(Because "Cresise Is Probably Making The 387683746th 'Steve Had Two Compasses' Post But She Figured It Out Herself And Is Way Too Proud About It Please Hang This Post Up On Your Fridge And Give Her Cookies" is a bit of a mouthful for a post title)
This compass (from CATFA and CATWS):
And this compass (from Endgame):
Are different.
And guess who found the same as the first one on eBay.
...fine, bought. Fortunately I was lucky to snag it on bid for a comparatively good price, otherwise owie. And this is how I'm thinking people might already know about this, because these two are the ones that are harder to find and tend to go for more unless you can get luck on an offer or an auction.
I printed the picture, though. I didn't make it, I just found one. I'd like to figure out a more accurate one, but my photoschopping skills are over ten years old.
From what I read, the first one is probably slightly radioactive because of the radium ink used on the dial. (I've read up a wee bit, and apparently if I refrain from licking it every day or breaking it I should be fine. Don't quote me on that and let me know if you know different!)
For those curious, it's a W. & E. Gurley Engineers Lensatic Field Compass from Troy, NY. (Though if you look for it on eBay I recommend searching Gurley Compass. Their other compasses show up too that way but this has been the easiest way for me to find it.)
The other one's a bit harder to find the exact compass on. I have one that is almost the right one except the hand goes the wrong way. I have been able to find one, maybe two, of the one from Endgame and both were slightly outside my current budget, but one of these days I want both.
There are a few that are super close, though, that are more budget friendly. (I think the one above cost $10.)
There's a few things to keep in mind if you wanted to look (complete with super scientific terms...):
texture and color of the outside
writing and screws on top
shape of the lid flippy thing
shape and color of the hinge
shape of the sight thingy
color of the arrows and compass guts
whether the inside disc is flat or has a seperate x area for the directions
direction of the handle
There is one that sort of has the feel of both. The writing on top is different, the hinge is a thick bronze, and the sight is circular. I'm not sure if it's the lighting, but in some of the images the directions look yellowish, the others they're more green.
Pictures found from an eBay listing.
Like the one from Endgame, it's hard to search for this one specifically. However, unlike the one from Endgame, it is usually a lot cheaper. (Under $20 that I've found.) If you don't mind sorting through page after page and getting frustrated because the others are so close, i just type 'engineer compass' and then wonder how it got to be 6am when I swore at 2am I was going to go to bed soon...
Alright, that's enough nerding for one night morning! None of this was planned and I was scattered and distracted about fifty times. So if anyone has questions, feel free to ask, I'm pretty sure this was clear as mud.
