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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Help with ZEISS 10x50 pro (1 Viewer)

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woodsman39

Active member
Hello to all of the zeiss porro experts here.I just acquired a pair of zeiss 10x50 porro prism binoculars for my collection.overall they are in great shape except for the fact that the white numbers and tic marks on the back side of the focus wheel are not in good shape with some only half there or missing.my question before i send them to zeiss for service is can the focus knob/wheel which on this model is located on the front end of the IPD hinge be easily removed with out major disassembly of the binoculars which i am not qualified to do.i plan on asking zeiss if a new focus knob is available and the original serial number can be transferred to a new one otherwise i will have to try to repaint the white numbers and tic marks which will not be easy.thank you all for your time.
jeff
 
Last edited:
Hi,

congratulations on a fine and very collectible pair of bins! Do you know Holger Merlitz' review of those?

http://www.holgermerlitz.de/ross10x50.html

As for the focus wheel question - I would suspect that both the numbers and ticks on the back side as well as the serial on the front are engraved and then inlaid with white paint. Even if an original focus wheel was still available with Zeiss and they would agree to transfer the serial number, engraving it in exactly the same font would be quite expensive.

I'd try to find a somebody used to paint miniscule items - miniature wargamers come to mind - and ask them if they can inlay the engraved parts in white again - if enough time for is allowed for the paint to dry before turning the wheel this should be even possible without disassembly.

Joachim
 
thank you joachim for your reply,your correct about the white numbers and tic marks on the focus wheel being inlaid with white paint, the front side of the focus wheel where the serial number and marking "made in germany" are, appear to be painted on a separate round "plate" that is either glued or friction fit to the front of the IPD hinge pin.thank you for your input.
 
Jeff:
You have an interesting topic. You should post a picture of this Zeiss so we can all see it.

Allbinos has a long article under "Legendary Binoculars, Carl Zeiss Jena Dekarem 10x50 ".

It is a good read with photos and history of the Zeiss binoculars you mention.

Thanks for posting.

Jerry
 
Hi,

yes pictures would indeed be nice as Jeff has sth quite more rare than a CZJ Dekarem. He has a Zeiss West/Oberkochen 10x50.

Joachim
 
i will try to get some pics posted tomorrow i have a call in to zeiss USA hoping to hear from them tomorrow about availability of new focus wheel.i was told that all older zeiss porro's are shipped to germany for service.
 
There are two ways of restoring the lettering.

First use a needle or a screwdriver ground down to a point to remove the old paint from the engraving then :

1. Paint over the engraved area with white enamel paint (as used by modellers - Humbrol etc), let it dry for 30 or so minutes and then wipe the excess away with a solvent so that the only paint remaining is in the engraving.

or

2. Rub over the engraving with a soft wax crayon and then remove the excess with polish.
 
thank you gary for your input,that method makes total sense to me.given the tight spacing between the focus wheel and binocular hinge the only way to do a professional job is to remove the focus wheel so you have access to the back side of it.are you familiar with the removal of the focus wheel on this model? Or is that something zeiss in germany would repair.i do have a call into zeiss USA about the availability of a new focus wheel and am expecting a call back today.my only concern about replacing the focus wheel is can the serial number be transferred to the new focus wheel? thanks again.
jeff
 
hi Jeff,

The serial number is on a removable insert which can be re-fitted once the focus wheel has been changed.

Unfortunately special tools are required to remove the focus wheel so it will have to be done by Zeiss.
 
Thank you gary for your help at least i have an answer on what to do.I still have not heard back from zeiss USA repair dept. they were checking with germany to see if a new focus wheel is still available.i am going to call back today.I am an auto mechanic by trade and would love to tear apart that instrument but i know how important special tools and above all special knowledge are when working on fine equipment.thanks again for your help.
jeff
 
garymh said:
There are two ways of restoring the lettering.

First use a needle or a screwdriver ground down to a point to remove the old paint from the engraving then :

1. Paint over the engraved area with white enamel paint (as used by modellers - Humbrol etc), let it dry for 30 or so minutes and then wipe the excess away with a solvent so that the only paint remaining is in the engraving.

or

2. Rub over the engraving with a soft wax crayon and then remove the excess with polish.
Click to expand...

Hey GaryMH,
At the risk of asking something obvious...
I have a Zeiss central screw cover with 'Made in DDR/ 70 60' engraved on it. It is free from paint and all that is visible is the this engraving.
Do I paint it black first then clean out the engraving with a pin, paint the engraving white then wipe away?
Does that sound right?
Thanks Gary.
FullSizeRender.jpg
 
Hi,

Paint it black first and let it dry for 3 or 4 days. depending on how thin your paint is you may not need to clean out the engraving before colouring it white. You should be able to tell once the black coat is properly dry.

As you need to paint the black as well it may be best to use a wax crayon for the white - less chance of your cleaning solvent affecting the black.

Be patient - it can sometimes take a couple of attempts to get right.
 
Thank you so much Gary,
That makes a whole lot more sense to me now. I have had a few attempts and all ended in failure. I think it is because I didn't wait long enough for the black paint to dry before I applied then wiped off the white from the engraving. The thinner wiped off the black too.
Also I think I have a miss-match on the Humbrol black I'm using. It is a black satin but it looks so dull compared to the Zeiss black paint. It looks more like a black hammerite gloss on the Zeiss. I'm not sure.
I will do a search and see if I can track down to correct paint for an old pair of Zeiss.
 
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