NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Sextant AN 5851-1
From: Peter Henry
Date: 2004 Jun 3, 00:22 -0400
From: Peter Henry
Date: 2004 Jun 3, 00:22 -0400
I have a Navy Mark V (AN 5851-1) sextant which I purchased last winter and have been using occasional. When I purchased the sextant it had not been used for a very long time I removed all of the housing and cleaned it in it's entirety. The bubble on recite was very large and unadjustable but with the replacement of the o ring at the thimble pressure pump and persistent attempts at using it I was able to get the bubble to adjust from large to small and back. I would also like to note that since I a have received the instrument I has had a distinct sent which could be the bubble fluid and that the I have stored it with this loose per a note typed on a piece of paper in the box which reads as follows. " Important, Always return bubble control nut to neutral when not using the instrument. (nut should spin freely) Leaving pressure on diaphragm damages bubble unit beyond repair." Recently I took the unit out of it's case for the first time in a month and the bubble is back to it's large size and I am not able to reduce it. I am wondering of the fluid needs to be refilled. If so what is the fluid and where does one get the fluid and how is refilling it accomplished? Is the diaphragm damaged? If it is how can I repair or replace it? I would greatly appreciate any questions and assistance that one might give me. Sincerely, Peter Henry