Identify this AO Mutant Model 10 Beast from my Boneyard

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ebenbildmicroscopy
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Identify this AO Mutant Model 10 Beast from my Boneyard

#1 Post by ebenbildmicroscopy » Sat Mar 20, 2021 4:17 am

I've had this Fleabay purchase hanging out in my "boneyard/parts" area of the machine shop for several years. I bought it because it was clearly made by American Optical in their factory. and I'm a collector and fan of the Model 10 (my favorite being a beautiful "Phase Star" that came from Clemson University Surplus).

I bought this from an Ebay seller who was the son of an AO field technician/salesman whose career peaked in the 1970s. The seller was cleaning out a storage garage that he inherited after his father had recently passed away. The stand in question is all NOS (new old stock) that I'm assuming was demonstrated for a metallurgist or the like... the epi port was included with it and I have shown it just as I received it and given you views of it standing next to it's normal sized cousin.

Someone tell me more about this... is it a 1 off or am I failing to find any literature or catalog for it... I've about exhausted the "xmission" website archive... to no avail. I've always thought that the stage seems undersized compared with the available "swing" that could be applied to the specimen thickness.
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Last edited by ebenbildmicroscopy on Sat Mar 20, 2021 9:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
JeffO, aka "Ortho amore"
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PeteM
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Re: Identify this AO Mutant Model 10 Beast from my Boneyard

#2 Post by PeteM » Sat Mar 20, 2021 8:01 am

Pretty cool. Is there a parting line on the arm, where an additional part was grafted on? If not (and it looks to be one piece) one would assume there must be a few of these around - not much sense having just one casting made. That said, it wouldn't be a surprise if no one here (even Phil) has had or even seen one of these.

It's common enough to see raised microscopes, to accommodate thick specimens. But it's usually a machined piece bolted on between the base and arm.

apochronaut
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Re: Identify this AO Mutant Model 10 Beast from my Boneyard

#3 Post by apochronaut » Sun Mar 21, 2021 1:59 pm

That is a "pebble"viewing microscope. That was a custom body incorporating a vertical illuminator, originally made for the Harlem Globetrotters. Key to their act, is that every member must have complete one handed control over the ball and be able to perform numerous seemingly impossible tricks while doing so. The pebble structure on the surface of the basketball is critical to performing this flawlessly, so every basketball they used had to be examinined over it's entire surface to ensure that the pebble structure was perfect.
That one looks like it has had a standard stage fitted. There was a bowl shaped stage originally, with a ring of ball bearings so that the ball could freely be rotated in any direction to ease inspection. That was later motorized, which saved the equipment manager a lot of time. The older manual model was given to the Harlem Diplomats, after which, they didn't drop the ball so much.

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ebenbildmicroscopy
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Re: Identify this AO Mutant Model 10 Beast from my Boneyard

#4 Post by ebenbildmicroscopy » Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:22 pm

apochronaut, *THAT* has to be one of the BEST explanations I have ever heard in my life!

So, as a little background, I do part-time work as a music director of a church, one town over, and Sunday is always a pretty involved day. There's always sumthin' to do at the music office so I arrive early and there's a late orchestra rehearsal that I lead on Sunday evening so I usually just hang around the office. On the other side of the building from the music area, there's an administrative office that people stay after the morning service to secure the deposit.

I was in hysterics about my Globe Trotter microscope so much that someone stopped by to see what "all the commotion" was... I about fell in the floor enjoying it. About this time, I'm usually trying to relax after the adrenaline rush of playing and directing for an intense hour and I ALWAYS choose Microbe Hunter to wind down... just FABULOUS!!!

In the picture of my desk, you'll see the Globe Trotter scope in the background... I had brought it over to the office to use my conference table to photograph on... I like the wood grain.
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Last edited by ebenbildmicroscopy on Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
JeffO, aka "Ortho amore"
Leitz Ortholux I
Leitz Orthoplan
Leitz Macro-Dia Device
Zeiss GFL
Zeiss Standard
Zeiss Photomicroscope III
Zeiss OPMI 6S
B&L Stereozoom and Balplan

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ebenbildmicroscopy
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Re: Identify this AO Mutant Model 10 Beast from my Boneyard

#5 Post by ebenbildmicroscopy » Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:28 pm

AND, yes, PeteM, there are some lines evident in the body of the scope... I'm going to try and adjust the lighting in order to see if they will show up in a digital photo. There's also some evidence of "blending" marks under the paint about half way up the arm just under the co-axial focus knobs. I'll attempt to photograph.
JeffO, aka "Ortho amore"
Leitz Ortholux I
Leitz Orthoplan
Leitz Macro-Dia Device
Zeiss GFL
Zeiss Standard
Zeiss Photomicroscope III
Zeiss OPMI 6S
B&L Stereozoom and Balplan

apochronaut
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Re: Identify this AO Mutant Model 10 Beast from my Boneyard

#6 Post by apochronaut » Sun Mar 21, 2021 10:47 pm

I could of course been wrong! Tympanis! Wow. you are so well kitted out. I was a tympanist in a youth orchestra. Mendelssohn! I rebuild drums and violins. Done a few tympanis. Yours are nice and shiney. Do the pedals still work well? If you ever need heads....

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Re: Identify this AO Mutant Model 10 Beast from my Boneyard

#7 Post by ebenbildmicroscopy » Mon Mar 22, 2021 1:29 am

apo - this is too coincidental - so that it would be applied to last years budget, I just bought (back in November) new Remo Renaissance hazy heads from Steve Weiss.com for those ancient "Slingerland" tympani. While I had the old heads removed, I used a nylon car body mallet and some dollies to remove a ding from the little 29", regreased the lugs, and cleaned and siliconed the rims. Back in 2003, I paid $200/each for those actual copper drums. We have 2 excellent tympanists in the church (one who cut his teeth in the Penn State marching band). Our "in-house" players never give me grief but, on rare occasions when I have to hire one, everyone complains about the reverse ratchet pedals AND that there's no mechanical tuning lever/indicator... literally, those new skins have pitches written on them and we have nylon lines attached to each pedal with bread twist ties as pointers!! Those tympani were bought by the Richmond, VA amusement park "King's Dominion" in 1976 to play the opening note of a famous arrangement of America for the bicentennial festivities going on that year! It is a convoluted tale how they ended up here! I'm about to replace the little snare that belongs to my best percussionist with one of the wooden frame "Pork Pies" that get great reviews... in a perfect world, I want to add a 26" tympani so our players don't have to kill themselves pedaling so much - fourths and fifths intervals are the bread and butter of church players/pit crews!

What a joy to learn we share music AND microscopy - well done!
JeffO, aka "Ortho amore"
Leitz Ortholux I
Leitz Orthoplan
Leitz Macro-Dia Device
Zeiss GFL
Zeiss Standard
Zeiss Photomicroscope III
Zeiss OPMI 6S
B&L Stereozoom and Balplan

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