Zeiss deltrintem date of manufacture (1 Viewer)

[milvusmilvus]

Hi all,

Just another Zeiss dating post. I would appreciate your help.

I have the opportunity to purchase a mint condition deltrintem with 2925502 serial number. Before asking for help I have been searching both birdforum and the internet without success. The “Europe.com” domain is for sale and I couldn’t find the Zeissbin file anywhere.

So, Could you help me with the date of manufacture of this bino?

Thank you very much. Kind regards,

Antonio.

 

[Foss]

Zeiss manufactured the Deltrintem from 1920 - 1990. The date of manufacture for 2925502 would be 1958. I would expect it to have coated lenses.
Good luck and post pix if/when you can.
Foss

 

[milvusmilvus]

Zeiss manufactured the Deltrintem from 1920 - 1990. The date of manufacture for 2925502 would be 1958. I would expect it to have coated lenses.
Good luck and post pix if/when you can.
Foss

Thank you very much Foss!

I will post some pictures when I receive them. I bought them from a second hand online shop and I wasn’t expecting them to be that old 😀. Anyhow, they seem to be in mint condition and it was a controlled risk as they were not too expensive. I was willing to play a little with such a legendary binocular.

Regards!

 

[Wasabrot]

Wayback Machine

I hope this link will work for you. It is backuppage of the old list.
BW

 

[milvusmilvus]

Yes, it works!

Thank you very much for sharing such a valuable information.

 

[Bino Steve]

On those old Deltrintem's keep the diopter threads clean and only lubed with some non-hardening lube. No old fashioned lithium grease. The diopter mechanics design was poor in my opinion and highly prone to seizing those threads. Nearly impossible to get freed up. I destroyed one recently trying to free it up. Fortunately. I had a " junkyard" Deltrintem to rob a working diopter from, and repair the better unit. Enjoy your new find!

 

[milvusmilvus]

Thank you very much Bino Steve.

I’ll follow your advice. Any suggestions for an appropriate grease?

 

[Bino Steve]

I know some use mobil1 synthetic as it's easy to find and gives some resistance. I use Nyogel 767A damping grease for that smooth precision feel. The mated threads on that diopter have very little clearance, so you can't get a lot of grease in there. Everything is magnesium on there so be very gentle on the metal. Good luck.

 

[Wailing]

Hi Folks .. do you have access to a similar serial number list for the Zeiss monoculars?

 

[milvusmilvus]

Hi again,

I received the binos when I where about to leave for some days off. Now I’m back, so I can upload the promised pictures.

The case is a little more beaten but it seems the binoculars have left the case very few times in these 64 years. They are absolutely mint, no dings, no scratches, all paint is intact as is the vulcanite.

Construction is superb, all goes smoothly. Image quality is also very good. Light transmission is to be expected not too high. I have compared it to my Habitch 8x30 and difference is noticeable, but it is not a fair comparison.

 

[milvusmilvus]

Now some pictures of the optics.

It is difficult to capture with the camera but the inside is absolutely clean. No fungus nor dust. But as you can see, there is haze on the objective lenses. I guess that with 64 years it is showing some cataracts 😀.

My plan is to open it and clean/polish it to obtain the best view I can.

I will report back when done.

Regards.

 

[milvusmilvus]

And now a game: Look for the seven differences 😀

No doubt they share a common past.

 

[Bino Steve]

That is a beautiful unit there. Obviously very little use. I'd be nervous taking such a mint one apart, especially if you plan to mess with prisms, but at the same time, not rare enough to warrant paying big money to send to a repair shop ?

 

[Bino Steve]

Serial number looks old enough that it should have magnesium objective tubes also. They are so so fragile. You can't use any kind of metal wrench to remove a stuck tube, even if you wrap it in leather before applying wrench. Only a strap wrench. The metal is like butter. And you will crush the tube besides. Ask how I know these things. The later years actually had plastic tubes. The eyepiece housings are so light and fragile they seem like a light breeze would blow them away. The slightest squeeze with any tool will deform them. Again, ask how I know. Anyway, have fun and enjoy the nice view.

 

[milvusmilvus]

I have aborted cataracts surgery. With a strap wrench I have taken out the covers of the objective tubes. Then, with an objective lens wrench I have tried to undo the objective lenses retaining rings and they were so tight that magnesium started to strip. I have managed to move them half a turn but nothing else. I was afraid of ruining such a good sample of a perfect functional and old bino that I have decided to left them as they are. Not sure how much the view would improve with the cleaning/polishing. It is not bad at all as it is. Maybe the sweet spot is a little small to my taste and that won’t improve with the cleaning.

And regarding the repair shop, I don’t thing it is worth it, honestly.

Thank you for your support. I really like the binocular. Habitch is way better in all aspects except smooth focusing, to be expected due to waterproofing.

 

[Bino Steve]

That's too bad you ran into trouble. The whole tube should spin out. No need to unscrew objectives. But the corrosion has locked tube in. You could try penetrating lube, but it's a hit or miss it would work. The threads are so fine and tight on these. If Diopter is frozen, forget it. For these reasons I don't buy any of this era Zeiss anymore sight unseen. Too risky. I only have 1 old Hensoldt, but selling it too.