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A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: Ian Gifford
Date: 2024 Jun 29, 04:10 -0700
Hi Professor,
>I'm not familiar with the parts of a sextant
If you still want to restore your New Bedford "Old Sextant" the attached PDF "Sextant with named parts" will be of some help. It is not exactly your sextant but all the accessories identified would constitute a complete marine sextant from Heath, & Co., LTD, New Eltham, London. If you want more pictures of my ~1910 Heath 3 ring, vernier sextant (very similar to your "Old Sextant") just ask.
Fig. 3. A "3 Circle" Micrometer Sextant with parts named, pg100
Finally, I recommend you read the following book which is the source for this PDF; especially chapter 5 Errors and Adjustments of the Sextant.
Source:
The Sextant Simplified: A Practical Explanation of the Use of the Sextant at Sea
2nd Edition, 1942, 2nd Impression May, 1947
Author Oswald Martin Watts
https://www.backbearing.com/files/The_Sextant_Simplified_O_M_Watts.pdf
With best wishes.
Yours sincerely,
--
Ian Gifford 42° 38' N, 71° 24' W
