Reproduction BEH 7x50 rubber armour

[amberjake]

Hi all I'm a friend of flak bunker (will g) he cant remember his login so ive been given this task to let you all know about these repro armour we have been working on replacements for beh 7x50 armour and we have finally cracked it

We have listed them on eBay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2611166934...84.m1558.l2649

These are exactly the same externally including the line and marks on the original
There are no cracks or weak points in these copys what so ever
Unfortunately we can only do a limited amount at a time because of the work involved

We have fitted everyone to wills binos to make sure they fit perfect before sale
If your not satisfied we will gladly accept returns minus postage of course

I myself am just getting into collecting but what better way to get into this great hobby than making something that hasn't been made since the war to help people get the use of these fine binos again

Remember also if you buy a pair of these it means you can remove your originals and store them safely with no worries just like will has done

[Mikedenmark]

The listing confused me a bit.
8x60 ??
CXN ???

Now, While I understand the need to make them searchable, I think it would be better to leave out the reference to the 8x60 ( which exist as a rubber protected model as well)

It is an alluring possibility to get a couple of these set. Only I hope there is some minor difference to an old set. Otherwise future collectors will have a hard time telleing the difference.

Or maybe no-one cares.

Nice set.

[amberjake]

good thinking that man, ill get will to sort that out and yes i think he did it like that so searching would pick it up,
there is a minor difference internally but does not affect fitting whatsoever externally they are spot on you couldnt tell the difference between them
Will now uses a set on his binos as they seem to be able to take quite a bit of punishment ie bending the flaps all the way back for instance with no cracking or splitting of any kind,,his originals are now tucked away for safe keeping

[globbitz]

Hello amberjake,

Do you have any plans to also make reproduction objective and prism-can rubber 'bumpers' for this same beh 7x50 KM binocular and also other (similar) binocular rubber protection for Zeiss and other models (e.g. blc 7x50 U-Boot)?

So, for example various collectors have original rubber 'bumpers' from other binocular models, and thus could possibly allow you to make perfect moulds from them. What sort of deal can you offer any such 'donors'? (e.g. a free set), and also to other members of this forum as a fixed-price for a complete set (or portions thereof)?

You don't even have to limit yourself to Wartime / Military binoculars, and could also produce other related products (e.g. Binocular objective ring protection for Carl Zeiss 7x50 consumer models for birdwatching, yachting, and other similar activities).

eBay is a good forum to enable you to make a quick turnaround and obtain the highest price for a limited production-run, however if you wanted to look at this as a longer-term prospect and make more from this opportunity by hitting a larger 'manufacture to-order' market whilst broadening your range of products (almost free into the bargain) and offering good value by keeping the costs realistic and achievable to all potential buyers, then I'm sure that you'll have a ready market?

Kind regards,
Paul

[amberjake]

Reproduction rubber armour

Hi Paul,
To be honest the money was not the primary objective I know James s and Sigi personally and i'm sure they will tell you that making money has never been a priority of mine, iam primarily a collector,fiddler,open them up and see what makes them tick bloke, (the smell of the lubricant does something for me ) ....when we started this "quest "it was to help others to not only use their beh (if they had no armour at all) or to replace damaged ones,but to see if it could be done,as you are aware the top is a very complicated piece of kit,i digress,in answer to your questions,yes we have thought of doing the bottom armour for the beh,and may well do soon,as for the middle section if there is enough demand for them then we will try,so please for all those who are reading this if you want them respond if there is enough demand we'll see what we can do,as for the zeiss 7x50 u-boat glass,no mike palmer does those and we have no intention to go into competition with anyone,were not a business,but as you point out money is involved,getting moulds made,production time,raw materials etc all cost I'm afraid,we put them on to eBay to gauge the reaction and demand we will set a reasonable and not mad price on these,I personally would love to do a set for the 8x60 beh,but alas that is one of the only hand held that has eluded me for the past twenty years,and a donor would have to have plums the size of grape fruits to donate a set to me in the hope he gets the rubber back in the same condition he sent it,but if anyone has a set of beh 8x60's with good rubbers that they want rid of I would be prepared to pay a good price for them,I hope this long and boring post answers some of your questions Paul
W

[Mikedenmark]

I am curious.
Which kind of material do you use to mould these parts?

Neoprene, or some real rubber product?


I think the lowest part for the beh 7x50 will be difficult to mount well onto the barrels. But it is interesting if and when you give it a go.

[amberjake]

No we do use rubber,it's really the only thing that can give it the same feel,the originals were made of synthetic rubber hence that smell you get from them,the real joy is knowing that people can now use them and they look as near as dammit to the originals as you can get,and they will last long after i'm not here,as for the bottom "bumpers", as you say they will have to fit well or it isn't worth doing,my set needs one so will probably try it in the near future,if there is a demand then we'll see if we can a few more made,steve ( ever the inventor wants to try a brow pad for the 10x80 flak ) so i may well succumb to his incessant nagging

[Mikedenmark]

Now the brow pad for the 10x80 is a completely different matter.

That is in so huge demand, I think it would be worth it to actually commission a production. Not just a small run.

I am aware, that tooling costs are becoming manageable, so if anyone might have access to an original drawing, then it would be feasible to produce copies for a fairly low price.

Anyway. That is an idea I have had for some time.

[glaser]

repro

I don't like the idea of bringing very good reproductions on the market, they will fool even experienced collectors in a couple of years

I you don't have the patience of searching and finding that original piece your were looking for during a long time, what is left of the fun of collecting?

[amberjake]

Repro rubber

I can understand your concern glaser ,as for the patience issue, when the american infantry division that "liberated" the leitz store room in late '44 they didnt have the foresight to remove all the spare armour that was laying around when was the last time you ever saw a complete original set of top armour for a these binoculars?never! Unless someone wants to contradict me I have never seen a set come up for sale,and very rarely the bottoms come up, these are very good,but there are small differences ( not externally),internally they have a mould line where there wasnt one,the way I look at it is this ,I don't collect cars but say I bought a 1972 Aston Martin do you think it would have the original tyres still on it?if it did they would be in terrible state,and unusable,so the collector has a choice does he just let the car sit in his garage in its original but unusable condition,or does he pay for a new set of tyres knowing that they are not original but he now has a car that looks just as the manufacturers intended and what's more he can use it.

[Mikedenmark]

Amberjake, I sympatize with the idea of making new parts.

I think the parallel to new tires on a car is inadequate.
The bino is perfectly usefull without rubber, but with rubber, the value increases a lot.
That is different from the car example.

If parts are made, then collectors will be duped in a few years.
Some very good SS copies from the seventies are allready bordering on becoming rare variants of the original thing.
Not to mention german imperial navy daggers, or a very recent event: Original holsters for Lugers and P38´s, modified for use in Norway after WWII, then "re-originated" and sold on ebay with photo´s taken to blur the signs of the norwegian change.


We allready have czech postwar binoculars with german WWII codes, tan coloured bino´s and other kind of weirdness.

I, for one, would like new parts to have some kind of sign that they are new.
But even if they have that, 10 years from now, such parts will have been modified, and will sell as originals.
Many newcomers will never, or too late, know of the old reproductions.


I think, we have to live with it.
It is no reason not to make spare parts, that they some day may be taken for originals.
If the original supplier of rubber parts still have moulds, would it be wrong to use them for new production?
Or the moulds used by Zeiss in the early sixties for similar parts.
It is likely the german Bundeswehr has new spare parts for some of the large binoculars. I have some of those, so I know they exist.

[amberjake]

Repro rubbers

I do sympathise with the concern over repros in all fields of collecting,it is a shameful practice,but as long as money is involved there will all be unscrupulous dealers and collectors,as for the rubber armour we are making I suppose it comes down to the individual if he or she wants to buy them,we on the other hand can do no more but sell them for what they are reproductions.

[amberjake]

Repro rubbers

Many thanks to all those that have contacted us about these,thanks for the vote of confidence,we have at the moment sold out please be a little patient with us we are getting these made as fast as we can,normal service will be resumed shortly...:

[Artichunter]

Repro armour

I'm new to this forum,but have been collecting binoculars for many years,mainly ww2 German ,British ww2 and the Japanese big eye variety,I came across this thread about the repro armour,was a bit skeptical at first as I had the need for a pair,and as I have never been able to acquire a set of originals I thought I'd try these,they are brilliant I must say fit perfect and look the part,so thumbs up guys many thanks,when will you do the bottoms?

[grandnagus]

I have a a pair of beh 7x50 binos for sale if anybody is interested.