Ask and ye shall receive.
I asked the Forest Manager I do a lot of work for if they have any staff compasses. I have used my own 4" K+E (1 degree).
She said, yes we have two and you are welcome to borrow one since we don't use them. Then they hand me this Sipe-Sumner compass (1/2 degree). It's bigger. The Jacob staff isn't anything special, though. It looks like a cheap shovel handle, all the finish is gone. I'm sure it came with the compass, it has the W-K steel foot on it.
My K+E needle takes a lot longer to settle down but when it does I hit my baseline of S54W pretty close to right on (bearing determined from Polaris). I am under the overhead power lines but my K+E and my Dietzgen transit compasses don't seem to care. I got S 53.5 W on the W-K compass, the needle is more sensitive, it settled down almost immediately. Maybe my cell phone influenced it (in my pants pocket). It's pretty nice, it has a 1' vernier for setting the declination, it's bigger and has longer sight vanes which makes steep sights easier to do.
> Ask and ye shall receive.
Dang, Dave...
Tell her a surveyor in Arkansas would like to have the other Warren Knight. I will trade an unused K&E (German) Staff Compass and a copy of the WK Sipe Sumner Compass catalog pages from an autographed copy of Henry Sipe's "Compass Land Surveying"...
Might even throw in a K&E aluminum tripod for the K&E compass...
DDSM:beer:
These are only on loan; I have to give one back. 🙁
I chose the one I think is better.
They are so old they have old Division of Forestry property tags on them. I think we've been the Department of Forestry since around 1970.
I wouldn't mind having another K+E Forester Compass. They are accurate enough for most compass work.
> They are so old they have old Division of Forestry property tags on them. I think we've been the Department of Forestry since around 1970.
The first Sipe-Sumner Compass prototype was made in August, 1971. The serial numbers of the first two production models were #17841 and #14842. I doubt there was a huge number made, so the compass you're using is probably below #18000.
21455 and 22062.
I missed a little. The Department of Forestry was created in 1977. Prior to 1977 it was the Resources Agency, Department of Conservation, Division of Forestry.
When I was 14 my Dad told me I needed to decide about I wanted to do with myself in life? I told him I didn’t know but wanted to work outside. The next weekend he took me to see Henry Sipe and we had a long discussion about Land Surveying. I helped him with a couple lot surveys in town over the next couple of months until school started again. I have been a surveyor ever since.
Dan, I have used these compasses in West Virginia extensively and also in Alaska. They used to be standard equipment for the BLM here in Alaska and the contract surveyors doing BLM work.
Over the last 10 years they have gone by the wayside but I believe they are still available here in Alaska.
I was offered a couple last year that were almost brand new. If you need one email me and I will email you the last surveyors I know that had several.
Warren-Knight will sell you a brand new one for $2,300.
I asked and I got a reply, unfortunately my boss wouldn't approve it.
I have one of these still in the black case and the white tripod it came with. I got mine from Henry. Interested?
Jesse
Jesse,
I've sent you an email.
DDSM:-)
Pics of my W-K Sipe-Sumner pattern Compass
Pics of my W-K Sipe-Sumner pattern Compass
😀 
😀
DDSM:beer:
A box arrived at this humble surveyor's office today...Thanks Jesse for parting with this wonderful compass and tripod...and a mint condition "Compass Land Surveying" (1979 edition) by Henry Sipe.
😀 😀 😀 😀
DDSM