Barometers?
- Thread starter Billy-o
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My mum bought a nice old brass round one at a boat jumble last weekend for £3.00pIt is the tapping is the important part, I think
A round, brass nautical one is sort of what I had in mind ... but there may be options ... don't think I want a bajo style one though
Not my thing, but it’s a good solid one.
I have a brass one that my aunt bought me for Christmas when I was a kid - it still does a better job of predicting tomorrow's weather than the Met Office 
Mine's a Weathermaster and you can pick them up quite cheaply on ebay
Mine's a Weathermaster and you can pick them up quite cheaply on ebay
Oh, yes, definitely!
Also, you need to move the little indicator dial each morning to mark that day's pressure.
We bought my father one many years ago as a present. When my mother died 24 years ago we brought it home and hung it on the wall and more or less ignored it. Lately I've taken more interest in it and check it against the TV weather forecast. I'm beginning to trust it and my ability to use it. I do tap it, but I'm not sure why!
There's not enough torque generated by the very fine spring mechanism to overcome 'stiction'; tapping it just gives it a kick to move to the new pressure value. The direction it moves is as important as the value (i.e. rising or falling pressure = improving or deteriorating weather) so having to tap it before it moves is an advantage.
We have three. One is a solid mahogany banjo style thing, carved, all brass and knurled nobs....it's a pain in the neck to polish, but it's incredibly reliable, and doesn't need batteries It belonged to a great great Uncle originally. Big crisp clear and ornate hands on it, and a mercury thermometer too.
It's an heirloom I keep hoping one of the younger generation will take off my wall, just as soon as they like. It's dated to the 1880's.
The second one was a wedding present to my Mum and Dad in 1957, it's a kind of capstan wheel shaped one, smallish, quite pretty, brass knobs, etc., not so accurate but somehow more aesthetically appealing.
The third one is an all electric modern one that sits on the kitchen wall, it's wee receiver thingie is outside in the shed. It does temperature inside and out, prevailing trends, etc.,
I need my glasses on to read it and it needs batteries.
Honestly, I think they all have their pros and cons.....and yes, they all need tapped. Even the modern electric one 'cos that turns on it's light
Thing is though, they're kind of fun you get into the habit of watching the hands and seeing how the pressure's shifting and what it's doing outdoors with that.
The kids kept daily records for a couple of years, just to see the changes through the seasons.
It belonged to a great great Uncle originally. Big crisp clear and ornate hands on it, and a mercury thermometer too.It's an heirloom I keep hoping one of the younger generation will take off my wall, just as soon as they like. It's dated to the 1880's.
The second one was a wedding present to my Mum and Dad in 1957, it's a kind of capstan wheel shaped one, smallish, quite pretty, brass knobs, etc., not so accurate but somehow more aesthetically appealing.
The third one is an all electric modern one that sits on the kitchen wall, it's wee receiver thingie is outside in the shed. It does temperature inside and out, prevailing trends, etc.,
I need my glasses on to read it
and it needs batteries.Honestly, I think they all have their pros and cons.....and yes, they all need tapped. Even the modern electric one 'cos that turns on it's light
Thing is though, they're kind of fun
you get into the habit of watching the hands and seeing how the pressure's shifting and what it's doing outdoors with that.The kids kept daily records for a couple of years, just to see the changes through the seasons.
The tap is to ensure the indicator isn’t sticking, very much an analogue thing. The Royal Navy used a barograph to record and report pressure amongst other things for the met office and naval meteorologists to develop forecasts for us. Beautiful brass instruments. I picked up a nice brass one in Pakistan, it does move with changes to pressure but it’s accuracy is doubtful.
I got bought one by my parents as a moving in present. Worked OK for a few years then simply slipped somehow inside such that it always gave a totally inaccurate reading. For example on those days when there's a high pressure over the UK with wide gaps between the pressure lines such that the whole of the UK is at the same air pressure mine was something like 50 out. It got left on the wall but I forgot it was there a decade.
Useless when they go wrong or are cheap. If you get one buy a good one which will cost you a bit. I think there's ones you can adjust to calibrate. Not sure the ones with a humidity thing as well is any good in modern houses.
On a more modern take on this, get yourself a mini weather station. Even just an indoor and outdoor thermometer with barometer and outdoor humidity might be interesting too. You know there's sites you can record weather readings as part of the citizen science thing that's popular across many areas of research,
Useless when they go wrong or are cheap. If you get one buy a good one which will cost you a bit. I think there's ones you can adjust to calibrate. Not sure the ones with a humidity thing as well is any good in modern houses.
On a more modern take on this, get yourself a mini weather station. Even just an indoor and outdoor thermometer with barometer and outdoor humidity might be interesting too. You know there's sites you can record weather readings as part of the citizen science thing that's popular across many areas of research,
If the OP does get his hands on a former sea-going Baro, it is sure to have been witness to many meteorological ups and downs. I'm pretty certain that any former mariners will have mixed memories of situations in which a rising baro reading was hoped for.
As a young man, I had the benefit of being a student under a Head of Marine, Captain Jack C.
He was about as brilliant a lecturer in his faculty, as was possible to be. An author of books who first qualified as a Master Mariner under Sail, which had to be endorsed for Steamships.
He was a most notable character of the college and his rangy figure was always to be seen bearing a copy of Nories under his arm and a slide rule sticking out of a lapel pocket. Amongst the students, popular rumour had it, that upon his death he had willed that he be stuffed and stood, as both threat and inspiration, in the Extra Masters tutorial room.
The was not anything within the nautical world, with which he was not a notable authority...and during lessons, to further emphasise one's grasp on a problem, he had many stories to tell.
I can well remember him , waving his guessing-stick, and telling us youths the absolutely correct procedure for taking a reading from a Mercurial Marine Baro.......you took the Lat and temp corrections at arms length from the instrument and only then, did one belly-up and begin the process of bringing the index to the top of the meniscus ......and Old Capt'n Jack swore blind that during a severe storm in the South China Sea, his bridge barometer had indicated such a rapid drop in the height of the mercury column, that an anti-meniscus formed. Some weather ..some fellow .
He also advised us all to ensure we took along a clean pocket hankie when we eventually faced the Board of Trade Examiner in the Oral section. Like Capt'n Jack, the BoT examiners were a powerful presence, but, unlike Him and for reasons unknown, much given to mercurial moods. One of the several quirks of the exam room, was that either by accident ( but most probably by design) there were several alternative mounting points for the Barometer...and if for any reason the Examiner wanted to unsettle candidates, it was quite likely he would previously mount the instrument in a gloomy, unlit corner and then require you to take the reading.........which was when you knew you was 'In' for a hard time, but nontheless you took the temp and lat and then, with a suitable flourish, you withdrew the pocket hanky and held it behind the instrument so as to make visible the gap twixt index and meniscus....and woe betide you if , in the doing, you flicked the instrument.
Sorry Folks, just a little long-remembered bit of social poetry.
Regards
Ceeg
As a young man, I had the benefit of being a student under a Head of Marine, Captain Jack C.
He was about as brilliant a lecturer in his faculty, as was possible to be. An author of books who first qualified as a Master Mariner under Sail, which had to be endorsed for Steamships.
He was a most notable character of the college and his rangy figure was always to be seen bearing a copy of Nories under his arm and a slide rule sticking out of a lapel pocket. Amongst the students, popular rumour had it, that upon his death he had willed that he be stuffed and stood, as both threat and inspiration, in the Extra Masters tutorial room.
The was not anything within the nautical world, with which he was not a notable authority...and during lessons, to further emphasise one's grasp on a problem, he had many stories to tell.
I can well remember him , waving his guessing-stick, and telling us youths the absolutely correct procedure for taking a reading from a Mercurial Marine Baro.......you took the Lat and temp corrections at arms length from the instrument and only then, did one belly-up and begin the process of bringing the index to the top of the meniscus ......and Old Capt'n Jack swore blind that during a severe storm in the South China Sea, his bridge barometer had indicated such a rapid drop in the height of the mercury column, that an anti-meniscus formed. Some weather ..some fellow .
He also advised us all to ensure we took along a clean pocket hankie when we eventually faced the Board of Trade Examiner in the Oral section. Like Capt'n Jack, the BoT examiners were a powerful presence, but, unlike Him and for reasons unknown, much given to mercurial moods. One of the several quirks of the exam room, was that either by accident ( but most probably by design) there were several alternative mounting points for the Barometer...and if for any reason the Examiner wanted to unsettle candidates, it was quite likely he would previously mount the instrument in a gloomy, unlit corner and then require you to take the reading.........which was when you knew you was 'In' for a hard time, but nontheless you took the temp and lat and then, with a suitable flourish, you withdrew the pocket hanky and held it behind the instrument so as to make visible the gap twixt index and meniscus....and woe betide you if , in the doing, you flicked the instrument.
Sorry Folks, just a little long-remembered bit of social poetry.
Regards
Ceeg
To be honest they're not particularly complex mechanisms and low-price ones work fine as long as they're not dropped. Marine ones tend to be far more robust and will cost a great deal more.
There's usually an adjusting screw at the back. Simply get the current pressure from the nearest weather station to you and turn the screw until your barometer reads the same value - remembering to tap it a few times as you make the adjustment. As long as there is no physical damage it should now work fine - there's not a lot to go wrong
I still have and use a Thommen altimeter, which is an aneroid barometer for measuring your metres above sea level, as it is great, not only for navigation but also for picking up the approach of bad or good weather when I'm out and about.
I inherited from my late father a mercury barometer, which hangs on the wall at home. It, too, is very good at giving me an overview of how the day might turn out weather-wise.
I'd say that they're useful and interesting and definitely worth the gentle tap every now and then to help you decide whether you need a jacket or not.
I inherited from my late father a mercury barometer, which hangs on the wall at home. It, too, is very good at giving me an overview of how the day might turn out weather-wise.
I'd say that they're useful and interesting and definitely worth the gentle tap every now and then to help you decide whether you need a jacket or not.
We're talking cheap ones. The aneroid capsule can leak, the linkages can fail, the pointer can get out of alignment and hit the glass or scale, the scale can move out of alignment and the pointer hits it, etc. There's enough to go wrong and whilst mostly fixable I reckon you buy cheap you buy twice with such things.To be honest they're not particularly complex mechanisms and low-price ones work fine as long as they're not dropped. Marine ones tend to be far more robust and will cost a great deal more.
There's usually an adjusting screw at the back. Simply get the current pressure from the nearest weather station to you and turn the screw until your barometer reads the same value - remembering to tap it a few times as you make the adjustment. As long as there is no physical damage it should now work fine - there's not a lot to go wrong
I suppose there's cheap and cheap . But if it's hanging on the wall why would any of that happen? I doubt the two I have cost more than £15 and they've both lasted over 40 years! (actually, I guess £15, 40 years ago, wasn't cheap!). Still, pay what you like - there are loads in working order in secondhand/antique shops for very sensible money (£20 - £50) - or you can pay over £200 for a nice new brass one
Mine have just told me it's going to rain later - just checked the forecast - rain at 5
. But if it's hanging on the wall why would any of that happen? I doubt the two I have cost more than £15 and they've both lasted over 40 years! (actually, I guess £15, 40 years ago, wasn't cheap!). Still, pay what you like - there are loads in working order in secondhand/antique shops for very sensible money (£20 - £50) - or you can pay over £200 for a nice new brass one Mine have just told me it's going to rain later - just checked the forecast - rain at 5
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