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World War One(?) U S Army Signal Corps 6x30/Naval Gun Factory of NY: Cleaned!

$ 34.32

Availability: 100 in stock
  • All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
  • MPN: Does Not Apply
  • Brand: Army Surplus
  • Size: Full-Size
  • Modified Item: Yes
  • Condition: Used
  • Model: 6x
  • Application: Astronomy
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: United States

    Description

    World War One U S Army Signal Corps 6x30/Naval Factory Optic Lenses. Condition is Used. Shipped with USPS Priority Mail.
    This is a second set I got at auction thinking it was something different. Turns out to be either a surplus overpainted Army bin, or possibly a civilian model. The chassis was definitely that brick red at some point, as you can see it beneath the black paint a previous owner applied.
    Nice hefty 6x with lots of brass trim. I have a near mint issued model so am selling off this one after a light cleaning. This style uses numerous stout set screws embedded in the frame to shove prisms. So because of the complexity, I unscrewed just one screw and pulled off the uniquely shaped prism covers that are formed from thick stock. Gently wiped both sloping sides of each beautifully ground Bak-4 prism and the underneath surface of said cover. Replaced the cover and spring steel cross bar that also holds the prism in place, and moved on to the next ones. Wherever the base of each prism was exposed by the circular seat aperature, or cut out, I also cleaned that. Wiped off the rears of the oculars and objectives, the latter which screw off easily without effecting alignment.
    Views are vastly improved but not pristine compared to what a real pro, or advanced hobbiest, familiar with this type of vin bin, can do. Normally I'd remove each prism so as to get at the areas that overlap one another at the circular seat cut out/aperature. Learned the hard way just how complicated re-aligning these can be after the more extensive cleaning! My set still awaits further  work. Perhaps there is an expert out there that can do this in their sleep.
    So while not perfect, they are now perfectly useable and not just a nice wall hanger or interesting paper weight for the office desk. I'd guess they are a bit cleaner than just about any others offered for sale here. I've been cleaning binoculars for about five years and have noted nearly all optics older than a decade, some less than that, acquire film and spots internally. Worse in CF (Center Focus) models where the EPs moving up and down in unison act like bellows to suck in dust and other debris.
    Whomever once owned this set obviously adored them as they crafted a really nice case for it out of a camera case possibly made in Italy. So stamped on the brass hasp. They took the time to custom cut foam inserts to cradle the binocular, nicely. I conditioned the original leather strap for the bin that also has its metal barbell keepers. The EPs are very smooth!