7860 replies to this topic

[Bdhester123]

howdy boys.  

heres my current prism cleaning routine. works better than the operator.

 

1. remove from tray, spray down with naptha

 

2. rinse in hot running water

 

3. spray with dawn spray detergent, let soak a min

 

4.  rinse hot clean water

 

5. spray liberally mix distilled h20, 91 iso 9:1 gallon, drop dawn soap

 

6. blow dry

 

7. ziesse wipe prior to install.

 

this can get them 95% without touching the glass, can soak at any step etc

 

for 99% clean very lightly use thumb and very lightly scrub when dawn- soaked after a couple of rinses. i really dont like touching the coated face at all..its too delicate.  if you must, pat gently with cotton ball.  the uncoated faces are much much more forgiving.  its possible to polish the haze away(uncoated faces only!) with  mild pressure a little water and a felt furniture pad. must test first on old prism!

[Bdhester123]

 

still havent found the ideal blackening agent..major fail on this one, but 0 scratches 😇

[jarrodeu]

These were given to me last year and I don't think I posted them. Nikon tropical 7x50. Does anyone know when these were made?

 

Jarrod

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[semlin]

These were given to me last year and I don't think I posted them. Nikon tropical 7x50. Does anyone know when these were made?

 

Jarrod

no jb# so it is before november 1959.

 

i have seen two ranges of serial numbers for pre-jb era tropicals.  one is in the 800xxx to 82xxxx range and one is 29xxxx to 305xxx.  how the sn may relate to date is unclear.  for example, mine has black lettering on a black body and no jb# and is 825xxx.  yet there are 81xxxx out there with white raised lettering and a jb marking.  

[MisterDan]

The Tropical line (7x50 and 6x30) was introduced in 1949. Specifications have been consistent ever since.

 

The "E.P" export tag appeared in the early '50s. I typically place its debut at 1953, but it may have been in common use in '52 - so perhaps coinciding (roughly) with the end of occupation.

 

While the serials for Nippon Kogaku binoculars are cryptic, we do have at least a "sampling" of ranges, as noted by Semlin. Decoding year of manufacture from '50s-era NK serials may not be do-able (or, if do-able, maybe inconsistently/temporarily applicable at best).

 

I would guess your Tropical dates to the '53-'55 range, but that's quite speculative.

 

Cheers, and - as always - thanks for sharing.

Dan

[jarrodeu]

Thanks, very helpful!

 

Jarrod

[jarrodeu]

I bought this Busch 12x Terlux recently. It was sold by J. B. Watson of Edinburgh and was made in about 1908. It has the Australian "D arrow D" markings with the left plate marked No. 2 Mark I or II? (can't quite make it out) and the right plate marked IM 10350 so it was probably donated for use in WWII because of the shortage of binoculars.

I don't believe this is the original case as there is a loop for a hinge tightening tool which I don't think the Terlux ever used. The eye cups look like some sort of homemade replacement, not surprising as early eye cups were fragile.

Also interesting to note that the eye lens of the 12x increased in diameter, and with it increased the field of view. I didn't know this until I was comparing it with my earlier 12x Terlux.

 

Jarrod

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[Juha]

no jb# so it is before november 1959.

 

i have seen two ranges of serial numbers for pre-jb era tropicals.  one is in the 800xxx to 82xxxx range and one is 29xxxx to 305xxx.  how the sn may relate to date is unclear.  for example, mine has black lettering on a black body and no jb# and is 825xxx.  yet there are 81xxxx out there with white raised lettering and a jb marking.  

My kogaku.

 

Edited by Juha, 05 June 2025 - 11:11 PM.

[semlin]

swedish nkk!

[MisterDan]

swedish nkk!

...now living in Suomi!

[Juha]

Hi my friends, i am lost with this one, what is it ? Emill Busch maby, how old is it ?

MOD 09 or 08 what i see in hinge. Just bought it so i have only pictures.

 

This looks same.

https://www.emedals....l-busch-eu14660

 

 

Edited by Juha, 09 June 2025 - 03:32 AM.

[jarrodeu]

Hi my friends, i am lost with this one, what is it ? Emill Busch maby, how old is it ?

MOD 09 or 08 what i see in hinge. Just bought it so i have only pictures.

 

This looks same.

https://www.emedals....l-busch-eu14660

 

 

 

 

German Navy binocular WWI or earlier. Much less common that the smaller army model that has a similar shape.

 

Jarrod

Edited by jarrodeu, 09 June 2025 - 09:25 AM.

[Scott99]

German Navy binocular WWI or earlier. Much less common that the smaller army model that has a similar shape.

 

Jarrod

somebody liked big aperture

[jarrodeu]

somebody liked big aperture

I could be wrong but I believe that in a galilean, a larger objective means a wider field of view.

 

Jarrod

[MisterDan]

Busch did go bigger...

https://binokli.alle...ermany/e-busch/

Scroll down to the bottom of the page, or simply search for "busch galilei".

 

Congratulations, Juha, and thank you for sharing your "new" Fernglas 09!  We look forward to seeing more images after you receive it.

 

Cheers.

Edited by MisterDan, 09 June 2025 - 11:58 AM.

[Juha]

And here is it, condition is good for 1909 binocular, some spots between class nothing else. Oculars are stiff, i dont want to brake it down, i try hairdryer first Leather is gone, i like to see leather in it, lets see if someone wants to do it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Juha, 11 June 2025 - 10:24 AM.

[semlin]

lots of beautiful brass patina there.

[Scott99]

Cool pictures!  What are those black eyecups made of???  There was no plastic in 1909.  Interesting!

[Juha]

Cool pictures!  What are those black eyecups made of???  There was no plastic in 1909.  Interesting!

Bakelite or kind of, not sure. Not plastic.

Edited by Juha, 11 June 2025 - 11:06 AM.

[Scott99]

Bakelite or kind of, not sure. Not plastic.

Wow!  It looks like these do indeed have some of the world's very first plastic - or the first entirely synthetic plastic, most likely preceded by hemp and other plant resin-based plastic:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakelite

 

Bakelite (/ˈbeɪkəlaɪt/ BAY-kə-lyte), formally poly­oxy­benzyl­methylene­glycol­anhydride, is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The first plastic made from synthetic components, it was developed by Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland in Yonkers, New York, in 1907, and patented on December 7, 1909.[3]

 

Bakelite was one of the first plastic-like materials to be introduced into the modern world and was popular because it could be molded and then hardened into any shape.

 

Because of its electrical nonconductivity and heat-resistant properties, it became a great commercial success. It was used in electrical insulators, radio and telephone casings, and such diverse products as kitchenware, jewelry, pipe stems, children's toys, and firearms.

Edited by Scott99, 11 June 2025 - 11:15 AM.

[pat in los angeles basin]

google also vulcanite, ebonite and tenite- ebonite would be a natural for an eyecup IMO

[MisterDan]

-And "Ebonite" (Goodyear's particular vulcanized hard rubber product) was patented in 1844 - plenty of time for the patent to expire (not that it mattered) and the process to be leveraged by countless companies well before the 1900s.

 

Goodyear made ZILCH from his invention, due to litigation expenses (fighting many patent violators), poor business decisions, and his passing in 1860.

 

Cheers.

Dan

[Alex M.]

Cool pictures!  What are those black eyecups made of???  There was no plastic in 1909.  Interesting!

       It may be natural shellac. It was used a lot to make  gramophone records, various gadgets, tools, buttons, haberdashery, etc. When heated above 120 degrees Celsius, it softens - I have encountered this property of the eyecups of antique binoculars several times. Curiously, heated shellac gives off a pleasant (to my taste) smell.

Edited by Alex M., 12 June 2025 - 04:24 PM.

[Alex M.]

Hello everyone.

Can anyone tell me anything about the origin of this strange binocular  with the inscription "Jenoptica"? I only understand that the binoculars were made no earlier than the 1930s and no later than the 1950s, that the optics are uncoated, the build quality is satisfactory, and I can't call the optical parameters bad either. The binoculars are probably made in Germany, but certainly not by Zeiss.

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[semlin]

i think it's danish and could be 1920s and the jen in jenoptica is for jensen not jena.  this is i think some kind of business debt register from 1926.

https://user-9y8ca5x...ny-version/112/

Edited by semlin, 16 June 2025 - 11:42 AM.