[Leica] Delicate Operation

[Jim Nichols]

You are braver than me. Have you tried to find a manual for it on-line?  
I found several, but don't know your model number.

On 5/22/21 9:44 PM, Aram Langhans via LUG wrote:
> I have been looking for a decent microscope ever since I retired 13 
> years ago.  A biologist w/o a microscope is like a photographer w/o a 
> camera.  I have owned or had access to a microscope ever since 4th 
> grade when I used my Christmas money to buy a Tasco. When in 
> California I happened to look at Craig's List and found someone with a 
> nice Nikon scope advertised "Like New" and two AO scopes missing some 
> lenses he was tossing in all for $100.  It took a few weeks to hook 
> up, but we met in a WalMart parking lot and I tried them out with 
> power from my RV.  They were in sad shape.  The AO's were not bad, but 
> the Nikon was really rough and the fine focus was seized up but it has 
> nice "Plan" objectives.  I like a challenge so I offered $80 and he 
> took it.  Transported them home and took the AO's apart, lubed them 
> and got one working quite well with a borrowed set of eyepieces from 
> the Nikon.  The second one as an alignment problem probably beyond my 
> ability to calibrate.  I had been using penetrating oil and wrenches 
> on the Nikon for days trying to free up the shaft, but to no avail.
>
> I finally figured out how the focusing mechanism might be disassembled 
> on the Nikon scope and took it apart.  I had nothing to loose.  Got 
> the fine focus shaft out of it with a hammer and a punch.  It was all 
> corroded and I think the scope had been dropped as the sleeve was 
> partially bend.  Cleaned it all up.  Used a long drill to clean out 
> the sleeve and a rod to straighten it out.  It is now all lubed and 
> put back together, but I need to replace three set screws that were 
> sheered off either by me or by someone forcing the focus mechanism.  
> One I have no idea where it is suppose to go.  Small metric.  I will 
> visit Tacoma Screw on Monday to see if I can find anything, or else I 
> will drill and retap with SAE screws.  Still have a stripped focus nob 
> and tensioner I need to figure out, and the fine focus eccentric 
> bushing that has a spot for 4 set screws but there were none in 
> sight.  I might get this thing working after all.  I took photos of 
> the process so I knew how to put it back together.   It is pretty 
> complex but elegant.  Also a shot of the disassembled scope.
>
> Here is the scope disassembled:
>
> Nikon Scope-4193 (leica-users.org) 
> <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Aram/misc/sc/Nikon+Scope-4193.jpg.html>
>
> Then the process involved in taking apart the focusing mechanism and 
> then the reassembled mechanism starts here:
>
> Nikon Scope-4178 (leica-users.org) 
> <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Aram/misc/sc/Nikon+Scope-4178.jpg.html>
>
> Comments welcome
>
> Aram
>
-- 
Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA