There in St. Louis, the pioneers carried their hopes and worldly possessions and began their westward journeys, guided by the pathfinders. Less than two years after his arrival, a Blattner instrument won a silver cup at the Mechanics Fair. The privately-owned compass with which I was entrusted required a great deal of work. Without the cooperation of Mr. Frank Woodsen of the Missouri Historical Society, it would have been extremely difficult to reprise Blattner's original work. Further, a past attempt at refinishing left the clumsy marks of a burnisher, which eradicated many of the original maker's marks.
Restoration is an intrusive process.
When it must be done, an opportunity presents itself to gather detailed technical information about materials, designs, precision, innovative features from the period, and specific details that separate the maker from his peers. The technique should be consistent, produce maximum results, provide historical advantage, and impart no damage to the artifact. Documentation should follow in a firm format to enable those who are entrusted with the preservation of an artifact to maintain and extend the original restoration effort for many years. My studies of the compass and its intricacies proved to me, beyond a doubt, that Jacob Blattner was indeed a craftsman of the highest order. His hand engravings on the compass face and the graduations of the compass circle and vernier were the work of a master.