spinning compass

[capt.J.j.sparrow]

Most people are after these things to spin to "what we want most". Now I wanted to start a thread about how some of you make yours spin. I have a method I use for mine, but I know you smart gents and ladies of sparrow wares have ideas! lets get them known!

*oh by the way I use magnets
**Video demonstration soon?

[Mrs. Captain Jack Sparrow]

Magnets are an awesome way of doing it!! I'd love to try and make my own. A friend gave me one of his. It is plastic and has a button on the side that makes it spin. I got rather lucky that he gave it to me. He was soooo obsessed with POTC before I ever was. His house is all POTC and Harry Potter. My ex said that POTC sucked and I really wanted to go see it when it came out in theater. He was overly controlling and never got to see it until I left him. (to much drama)
...Anways....I watched the 3 that were out on DVD over and over again and was entranced by it all. The movies always made me laugh to this day and comfort me. My parents are Disney Collectors and my house is a museum.
My POTC friend has a storage unit full of stuff I want to go dig through.....Hmmmm....wonder what he all has now. I know he has alot of Master Replicas hanging on his wall MR Swords, Barbossa's and Jack Sparrow's .....Hmmm....Ooops, sorry went off track there.

I'd like to see what others have come up with when it comes to their compass. The magnet idea is cool because you can
make it point to anything, right?
XOXOX

[Capt Jag]

I have the old Zizzle spinning toy. I took it apart and removed the button sand spring as well as cleared out the gears. I left the center post to hold the dial. Then I glued a magnet under the arrow on the dial, and filled in all the space outside of the center area with clay to give the thing some weight and feel more solid, which worked like a charm. After sanding and a repaint, as well as adding the Horton brass ring and a real latch on the front it works and looks great. It's got weight to is and doen't sound hollow. The painting process included some texturizing to give it a wood grain effect. I have another small black magnet that I keep inside the lid right behind the latch (I used small steel finishing nails to attach the latch so the magnet stays in place just behind the latch. When I open it, I discretely slide the magnet out and put it on the bottom of the compass. They're strong magnets, so the attraction from the one underneath the dial is enough to hold it in place. Then I can use my ring finger underneath to move it. Done carefully the won't see you finger moving and it works like a charm.

My next step is to used sheets of thin wood to actually make the outside of the compass wooden. I know the Zizzle toy is a little taller than the actual prop, and that the Disney compass is better, but I like the way the Zizzle feels so I took the better looking sundial from the Disney toy and replaced the one on the Zizzle.

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