# Just realised I posted this in the wrong place



## Hemiglypta-H (Aug 20, 2013)

My father was in the merchant navy and I have an heirloom from his days at sea and wondered if any one could help me make it 'tick' again?

I has the makers mark "thomas walker brothers of birmingham" on it and appears to measure nautical miles?

Is this a "log"??

I looks like it is a modern (mains powered) type and the flex from the unit has four wires (brown/white/green/yellow).

Any help would be great


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## borderreiver (Oct 11, 2008)

Can you take a photo and put it on the site.


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## Hemiglypta-H (Aug 20, 2013)

I can try


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## Hemiglypta-H (Aug 20, 2013)

OK so I hope this works.........not very good with this type of thing.


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## R798780 (Oct 27, 2004)

It sounds like the wheelhouse repeater for a Walkers Log - if it is just the clock with the electrical lead.

The last steamships I sailed on had the Walkers Cherub streamed from the taffrail on the poop and had an electrical lead which screwed into a socket adjacent (screwed in to be weathertight) . As the log turned it sent a signal every point one of a mile to the repeater in the chartroom. Without such a repeater it required a visit to the poop at the end of every watch, not the best of occupations on a dirty stormy night transitting Biscay.


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## Hemiglypta-H (Aug 20, 2013)

We once crossed the sea of biscay as children on a visit to my fathers ship.

I understand some of the electro/mechanical terms and principles you have described.

But my question is how to make it work in my house if at all possible.

I am prepared to invest some moneys in any (external) additions (perhaps in the form of transforms and/or bespoke circuit boards).


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## Derek Roger (Feb 19, 2005)

When you say work I assume you just want to see it move ?? I assume it is a DC unit and there is a ground ) earth ) Brown wire I think . Try hooking up a battery to the yellow and white wires and see what happens ?


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## NoR (Mar 24, 2008)

On the Cape York (1963) the Engine Room exit was into the port main deck alleyway, so guess which side the ER guys tipped old cotton waste etc overboard ? And guess which side the log was streamed ?


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## John Briggs (Feb 12, 2006)

It looks like the wheelhouse repeater for the Walkers Log.
Ships then usually ran on 110V DC power and I would suggest that would be needed to make it work.
The other problem you face is to feed in a signal to make the pointers move.
A competent electrician should be able to figure it out from the above information.


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

My first ship ( built 1956) had the log streamed from a boom just aft of midships on the stbd side with a chartroom repeater. I think it was rigged just once for the benefit of people like me...or maybe just me...same same the deep sea sounding machine which was on the poop.

Nice bit of kit and if you could wire it up to do 15 knots and mount it in the galley...aka 'kitchen'... then you could say 'Golly, I could have been in Tahiti if I had sailed last Friday fortnight, ' etc


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## Hemiglypta-H (Aug 20, 2013)

Thank you all for you advise. I have done some more research online and am starting to understand it use/origin more clearly.

I think though my idea of having 'tick' by as an ornamental item may be a bit too fanciful, as I don't like the idea of a 110v transformer running in the house 24/7.

My farther was with shell tankers in the 60's, some steam powered, I wonder if this might be this particular instruments origin?

I wonder for a purely static decorative purpose I should strip the 'hamerite' type paint off back to brass, or if this was the original finish as produced by the makers.

Anyway I really like it and as I know it's probably not worth much money (i.e. not particularly rare or collectable) I have no intensions of selling it and will treasure it.

Thanks again!


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