Is there any way to magnetise the needle without a magnet?
When you're really lost (I got once disoriented in Atacama desert for almost a day) you seldom have anything such as a magnet to do that. I heard you can rub nylon, polyester or silk in one direction of the needle and it also gets magnetised, true??
Thanks for you reply germanberserk but one of my assumptions was 'assume the sun is covered' i.e. from clouds that would also cover the sky and its starts. My whole point was that THERE IS NO WAY to find out which way is North by using the method suggested in this video. However, there are many other ways you can find out where North is. Nick
QUESTION !!! How can you tell which direction is NORTH since the magnetised pin points at 2 opposing directions, the North and the South but you DONT know that? Forget the compass, assume the sun is covered by clouds and you have no watch? Nick
well if you have no possible way of interpolating a cardinal direction (which is unlikely, but possible) then you will have to find a different method to get your bearing, i suppose.
@ouzo1power put most of the polarity in one end of the needle and have that end of the needle sticking out of the leaf the most. that should solve your problem.
in order to magnetize something, you have to get the object its self inside a magnetic field and align the electron spins in the molecules of the object you're magnetizing. There are many magnetizable materials and i have no idea which material the rock is made in order to have it's own magnetic field. Sounds like a logical guess you made, though. ;)
exactly, magnetite is the only natural material that has a magnetic field, it's a form of iron, nearly pure.
before the advent of electricity, they used a tiny piece of magnetite in the compass needle to tell which way was north, pigeons and other long distance migrators are known to have a small amount of magnetite in their heads that help them recognize where their at andd where their going.
I'm a survival enthusiast and have used this method before to magnetize a needle, you can also .......
use a static charge from rubbing the needle hard and long on a a piece of cloth(silk works best) and using it as a pole compass, but the point of the needle will point at the nearest pole, instead of one specific pole in a magnetized needle.
well we can see its facing north, but its also facing south at the other end..if u didnt have a compass and had no idea which direction u were facing and u used this. how would u determine north from south?
I think that I mentioned in the video that you can't tell north from south, but thanks for re-stating it. Hopefully you have enough ingenuity in a survival situation to piece together enough information to figure out north and south. For instance the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. If the sun rises on the right side of the N-S line then you can assume that you are facing north and from that you know the other cardinals.
you can add something to the north side like a tiny piece of wood or have the pin painted somehow before hand like if it was in a survival kit or you could stain the metal somehow.
very nice...thanks!
nightgroover 1 week ago
Thanks a lot for the video! I will try it!
zazoune32 3 months ago
Is there any way to magnetise the needle without a magnet?
When you're really lost (I got once disoriented in Atacama desert for almost a day) you seldom have anything such as a magnet to do that. I heard you can rub nylon, polyester or silk in one direction of the needle and it also gets magnetised, true??
alernest 2 years ago
it will eventually become unmagnetized.
oobergooberkc 2 years ago
@oobergooberkc rub it in your hair when it does.
free00to00ryhme 1 month ago
is that work forever? i mean, will the magnetic go away from the needle?
belindachang 2 years ago
Thanks for you reply germanberserk but one of my assumptions was 'assume the sun is covered' i.e. from clouds that would also cover the sky and its starts. My whole point was that THERE IS NO WAY to find out which way is North by using the method suggested in this video. However, there are many other ways you can find out where North is. Nick
ouzo1power 2 years ago
QUESTION !!! How can you tell which direction is NORTH since the magnetised pin points at 2 opposing directions, the North and the South but you DONT know that? Forget the compass, assume the sun is covered by clouds and you have no watch? Nick
ouzo1power 2 years ago
well if you have no possible way of interpolating a cardinal direction (which is unlikely, but possible) then you will have to find a different method to get your bearing, i suppose.
oobergooberkc 2 years ago
the rising sun can tell you witch way is east and know a like about the stars helps
germanberserk 2 years ago
@ouzo1power put most of the polarity in one end of the needle and have that end of the needle sticking out of the leaf the most. that should solve your problem.
free00to00ryhme 1 month ago
@ouzo1power ....why not just assume the magnetized end points north? Since...that's kind of the point.
Oestaira 3 weeks ago
the rock is likely a type of magnetite if it can magnetize something else.
flamedrag18 2 years ago
in order to magnetize something, you have to get the object its self inside a magnetic field and align the electron spins in the molecules of the object you're magnetizing. There are many magnetizable materials and i have no idea which material the rock is made in order to have it's own magnetic field. Sounds like a logical guess you made, though. ;)
oobergooberkc 2 years ago
exactly, magnetite is the only natural material that has a magnetic field, it's a form of iron, nearly pure.
before the advent of electricity, they used a tiny piece of magnetite in the compass needle to tell which way was north, pigeons and other long distance migrators are known to have a small amount of magnetite in their heads that help them recognize where their at andd where their going.
I'm a survival enthusiast and have used this method before to magnetize a needle, you can also .......
flamedrag18 2 years ago
use a static charge from rubbing the needle hard and long on a a piece of cloth(silk works best) and using it as a pole compass, but the point of the needle will point at the nearest pole, instead of one specific pole in a magnetized needle.
flamedrag18 2 years ago
that's cool ive never heard of the static version. good thing i wear silk on long hikes, in case i need to magnetize a needle ;) haha. (sarcasm)
oobergooberkc 2 years ago
look in the SAS survival guide and the US survival manual, you'll be surprised at how many ways their are to find your way around.
flamedrag18 2 years ago
yep. done.
oobergooberkc 2 years ago
well we can see its facing north, but its also facing south at the other end..if u didnt have a compass and had no idea which direction u were facing and u used this. how would u determine north from south?
theVirus7 3 years ago
I think that I mentioned in the video that you can't tell north from south, but thanks for re-stating it. Hopefully you have enough ingenuity in a survival situation to piece together enough information to figure out north and south. For instance the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. If the sun rises on the right side of the N-S line then you can assume that you are facing north and from that you know the other cardinals.
oobergooberkc 3 years ago
you can add something to the north side like a tiny piece of wood or have the pin painted somehow before hand like if it was in a survival kit or you could stain the metal somehow.
flamedrag18 2 years ago
great vid, keep it up 5/5
airs0ft4life 3 years ago