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    Question Military binoculars repairs and restoration

    Hi everyone - looking for some much needed help! I have for a number of years had an interest in collecting military binoculars, nothing too fancy I am afraid since finances being the restrictive force. In recent years I have wanted to have a go at doing my own restoration, having them dealt with previously very ably by others, but alas the funds are not getting any easire. Here goes - my keen items seem to be anything English, good old Ross,Kershaw, Watson Baker along with Barr and Stroud. ANY information as to how to prize the stubborn parts apart and book titles that will, I hope , be full of techy information, work-shop manuals ( surprised how variable some WW1 binoculars can be internally.
    I am not scared of having a go, even this late in my life.
    Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
    Chris
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    A Collector's View - The SMLE Short Magazine Lee Enfield 1903-1989. It is 300 8.5x11 inch pages with 1,000+ photo’s, most in color, and each book is serial-numbered.  Covering the SMLE from 1903 to the end of production in India in 1989 it looks at how each model differs and manufacturer differences from a collecting point of view along with the major accessories that could be attached to the rifle. For the record this is not a moneymaker, I hope just to break even, eventually, at $80/book plus shipping.  In the USA shipping is $5.00 for media mail.  I will accept PayPal, Zelle, MO and good old checks (and cash if you want to stop by for a tour!).  CLICK BANNER to send me a PM for International pricing and shipping. Manufacturer of various vintage rifle scopes for the 1903 such as our M73G4 (reproduction of the Weaver 330C) and Malcolm 8X Gen II (Unertl reproduction). Several of our scopes are used in the CMP Vintage Sniper competition on top of 1903 rifles. Brian Dick ... BDL Ltd. - Specializing in British and Commonwealth weapons Specializing in premium ammunition and reloading components. Your source for the finest in High Power Competition Gear. Here at T-bones Shipwrighting we specialise in vintage service rifle: re-barrelling, bedding, repairs, modifications and accurizing. We also provide importation services for firearms, parts and weapons, for both private or commercial businesses.
     

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    Chris,

    Some easier than others and all depends what you are doing.... or want to do ? I searched high and low at times looking for info, there is a big binocular collector but can't think of his name at present ( you will see a lot of his stuff on the internet) to be honest with the names you mention, probably easier to contact a few of the old or I should say old school Armourer's on here, I,m sure they will point you in the right direction and you may get more info than you want.... amazing what info you do get or how anal some can be (I mean that in a good way) reminds me of a conversation tonight with another forum member (nothing to do with anal) but the conversation went off in all tangents and then come together.... and it was only realy meant to be a quick call...
    Last edited by bigduke6; 10-09-2014 at 08:04 PM.

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    I found a reference to this book on one website. Dr Hans Seegers "Military binoculars and telescopes for land, air and sea service" It might be worth checking AbeBooks Official Site - New Rare Books for a copy.

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    Thank you for that - I am new to this internet forum aspect so feeling my way around, getting confused but slowly getting there. Certainly not fazed by having too much information since sure will find it all useful at some stage and not bewildering! Just in the process of disassembling a Kershaw No2 Mk11 which proving a right ....... to getting the optic barrel to loosen up. has been suggested heat treatment if the usual liquid methods dont do the trick so out with the heat gun and/or soldering tool to shunt all that thread gunk that has sat there for 70+ years. Have seen a few of Peter Laidlericon's results who has set the standard for me, pretty high standard that it is. I suppose hwat I am trying to do is a form of "binocular rescue" since always amazed me the engenius high standard of engineering that goes into such a funtional tool - if it survived allthat treatment throughout the atrocities sure it can go one for another 70+ years.If only bioculars could talk what stories they could tell - perhaps some of them we wouldn't want to hear?Anyhow, thanks for your time and suggestion
    Have a good week-end
    Chris

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    I would come in here but you can fall into soooooooooo many traps with hidden 10 and 12 BA grub screws, left handed threads and brittle glass and immoveable field lenses, fine, unknown threads on a 'diameter', one way multi starts and so on that I won't even go on.......... As for the notion that they were all made to a drawing spec so should be interchangeable, then don't even speak the words again! Then you get the experts on the auction sites that buy, give 'em a dust over and re-sell with such glowing and flowery horse manure descriptions that beggar belief.......

    Just buy the best pair you can and be done with it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Robert303 View Post
    I found a reference to this book on one website. Dr Hans Seegers "Military binoculars and telescopes for land, air and sea service" It might be worth checking AbeBooks Official Site - New Rare Books for a copy.
    Thanks for that - I am fortunate to have a very tolerant and understanding partner who bought me the book for Xmas gone. She was right that it is a great reference book, and one that every binocular enthusiast MUST have, and even more intereting if you speak/understand Germanicon. Anyhow, really after something a lot more technical now, showing the specifics/diagram of a binocular and how to dismantle/disassemble. Checked out the Abe books site and just ordered "choosing, using and repairing binoculars ( J.W. Seyfried) which may go some way to helping - will be with me next week? Having a go at the Kershaw WW11 set but a lot of it guesswork at the moment.
    Thanks for taking your time to help - appreciated!
    have a pleasant week-end.
    Chris

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    Quote Originally Posted by Peter Laidlericon View Post
    I would come in here but you can fall into soooooooooo many traps with hidden 10 and 12 BA grub screws, left handed threads and brittle glass and immoveable field lenses, fine, unknown threads on a 'diameter', one way multi starts and so on that I won't even go on.......... As for the notion that they were all made to a drawing spec so should be interchangeable, then don't even speak the words again! Then you get the experts on the auction sites that buy, give 'em a dust over and re-sell with such glowing and flowery horse manure descriptions that beggar belief.......

    Just buy the best pair you can and be done with it.
    Hi Peter. You were good enough to suggest the Milsurps site to me a while back for which I thank you. I know what you mean about certain auction sites and indeed have been caught out on a few occassions with buying a few which are now only "junkers" and not unusual to see your well written CES kit article on binoculars being passed off as being the sellers. I now have about 60 or so binoculars, nothing grand but enjoy them all just the same, and now wanting to move onto confidently cleaning them. Basic problems such as loosening the eye piece from the prism cover when proving extra stubborn? Have read somewhere on the net that the Bausch and Lomb M17 has a "workshop" manual that can be purchased so made me wonder if other makes/models would do the same, unlikely by the sounds of things. I had limited success on a few Ross Sterio Prismatic sets ( very very basic) when I disassembled then sent them away for cleaning and reassembling - came back and viewing was like night to day - which would be lovely to do on the Kershaw.
    Figure must al be a case of trial and error - and hope that I can learn before I run out of "junker" sets.
    thank you for taking the time Peter
    Chris

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