Help identifying this microscope (single magnification, no markings)

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fugacity
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Dec 09, 2017 3:31 pm

Help identifying this microscope (single magnification, no markings)

#1 Post by fugacity » Sat Dec 09, 2017 4:00 pm

Hello, I was hunting for information for identifying microscopes and found this forum. I'm actually looking mostly to date this microscope, or at least date it as not modern.

The microscope appears to have only one magnification, there could be a eye piece missing as there is threading there. There is some sort of inner lining that is coming away a bit in the main cylinder.

There is general wear but the major focusing action seems fairly smooth. I'm not quite sure of the fine wheels at the top.

The stage is strange. It looks like it could account for some sort of beveled slide or slide assembly. There's no mirror and there doesn't look like there is a way to mount it.

However, it does work! I was able to magnify a piece of paper, but I haven't estimated the magnification.

I'd say, due to the lack of markings, apparent age, and simplicity, that it could be quite old. However, there are some screws that look almost modern.

Any non-destructive cleaning and repair tips would be appreciated too.

Thanks!
Attachments
Unknown Microscope bottom, no markings
Unknown Microscope bottom, no markings
Microscope bottom - sm.jpg (42.67 KiB) Viewed 2769 times
Unknown Microscope, fine adjustment?
Unknown Microscope, fine adjustment?
Microscope back - sm.jpg (61.97 KiB) Viewed 2769 times
Unknown Microscope, missing eyepiece?
Unknown Microscope, missing eyepiece?
Microscope top closeup - sm.jpg (56.29 KiB) Viewed 2769 times
Unknown Microscope Stage, no mirror, no clips
Unknown Microscope Stage, no mirror, no clips
Microscope stage - sm.jpg (57.76 KiB) Viewed 2769 times
Unknown Microscope
Unknown Microscope
Microscope overview - sm.jpg (47.79 KiB) Viewed 2769 times

apochronaut
Posts: 6272
Joined: Fri May 15, 2015 12:15 am

Re: Help identifying this microscope (single magnification, no markings)

#2 Post by apochronaut » Sun Dec 10, 2017 11:58 pm

It is hard to see some important details from the supplied pictures but I can stab at some guesses.

First, the stage is missing some parts but appears to be specialized to view something in the left to right direction.
Second, it is missing an eyepiece. The final magnification would be the product of the objective magnification X the eyepiece magnification.
Third, the objective looks quite short, so is probably of a low magnification.
Fourth. The focus is coarse only. There is no fine focus, so whatever it's application, there was only need to focus and then use, There was no need to refocus, usually.
Fifth. It is solid brass and therefore quite stable.
Sixth. It appears to have a machined base, and might have been designed to be placed on a specific type of table or the work itself.

It looks to me like some type of shop or industrial microscope with optics and a stage designed for a specific purpose.

The oblong port in the stage looks as though some sort of precise transparent object, could have been examined and the instrument placed right on top of a light source. Photography, film emmulsion, printing, lithography, all come to mind possibly but it does look like an older industrial microscope to me.

Is there nothing written on the objective lens?

A seventh point is that it has a locking stop ring on the ocular tube. These are seen on microscopes where the exact bottom of the travel is adjusted to give perfect focus, or in the case of some educational microscopes , as a protective focus stop. In this case, I think it to be the former. The port in the stage, looks to be about the 1" x 3" of a standard microscope slide. I don't know that, for sure but I am throwing out another idea, if that turns out to be the case.
If very precisely made, long, thin, tissue samples were put between two slides, they could be moved left to right and the tissue observed , while the microscope sat above a very bright light source. This is exactly the technique employed to search for trichinella cysts, in meat , mainly the trichinella Spiralis of pork. If the objective eyepiece combination , turns out to be around 100X and that is the usual magnification employed but 50X and up would also do, it could be an old trichinoscope. With precisely sectioned samples, the focus stop would be used to ease focusing for the operator, who may have to look at quite a few samples in a day. Pork samples, were usually fairly thick and more modern tricinoscopes used a 100 watt or higher light box under the microscope, in order to penetrate the tissue with enough light. I think the most recent PZO version , from the late 80's, used a 300 watt lamp housing and a single 100X magnification.

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Bufo Bill
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2016 10:52 pm
Location: Wolverhampton, UK

Re: Help identifying this microscope (single magnification, no markings)

#3 Post by Bufo Bill » Wed Dec 13, 2017 10:31 pm

Hi, in the early nineties my school had a library of rolls of transparencies that used a microscope with a similar stage to yours. Obviously yours is older than that, but it maybe something similar from a school or college.
All the best from Bill.
My 'scope: Seben SBX-5 Stereo Microscope.

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