Need help on leather repair for Scout Tel.

[tr63]

I purchased on Ebay, last week ,a British miliary Scout Regiment telecope in very good plus condition. The lens are perfect no dents in the tubes. The only thing needed for it ,is to have the 2 leather tabs on the leather covered main barrel to be reattached . The tabs are still fastened on one of their ends . The leather parts are in excellent condition other wise. Is there anyone in the U.S. that can do this repair ? The telescope is marked , H.C.R. & Sons Ltd. G.S. No. S699 O S 717 G A with a Broad Arrow mark . Any ideal what the cost may be for this type of repair ? The purchase price was $157.00 plus $26.00 shipping. Thanks for any help.

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[Peter Laidler]

I don't know about in the US but in the UK, anyone in the same situation COULD try 'SADDLER' on this forum. Ain't seen him for ages but I understand that he's still alive somewhere in the world!

[tr63]

Thanks ,Peter, the cost of shipping and insurance plus the cost of the repair would be greater than the purchase cost of $183.00 . Do you have any idea how to remove the leather from the main barrel section with out damaging the leather. I would think it is made up and sewn together and then slid on and held in place with some type of adhesive . Can this glue be softened to allow the leather to slide off ? How did you make this type of repair when it came in to military workshops when these scopes were still in service ? Maybe someone in the U.S. can chime in on this question?

[Peter Laidler]

I was thinking about this........... As I seem to remember, the Scout Reg scope doesn't have tabs on the outer draw, the main case to you and me surely. There's two sheets of leather, one on the sliding front shade and another on the main outer casing. It is the GS telescope that has the leather tabs sewn to the leather covering.

We used to just strip the leather off and re-cover in a black or mottled deep reddish/brown rexine material also used to cover lorry and bus seats. I'm not sure that you could heat it and slide it off. I'd just pick the stitching apart and peel it away. It does come away quite easily. Then ask a decent saddler or leather worker to re-sew it as it was. Should be an absolute doddle for them

[Son]

By the description of the markings, you have a Telescope GS (General Service). The two tabs attatched to the leather on the body retain the strap which has the two lens covers and may have a small case with a second eyepiece lens assembly in it (the Tel Sig & GS does)

Attachment 39781

In the pic, the top telescope is the "Signallers and general service" the two below are Tel Sct Regt MkIIs. The case on the Sig & GS is attached to the body, the cases for the Tel Sct Regt are separate.

[RobD]

Or use a drop of super glue (cyanoacrylate) - works a treat and won't cost $$.

[Patrick Chadwick]

I know zilch about spotting telescopes, but a little about old materials. In the days before Pattex etc had been invented, the typical glue for leather was probably an animal-derived glue - hide glue, bone glue, "cow gum" (haven't seen that for decades) or something similar. They all have the common characteristic that they are softened by hot water, and tend to become brittle with age.

I guess that the glue used for leather coverings on telscopes was that kind of glue. In which case, the leather will either peel off, as Peter describes (because the glue has become brittle) or can be loosened by applying hot water. This will soften the glue so that the peeling is less likely to tear the leather, but you will, of course, have to press the leather flat while it dries out.

The best person to ask is either a book restorer - if you can find one - or an antiques restorer who has handled leather-covered desktops.

[saddler]

TR63 has contacted me & we've chatted about possible options

As far as I am aware no glue was used to keep the leather on the telescopes - as ALL the ones I have repaired had a very good layer of verdi-gris under the leather, from direct contact with the leather. Glue of any sort would act as a barrier & prevent this build up

The possible repair needed is about the $40 mark or thereabouts (IF tr63 can get the leather covering off in one piece) - if I need to resew the main covering it will take a little more time & hence cost a little more

I just carried out an identical repair to one of my own old telescopes last month - an Edinburgh made 3-draw civilian model with the extra bonus of having the extra adjuster section to take it from 20x to 40X

[Bindi2]

Q was the leather not soaked stretched over a mandrel , then slip fitted to the scope, then heat dried to a skrink fit.

[tr63]

I am new to the forum and every one here has very helpfull. It appears that I have the Telescope G.S. General Servies model as shown in Son's reply above. The two tabs are attached to the main leather covered body of the scope. There are two leather caps that fit over each end the scope. The carry strap goes through the tabs on the of end caps and than passes through the tabs on the barrel of the scope. The scope did not have the extra eye pice or the leather the lens carrier for it. It came with the eye lens marked LOW . My L42 A1 transit chest contains a simiilar scope with the extra eye lens marked HIGH and it's leather carrier that attaches to the carry strap. complete with the British military I.D. hang tags . I was told that this model scope was one of the various models the military services used as a spotting scope for the sniper set up.