In emergency conditions, razor blades can be magnetized using magnets in the speakers and headphones of radios and radios using the electrical method described above. IN as a last resort You need to place the blade perpendicular to your open palm and run the tip back and forth across the skin several times. Or in the same way on the hair. True, such electrostatic magnetization does not last long. And its strength is not so great as to turn a cork float on the water. But it’s enough to spin on a thread.

Working with razor blades is complicated by the fact that, unlike needles, they have a significant area and therefore react very sensitively to any breeze, any movement, and even human breathing. Without keeping the magnetic blade at absolute rest in a draft-free place, it is impossible to expect reliable measurement results from it. Therefore, it is better to hang such a homemade compass in glass jar or plastic bottle with the neck cut off, or in a plastic bag stretched on pegs in an upside-down position, passing a thread inside it through a small hole cut in the bottom.

To take more accurate measurements from a piece of bark or soft wood You can try to make a “liquid” homemade compass. To do this, as described earlier, cut out a container - a recess in the shape of a regular circle, in the center of which stick an axis. Cut out a degree scale around the circumference of the compass “glass” or stick a scale drawn on paper, cardboard, or fabric.

For ease of execution, it is better to divide the scale into larger points. Pour water into the “glass” of the compass, onto the surface of which, lightly pricking the axis, lower a piece of bark, cork, foam plastic with a magnetic needle stuck into it. In the absence of a compass and the complete impossibility of making one, you should turn to methods for determining the cardinal directions, for example, by the stars.

Based on materials from the book “School of Survival in Natural Conditions.”
Andrey Ilyin.

The easiest way is to attach a compass needle to the tip of a vertically placed needle and wait for it to turn in the north-south line. But in this case it will be very difficult to navigate the degree count. Therefore, it is advisable to preserve not only the needle of a compass that has become unusable, but also the scale, which can be attached to a flat piece of bark or foam plastic using thread or resin. In the center of the improvised compass, with the eye down, you need to stick a small needle or a sharp, dry fish bone on which to put the arrow. The main inconvenience of such a compass is that after each use the needle has to be removed from the axis and hidden securely.

To use the compass constantly, you need to cover the working surface with protective glass. To do this, cut a recess in the bark or foam plastic with a diameter 1-2 mm greater than the length of the arrow so that the arrow mounted on the axis is 0.5-1 mm below the cut of the scale. This is necessary so that the arrow, on the one hand, does not cling to the scale when rotating, and on the other hand, it is not slowed down by the protective glass pressing it on top. The working plane is covered with a piece of any glass mounted on resin, or covered with a piece of transparent polyethylene film, which is secured to the edge of the compass using a circular thread or elastic band.

The film will protect the compass from water and wind and at the same time prevent the needle from jumping off the axis. The role of a brake can be performed by a thread or a thin elastic band stretched over the film, and a piece of cork, foam plastic, bark, or elastic placed under it, resting on the center of the arrow.

Steel needles and pins can help you navigate the cardinal directions. To do this, before the hike, all needles and pins should be magnetized by sticking them to any existing magnet for several tens of minutes, and, after checking them with a working compass, mark the northern end with paint. In emergency conditions, you can use a magnet for this purpose located in the speaker of any portable receiver, in the headphones of an audio player, or try to magnetize the needle using electricity.

To do this, you must have a power source (battery, accumulator, solar battery from a powerful calculator or other portable electronic device, bug flashlight, etc.) with a voltage of at least 2 V (some sources indicate 6 V), as well as a piece of insulated wire. When working with varnish insulation, extreme care should be taken as it is easily damaged. If the wire is bare, then the needle should be wrapped in several layers of dry paper, plastic film or other insulating material before magnetization.

The wire is wound around a needle and connected to the battery terminals for several (preferably no less than 10) minutes. At the same time, you should try to have as many turns as possible. The northern end of the magnetized needle will be where the wire from the negative terminal of the battery goes. In case of doubt, the north end of the arrow can be determined by checking it against the North Star.

If necessary, just rub a magnetized needle or the “sting” of a broken pin between your fingers or on your hair and carefully place it on the surface of calm water. Restrained by the forces of surface tension, the needle will gradually unfold in a north-south line. If the needle sinks, it must be additionally rubbed with any edible or technical fat and lowered to the surface of the water on two thread loops.

To give them additional buoyancy, thicker needles and pins can be inserted into a piece of cork, bark, polystyrene foam, straw or two or three matches and also lowered into the water. You can insert the needle completely into the straw, after remembering where the northern end points. Finally, you can carefully place it on a piece of paper or a sheet of wood floating on the surface of the water, or simply hang it on a thin thread, tightening it with a small loop at the balance point, or stick it into a knot previously tied at the end.

Remember that the containers used for water in such primitive compasses should not be made of metal, but of glass, plastic, wood or similar non-magnetic materials. The proximity of metal distorts the readings of the magnetic needle! And the water itself should be unsalted!

In addition to needles and pins, a safety razor blade (or half of it), previously magnetized and suspended with a thin thread or stuck into the bark of a tree floating on the surface of the water, can be used as a compass needle. The thread on which the blade will hang should only be used as a single thread, since a double thread, passed through the central hole and held at both ends, will prevent the free rotation of the blade!

In emergency conditions, razor blades can be magnetized using magnets in the speakers and headphones of radios and radios using the electrical method described above. As a last resort, you need to place the blade perpendicular to your open palm and run the tip back and forth across the skin several times. Or in the same way on the hair. True, such electrostatic magnetization does not last long. And its strength is not so great as to turn a cork float on the water. But it’s enough to spin on a thread.

Working with razor blades is complicated by the fact that, unlike needles, they have a significant area and therefore react very sensitively to any breeze, any movement, and even human breathing. Without ensuring that the magnetic blade is absolutely at rest in a place protected from drafts, it is impossible to expect reliable measurement results from it! Therefore, it is better to hang it in a glass jar or plastic bottle with the neck cut off, or in a plastic bag stretched on pegs in an upside-down position, passing a thread inside it through a small hole cut in the bottom.

To take more accurate measurements, you can try to make a homemade “liquid” compass from a piece of bark or soft wood. To do this, as described earlier, cut out a container - a recess in the shape of a regular circle, in the center of which stick an axis. Cut out a degree scale around the circumference of the compass “glass” or stick a scale drawn on paper, cardboard, or fabric. For ease of execution, it is better to divide the scale into larger points. Pour water into the “glass” of the compass, onto the surface of which, lightly pricking the axis, lower a piece of bark, cork, foam plastic with a magnetic needle stuck into it.

In the absence of a compass and the complete impossibility of making one, one should turn to astronomical methods for determining the cardinal directions, for example, by the stars.

Do you urgently need to determine the direction, but don’t have a compass at hand? Learn how to make a compass at home, and make it from materials that are sure to be found in any home.

Compass made of thread and needle

Rub the tip of the needle with silk for several minutes. Tie a thread to a needle and hang it by this thread. The end of the needle, rubbed with a cloth, will point north. This method can also be used in field conditions. It's much more reliable folk signs allows you to determine the required direction.

Device made from a needle and water

To create a compass, you will need a needle, a magnet, cork or foam, and a non-metallic bowl of water. First, process the needle. Attach a magnet to one end and leave for 10-20 minutes. The second end needs to be demagnetized. To do this, hold it over the flame of a lighter or match for a few seconds. If you cannot find a magnet in your place, carefully inspect your apartment. You will almost certainly find a magnet on your refrigerator or cabinet door.

After the needle is processed, mark the magnetized end with any color and begin building a home compass. Pour water into a bowl. Place the needle on the foam floating on the surface of the water. Place the bowl on a stable surface. You will see that the needle of your homemade compass rotates, pointing the magnetized end to the north.

Compass made from a paper clip

Magnetize one end of a paper clip using any magnet or a piece of silk. Place a paperclip on a piece of paper, and lower the piece of paper onto the surface of the water. It is important that the sheet used for the compass does not touch the edges of the bowl, but in the place where you are going to determine the cardinal directions using homemade device, there were no drafts or any air movement. The magnetized end of the paperclip will point north.

Compass made from blade and battery

If you are in the field and do not have a magnet or silk fabric, then a compass can be made from a blade, battery and wire. If you have a coil of insulated wire, then wind it around the blade, making 5-7 turns. If there is no insulation, then first wrap the blade with one layer of paper, and then wind the wire. Connect the wires to the battery, connecting one of them to the “plus” and the second to the “minus”. The higher the battery voltage, the better, but not less than 2.

Leave this design for an hour and then free the blade by disconnecting the wires. Place it on a piece of paper and lower it into the water. The part of the blade on which the last turn of the wire was located leading to the “minus” will turn to the north, and the side connected to the “plus” will turn to the south. You can replace the blade with a needle or paper clip. The main thing is that it is easy metal object, by the shape of which you can understand where it points.