48 replies to this topic

[kenkolen]

I used to see Don at the Winter Star Parties in the FL Keys every year. I loved to horse trade with Don and I really miss seeing him there.

 

Neal

[Esso2112]

After some careful cleaning and oiling, the wood box has been saved.  I sent Liz an e-mail asking about getting some new foam for it.  The box is square and very well built.  Curious that it is different than the box your brass Brandon's are in.  It looks more like the box for the binoviewerr, but is a much darker wood. 

[Jeff Morgan]

Loved the article, thanks for bringing it to us!

 

I do miss my Brandons, they were wonderful is the Astro-Physics Star12, a f/8.5 ED doublet.

 

If (when!) I get another long-focus scope I'll have to re-acquire some Brandons. The 24 was my favorite, though I got the most use from the 12 and the 8.

[gnowellsct]

? Professional astronomers never get within about 5,000 miles of an ocular.  Even when they're using accessible equipment (like the dragonfly telescope), it's all about imaging.  The big observatory work is as a rule handled by professional staff unless there is some kind of special instrumentation that someone has designed for a particular task and the astronomer needs to be on site--basically as an engineer.  

 

It's nice that you like your oculars, though.  

[REC]

Wow, what an article and history lesson! I really enjoyed looking at your beautiful photographs too!

 

I know Don, met him at his shop around the early '80's. I lived in Rochester, NY at the time and was a salesman for a photographic company and would cover upstate NY and call on the camera shops. I actually would drive right by his place on my way to Cornell. One day I stopped in and introduce my self to him. Very friendly fellow and quite the charter with lot's of stories! I tols him I had a C-8 and would like to upgrade some of my eyepieces. He sold me a 16mm and 32mm, which I still have today. I actually bought a 2nd 16mm about 7 years ago when I started using a binoviewer. I don't know what it is about them, but I call them my "moon" eyepieces as the contrast and sharpness on the moon is exceptional!

 

Later on down the years I stopped again at his shop and he showed me this huge eyepiece, a 40mm wide angle, like 70*. It was a monster and I had to have it! Later on, I found out it had a name, "the beast"! I saw Don a few years ago at the Neaf show and he asked me if I still had it and would I like to sell it? He say's he get's call all the time for one and I think there were not that many made. I off course said no, never would sell it.

 

So again, thanks so much for writing this article, it has made my day:)

 

Bob

[Robert Stell]

James,  Very interesting read.  My father was good friends with Don Yeier and he helped my dad build a 6-inch refractor which I still have.  My dad purchased a set of Brandon eyepieces just before Don purchased the company.  I still have them and they look like plats 6 & 7.  I remember Don saying he would keep the quality the same.  I was surprised to realize Don is still alive My Dad past away in 1964.  Would love to meet him.

 

Robert Stell

 

rgstell@gmail.com

[mnpd]

Very nice!  40-50 years ago; and earlier, I recall the Orthoscopic eyepieces being the "standard" for amateur astronomy.  Somewhere along the timeline to today, the Plossl became the most common eyepiece in the box.  Before that was before my time, but I'm sure the Huygens, Kellner etc. had their day.

[deepwoods1]

Super impressive collection! Certainly museum quality. Interestingly I notice that the ad from the ‘40’s states that this eyepiece is a “must” for a RFT. Also, they were $9.95. It’s amazing what a dollar or ten would buy back then.

[Jeff Morgan]

Also, they were $9.95. It’s amazing what a dollar or ten would buy back then.

 

Probably equally amazing how long it took to earn a dollar or ten back then.

[JAC51]

Very enjoyable article.

 

I have the 8mm , 12mm, 32mm and 48mm Brandon's, all which I really like in my TMB 130mm F9. In particular I often use the 8mm and 12mm with a barlow as my main planetary eyepieces.

 

What really surprised me is how often I have used them in a my Tak FS60 at F5.9  ok things  happen at the edges but the centre is really sharp.

 

With their lack of scatter they are my current favourite white light solar eyepieces. 

 

A salute to your obvious enthusiasm for all things Brandon.

[Scott Beith]

Excellent article.  I enjoyed the history lesson.

[empikid]

Looking for info on Questar Brandon eyepieces! these have a tapered side and all black. Questar thinks these are early eyepieces but that is all they know. they couldn't give me a year. They look different than all the ones in your pictures. If the picture wont load can you look at the Questar Facebook page? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Ron 

[empikid]

https://www.facebook...lSi1bFeAz&ifg=1

[25585]

Beautiful brass set, and how commemorative collectible eyepieces should be packaged. I am deeply envious!

[caussade]

Amazing article, James!  I feel a connection to this story, as I've got friends in the local astronomy community who have told me stories about Chester Brandon's early days in business.  He got started with the Brandon eyepieces during the late 1940's and early 1950's when he was based in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico (not far from where I live, in San Juan), an interesting fact which I learned from from word of mouth, as there is not much written material about his early work while living the island.  Thanks for sharing, and I enjoyed the pictures from your collection.

[russell23]

I grew up 100 meters from Don Yeier's Vernonscope factory.  When I was 10 years old (1980) I really had developed an interest in Astronomy so my parents made arrangements with Don for me to get a telescope - a 4" Edmund Astroscan.  Of course my parents taught me the value of earning things so they did not just buy the scope for me.  I had to save my money (Christmas, birthday, allowance for chores) and when I had half the cost of the scope they paid the rest.  I fiddled around with the scope for 4 years mostly looking at the Moon and planets. 

 

Then I decided I wanted something bigger.   So I walked down to Vernonscope and had a chat with Don about getting a new scope.  He told me he would look into getting me a 6" or 8" scope and a while later he told me he had ordered a 10.1" Coulter dobsonian.   To help pay for it I started working for Don.  I helped packing up orders, handling phone calls.  During the Halley's comet craziness I helped with walk-in customers. 

 

The "factory" had a showroom that could be seen from Route 96.  In that show room for the longest time he had a number of scopes and mounts that never really were for sale.  The one that I always wanted to get a look through was a 7" f/8 custom refractor he had made on a custom equatorial pier.  But he had others such as a sample of a 4 1/4" reflector he had made in the 1960's.  Also in the 1960's he had sold large achromats using Jaeger's lenses including a 6" f/10 achromat. 

 

It was cool for a kid growing up with an interest in astronomy to be able to live just down the road from Vernonscope. In addition to Brandons he was often looking for other things to sell.  He bought a bunch of military assembly's that had the optics for the "Magnificent beast" - 40mm erfle.  He bought out the remaining Unitron 4" refractor stock and sold those.  I bought a 4" f/15 Unitron alt-azimuth mounted refractor - simply the most beautiful scope I have ever owned.  I regret to this day that I had to sell it to help pay college expenses. 

 

There was a run of the 20mm Meade research grade erfles branded as a Vernoscope eyepiece.  Then he also had the University Optics 32mm Konig branded as a Vernonscope eyepiece to sell the with 80mm scope.   He showed me a sample of a multi-coated 12mm Brandon that he rejected from production based upon Rodger Gordon's recommendation after using it.  Rodger would stop in every so often so I met him a few times.

 

And I saw some cool optics that would come through.   He had a proto-type sample of a 48mm 1.25" Brandon.  When he showed it to me I remember him saying "I don't know why I had the thing made.  The field is ~30 deg."   He had the most incredible pair of WWII 7x50 binoculars that we used to look at Halley's comet near its peak.  One time someone sent him a Chester Brandon 3" f/15 achromat with built in diagonal/focuser.  The scope had been down in Florida and was riddled with spidery fungus between the elements.  However, we turned it on Jupiter one night and I still think to this day it was the most spectacular view of Jupiter I have ever had with a backyard scope.

 

Don assembled and tested every single Brandon himself.  I watched him assemble many of them - often standing there as he scrambled to finish an order so that I could box it and he could run it to the post office before it closed! 

 

I suspect many of the pieces that Don showed me are now in the hands of the author of this article.  I remember stopping in to see Don a few times before he sold the business (During the 50th anniversary Brandon era) and he said there was this gentleman in UK that would buy just about anything Brandon.  I think I even sold Don a couple of his classic Brandon's that I had picked up on Astromart which he intended to send over there.

 

It was a cool experience for me growing up.   I still live in Candor and the Vernonscope factory building is now gone - torn down a few years ago.  Sitting there now is an empty lot for sale that is about the right size for a Subway restaurant.  Candor is a small town so I don't know if that would happen, but as a basketball coach I would love it if one would go in so that my players might eat something after school on game day besides Skittles.  Every time I drive by the lot I can still picture the Vernonscope factory inside and out.  For me it is like it is still there.   Too many memories for it to ever truly be gone.

[Starry Messenger]

I have a fully reconditioned set of Chester Brandons, with black barrels, inside a wooden Brandon case:

1 - 48mm (2”) (Vernonscope)
1 - 32mm
2 - 24mm
1 - 16mm
1 - 12mm
1 - 8mm
1 - 6mm
1 - 4mm

I see and talk with Don Yeir at NEAF every year. I even bought a large piece of gold ore from him one year, as he has a gold mine in Arizona. This was the very last thing I expected to see at an astronomy conference! Since I prospect for gold in Vermont, this came as a wonderful surprise! If everyone is killed off but me from Covid, I’m running straight to this Brandon “museum,” and empty Ted Harrison’s curio case!

[empikid]

What size is your mushroom eyepiece?

Ron

[empikid]

James, If it's a 12mm would you sell to complete my set? If I ever sell I will think of you first

Thanks

Ron Woodring

[empikid]

Hey James

 You won't believe this but I found a 12mm on ebay, now all I need is a 8mm and I will have a full set of 1971/72 questar Brandon's made by Vernonscope

Ron Woodring

Edited by empikid, 19 January 2022 - 04:02 PM.

[empikid]

The set is almost complete

Still need to find an 8mm

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[empikid]

Still looking for an 8mm, I saw a picture of one so
I know they made it

[empikid]

[ClayDavies]

I really enjoyed this article!  What a collection!