Binoculars Repair – Apart & After

Whether these binoculars have been opened and cleaned in 95 years is not known. They came apart easily and even though one eyepiece had collapsed the threads were not damaged. The lenses were dirty inside and out. The felt rings inside the tubes was bad and caused the action to open and close the barrel difficult. On one side of the tubes the leather had split and was dangling.

After cleaning the parts the action was vastly improved. Bits of new leather filled the void of what was lost. Light staining and oiling made the leather presentable. In reassembly everything fit and was not difficult.

It’s funny, these binoculars have the resolution and brightness of a cheap toy. They are better than the unaided eye, but must have given the user headaches if their pupil to pupil width didn’t fit these fixed lens. Einstein believed the greatest barrier to knowledge was our limited senses and the tools we use to measure.