Re: B&L, Leica SZ Parts


"Kevin Cunningham" <smskjc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1187959086.914929.327020@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Edward Hennessey wrote:
I have a few Leica and B&L stereozoom, boom stand microscopes from
industry
with good optics.
Because the people who used them didn't own them, they received the
standard
manhandling. There is doubt that fasteners were ever loosened when
adjustments of optical pod position were made. Along with that, the rack
and
pinion elevating mechanism for some of the pods doesn't look at all
crisp.
My plan is to paint and tune these up to send overseas as gifts to
support
natural science work. I'd appreciate any pointer to parts diagrams and
any
leads on a discount supplies of the abused elements. Kevin will have an
immediate idea of the parts that are implicated as likely suspects. I
always
admire that voice of experience. Moons ago, I did a similar maintenance
on a
stereozoom which went easily and worked fine.

I appreciate all advice and consideration.

Regards,

Edward Hennessey

Edward, Make sure you have inch tools, allen wrenches mostly, since
these are built to an inch standard. I doubt they need repainting but
I could be wrong, be very carefull about changing were things mate,
that can be a real problem.

Kevin:

Thanks for the reply. I have the tools. The only repainting will be on the
big, tabular,
counterweighting bases. I could replace the elevation focus knobs with all
their soldering-iron
burns but that isn't a functional issue.

On to the focus. Take the stereo of the focus mechanism and look at
the pinion gear. These are usually helical. Some times the get just
a little damaged and that can be corrected by a little filing. Get a
small sized Nicholson file set from a local hardware store. Then
check the other side. You may need a new rack gear, get that from
Leica. Re-lubricate and reassemble. For a lubricant try Dow-Corning
111, its synthetic, cheap and it works. If the pinion gear is un-
repairable then you have to get another from Leica, Re-lubricate and
assemble.

All clear. I haven't found a diagram of the nameless "friction-stop"
elements at the end of the
long aluminum arm which controls the attitude of the cradle for the optical
pod, though mc above did
put me on to valuable manual material which can go with the microscopes..
These friction elements were the victims of the misuse and are the apparent
sources of the inability of the pod cradle to remain stable under load.

Let me know how it goes and thanks for sending these microscopes off
to folks that need them.

Appreciations anew for the offer of guidance. When I extract the offending
parts and can name them--
or at least geometrically describe them--I'll call out a roster just in case
there is a replacement source that might be more economical than most.

I'm happy other people can get more use out of these instruments than I can
at the time with the limited
number of eyes I can claim.It's good to occasionally reckon the difference
between having more and having enough.

Regards,

Edward Hennessey


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