Edging my way into prism-cleaning with a nothing-to-lose case,
WW2 6x30 Wollensacks. There is quite a puzzle to solve but the iris,
central mounting, and prisms all slip out at the same time..phew.
There are many moldy WW2 binocs out there.
Removed prisms. Almost like four Petri dishes....web patterns, bulls-eyes,
ick. As mentioned by others, the usual cleaning doesn't get at some
mold areas. So....tartar-control toothpaste, index finger, rinse-n-check
for the coatings, and leaving a few tiny stubborn dits that absorb and don't
scatter light. Re-assembly: better than imagined. The eccentric rings up
front are extreme, so re-collimation went fine.
The view: Fairly bright, but not like the best. Sharpness 'varied'.
I turned each barrel in front of an eye, and discovered: one barrel has
astigmatism, the other doesn't (same eye used)..hah!
I guess they were in a hurry to churn out the quantity.
American optical quality was nothing like Germany or Japan,
until the US govt. pumped it up late in the war. At least one
naval battle was lost because of that.
I do like the cleaned Wollensacks a lot better, though. I've have queries
on fixing old 6x30s from WW2 Vets. families. In all cases, the
binoculars had chipped prisms and mold. Hopeless. Really harsh duty.
They might be able to buy a cleaned twin, though.
WW2 6x30 Wollensacks. There is quite a puzzle to solve but the iris,
central mounting, and prisms all slip out at the same time..phew.
There are many moldy WW2 binocs out there.
Removed prisms. Almost like four Petri dishes....web patterns, bulls-eyes,
ick. As mentioned by others, the usual cleaning doesn't get at some
mold areas. So....tartar-control toothpaste, index finger, rinse-n-check
for the coatings, and leaving a few tiny stubborn dits that absorb and don't
scatter light. Re-assembly: better than imagined. The eccentric rings up
front are extreme, so re-collimation went fine.
The view: Fairly bright, but not like the best. Sharpness 'varied'.
I turned each barrel in front of an eye, and discovered: one barrel has
astigmatism, the other doesn't (same eye used)..hah!
I guess they were in a hurry to churn out the quantity.
American optical quality was nothing like Germany or Japan,
until the US govt. pumped it up late in the war. At least one
naval battle was lost because of that.
I do like the cleaned Wollensacks a lot better, though. I've have queries
on fixing old 6x30s from WW2 Vets. families. In all cases, the
binoculars had chipped prisms and mold. Hopeless. Really harsh duty.
They might be able to buy a cleaned twin, though.
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