Re: Looking for Watson microscope parts
- From: "Adam Smith" <noone@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 29 Jul 2006 09:17:33 -0400
You might actually ask on rec.crafts.metalworking (believe it or not).
Gunner, who is the most frequent poster there (especially on off-topic
political rants), has mentioned that he has microscope parts amongst his
mountains of surplus "stuff". If he has what you are looking for price (if
any, lots being given away I think), will be excellent. Despite the
political noise, he seems to be one of the most consistently helpful
participants on r.c.m.
Regards,
Adam Smith
Midland, Ontario, Canada
"David Littlewood" <david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:X8+PhdL7oqyEFwa5@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In article <44CA1BEB.4010807@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Christopher Tidy
<cdt22NOSPAM@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes
Hi all,Hi Chris
I was recently given three Watson "Service" microscopes. All have various
parts of the condenser assembly missing. One has just the diaphragm
missing, another has the diaphragm and lens missing, and the third has the
diaphragm, lens and carriage missing. I'm hoping to repair one of these
microscopes for my own use. The least I need is the diaphragm. Does anyone
have or know where I might find spares for these microscopes? If anyone
else is repairing one the these microscopes I'd be glad to swap spares. I
know the chances are probably slim but I thought I'd give this group a go.
Best wishes,
Chris Tidy
Usually the condenser has the diaphragm built-in, though it may be
separate on an old microscope.
There is a fair amount of microscope equipment on eBay. The Watson Service
is not particularly rare. Unfortunately the majority of sellers are in the
USA, but my experience of buying from US sellers with good feedback has
been almost all good (watch for the import taxes though).
Brunel Microscopes have had Watsons quite often in the past, though I
suspect a fair amount of their second-hand trade has defected to eBay.
You could subscribe to the Yahoo Microscope group, it is fairly active and
a fair few UK members.
The Queckett Microscopical Society has frequent meetings around the
country, and often has trade stands. This may be your best source, as they
seem to have a large percentage of "spare parts and accessories,
especially for old microscopes.
You could at a pinch use a condenser lens from another make of 'scope.
Optically there should be no problem with matching, you would only have to
worry about physical fit for mounting. I have a CTS polarising microscope
without a condenser; I just tried the condenser from a Baker of similar
vintage and it fits perfectly. Haven't tried it optically, but it should
be OK. If you go to a swapmeet type of do, try taking the condenser holder
(or a measurement and a vernier caliper) with you.
Even a surplus objective lens should work, though you may need to faff
around to find one that best matches the objectives in use. A crude test
with a spare condenser here suggests that the focal length of the
low-power condenser is about 50mm, suggesting an enlarger lens might be
good. For higher-power objectives (above about 20x) you will also need a
high-power supplementary (FL about 5-10mm) on top of it, which will be a
bit more tricky to find and fit.
Sorry, can't help you more specifically as I don't have (and never have
had) any Watson 'scopes.
An afterthought, not sure what you want to do, are you sure the Watson is
going to be worth the effort? There are many other models out there at
modest prices that are a lot more versatile.
David
--
David Littlewood
.
- References:
- Looking for Watson microscope parts
- From: Christopher Tidy
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