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Identification help - Leitz accessory

Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2015 1:06 pm
by Alex H
Among a number of ordinary and uninteresting objectives and eyepieces that I have, there are few, which purpose or identification are not clear to me. This is the first of them:
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It consists of somewhat unusual eyepiece fitted into a tube with what looks like a sharp blade.
The eyepiece has deeply recessed top lens, and an additional ring that adjusts how deep the eyepiece goes into the tube - simple but effective focusing adjustment.
The tube itself has a sharp blade at the bottom, located at an angle to the optical axis of the eyepiece. When set up, the eyepiece is focused at the edge of the blade.

I have a general idea about what this thing can be used for, but I was not able to locate any information about this contraption online. Most probably, I am using wrong search words.

If anyone knows the name of this tool and its purpose, I'll be grateful to hear. Thanks

Re: Identification help - Leitz accessory

Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2015 2:54 pm
by apochronaut
This is a Pule, or " Donkey's Pet" cheese slicer. For the 600.00/lb. rare cheese, made from smoked Donkey's milk at the Zasavica Special Nature Reserve about 60km. west of Belgrade, a finer grade of cheese slicer is required. The focusing eyepiece allows the user to get a degree of accuracy previously unheard of in cheese slicers. This appears to be an older model and no doubt has seen it's share of premier events not to mention possibly a few royal weddings or show business parties.

Re: Identification help - Leitz accessory

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:50 am
by Alex H
apochronaut wrote:This is a Pule, or " Donkey's Pet" cheese slicer. For the 600.00/lb. rare cheese, made from smoked Donkey's milk at the Zasavica Special Nature Reserve about 60km. west of Belgrade, a finer grade of cheese slicer is required. The focusing eyepiece allows the user to get a degree of accuracy previously unheard of in cheese slicers. This appears to be an older model and no doubt has seen it's share of premier events not to mention possibly a few royal weddings or show business parties.
Thank you for your reply, but could you provide some references to support your words. It is just that this tool that I have does not smell cheesy at all.

Re: Identification help - Leitz accessory

Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2015 5:33 pm
by apochronaut
No but the explanation was. ......Well, I guess I have to admit to stretching the truth a little. The part about the Pule or smoked donkey milk cheese, at 600.00/lb. is the truth but what else would you slice that cheese with but a microscope?
All I can say, is that your device has a focusing eyepiece, which is similar to others I have seen. The two tiered eye section is an early type of high eye relief design and is intended for use with glasses( or eye for that matter). The lens of your glasses or your eyescocket, coming in contact with the upper section ensures an accurate and focused imageof the bottom of the instrument once it is focused for you.
Are you sure that is a blade? It looks to me like there are a couple of screw holes in the angled section. I've seen similar devices made by other companies, that are small inspection microscopes. If there was an angled mirror fitted into it , the device would provide a reflected image of something the side port fitted against, a sort of right angle imaging microscope?

Re: Identification help - Leitz accessory

Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2015 5:42 pm
by Alex H
The edge is very sharp, hence I assumed it was a blade. I do not exclude the fact that it might have housed the prism of some kind and was part of a bigger device, Unfortunately, in the bin of random bits and pieces that this item was found, there was nothing that it can connect to.

Thank you for your help!