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Subject: Re: Freiberger pressie
From: Robert Eno (enoid@XXX.XXX)
Date: Wed Nov 20 2002 - 13:31:00 EST
I had a Freiberger Sextant 15 years ago. Did not like it at all.
It felt more like a toy than a real sextant so I bought a Cassens
and Plath and then I traded that in for a second hand C.Plath: a purchase
which I have never regretted.
For my part, I prefer a heavy bronze or brass sextant but that is
my own personal preference and not necessarily an absolute
assessment of aluminum sextants.
The main problem with the Freiberger, in my experience, was that
after a lot of use, the drum mechanism by which the alidade
is released from the arc, tended to bind and the sextant had
to be taken apart and re-greased in order to put it back into
working order. This, I concluded, happened because when aluminum
rubs against aluminim, it binds.
So my vote is with a good German sextant. I like them. But I am
also a sextant snob.
pip pip
Robert
>Axel Vis said=
>
>>Finally I get to pick a birthday pressie that actually excites me. So I'm
>>looking at a new Freiberger. (Better than socks). I was comparing their
>>drum and yacht sextant where I'm inclined to the latter because it has a
>>smaller magnification than the drumsextant.It also a lot lighter but I'm
>>not exactly sure whether that is an advanyage or not. Does anyone have
any
>>suggestions or comments?
>
>===========
>
>I'm no expert on sextants but here's my penn'orth.
>
>A few years ago I read a letter in the Journal of Navigation from a
>merchant sea-captain of many years experience, who explained that he
>cherished his old sextant because of its very weight, which he explained
>gave it stability when used on the bridge in windy weather. One has to
>respect the voice of experience.
>
>On the other hand, if weight was such an advantage, why do sextant makers
>go to such trouble to use lightweight materials, and skeletonize the
frames
>to leave the minimum of material behind?
>
>And if weight was such an advantage, it would be an easy job to "improve"
>an over-lightweight sextant by clamping on lead ballast to the frame, in
>appropriate places. I have never heard of such an "improvement" being
made,
>even by the crustiest old salt. Has anyone else?
>
>My conclusion? That in reality, other things like rigidity being equal,
the
>lighter a sextant is, the better it will be. Just my opinion, for what
it's
>worth.
>
>George Huxtable.
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>george@XXX.XXX
>George Huxtable, 1 Sandy Lane, Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK.
>Tel. 01865 820222 or (int.) +44 1865 820222.
>------------------------------
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