Re: Need help for a magnetic needle in Australia
Grant O'Neil (poneilgdo@ALPHA2.CURTIN.EDU.AU)
Mon, 14 Jul 1997 22:37:39 +0800
At 08:35 8/07/97 -0700, you wrote:
>Hi:
>
>A friend of me will be in Australia for a especial event that will need a
>magnetic needle, and in the infromation he received, it say he must get a
>special magnetic needle, something about a type 5.
Speaking as a Aussie, I am not sure I have ever heard of anything like
this. However, I will hazard a guess. The "type 5" probably refers to the
size of the needle. I'm no expert at sewing (I'll just grab any size needle
that looks about right when I need to stitch something up!), and looking in
my wife's sewing kit didn't help because there was nothing to indicate what
size a number 5 needle might be. However, a sewing store could probably help.
>Do you know if this magnetic needle is special, I mean different to the
>ones we get in a store? and if it is diferent, can you help me to know
>where we can get it?
As for the magnetic part - I remember a project when I was a cub scout
where we magnetized a steel needle by stroking a magnet along it. I don't
recall if the needle also had to be pointed north, but you got a strong
magnet, and rubbed it along the needle several times in the same direction.
This would magnetize the needle and then you would float it on a piece of
cork floating on some water and it would point north like a compass.
YiS
_ .
Grant O'Neil _r| Ll\
Assistant Venturer Leader | |_|__\
2nd Ballajura Venturer Unit => \ |_|_ /
Swan Valley District ~~ `_'
Western Australia v
poneilgdo@alpha2.curtin.edu.au
http://student.curtin.edu.au/~poneilgdo/
| 
