Kriegsmarine Zeiss 7x50 Fernglass?

[AJ]

Hi,

just got this one. I was told it was a Karl Zeiss Kriegsmarine Fernglas dated approx. 1943.

Any chance to say more about the Fernglass, wich unit used it, was it meant for service at sea etc.

Seems as the rubber eyecup are gone, any chance to by new ones some where?

[AJ]

2

[benutzer]

thats an normal navy bino for sea units
there where never rubber eye cups on this binos

[AJ]

Thanks for the reply, I guess getting a pair of original rubber eye cups would be almost impossible? Can you by repros?

[Sgt Bilko]

Why do you want rubber eyecups if they were never fitted?

[AJ]

Sorry, misunderstood

So this Fernglas is complete?

How to understand the term "Okkulare festgestellt -nicht verdrehen"? Does it mean they were ajusted to one specific person?

[Sgt Bilko]

No worries - it's a complete and very nice Kriegsmarine binocular and you're right - once set for a specific user, they weren't meant to be adjusted.

[Mikedenmark]

An extremely nice binocular. Congrats to that.

If the oculars seems to be stuck, it is because they have been locked in the correct position for a specific user.
Do NOT use a pair of pliers to turn them. It will only cause damage.
It has to be done in a very specific way to be done right.

Okulare festgestellt -nicht verdrehen. = Oculars are locked, Do not turn them.
Benutzer = User.

[nickn]

There is no way of locking the oculars they will be stiff due to the grease that lubricates them having hardened
Try a hairdryer on the ocular to soften the grease

[coastaldefence]

Very nice set!
It was intented to be adjusted to one designated user (benutzer)
The small screws on the side would get tightened to avoid unwanted adjustment. This is what was meant by Okulare Festgestellt.

Nicht verdrehen ist to avoid damage when in locked position. If they are stuck, the screws might still be tightened or the grease is hard.

Smooth surface also reduced the risk of unwanted adjustment

Simply setting the focus without securing it by the small screws was too risky for this important piece of optic.

[Sgt Bilko]

I thought they were machined and greased to be stiff to turn - I've never heard that on board ship, they were meant to tighten the small screws....

[nickn]

There are no locking screws on these oculars

[Mikedenmark]

Okay.
I didn´t want that genie out of the bottle. But now it is out.


These are known as waterproof ocular models
The oculars comes from the factory adjusted to -0.5.
The oculars are secured by an extra ring of leather/rubber screwed into the ocular construction from behind, to increase watertightness.

You may be able to turn then, but it will be difficult due to the extra ring. Not to mention old hardened grease.

To make a correct adjustment you need to make a proper tool to open for the extra padding, remove it, adjust, then put the padding back, screw it back in to seal it up again.

Heating up the ocular is unlikely to help. The seal stays put, but, of course, extensive heating will make it deteriorate, not to mention damage the optical parts.
There are no small screws to pilfer with here.

The intention was to deliver a binocular that would withstand water better.
Adjusted to minus 0.5 as a compromise.
Severe need for spectacles would basically keep you out of a uboat anyway. So, that makes -0,5 a fair compromise.
In the rare occasions, where someone on a uboat really needs a different adjustment, it can be done, turning it by hand.
( the grease was fresh at the time )

My advice would be to leave them as found. If they can be turned by hand, and there is a need to do so, to use them, fine.
If they won´t budge, you will very likely have a case of hardened grease, and you may break the part inside the bino that holds the oculars.
Those parts were never designed for rough manhandling.
In that case, do as told above, remove the extra seal, and try again. If it is stuck the seal must out first.

For a binocular in this condition, this is unlikely to be done without seriously diminishing the extremely nice condition.
That is another reason for leaving it as it is.

[Sgt Bilko]

Good stuff Michael! Now that I think of it, the little screws are unscrewed to seperate the diopter ring from the ocular (allowing the ocular to be unscrewed from the barrel).

[MAUSER99]

An extremely nice binocular. Congrats to that.

If the oculars seems to be stuck, it is because they have been locked in the correct position for a specific user.
Do NOT use a pair of pliers to turn them. It will only cause damage.
It has to be done in a very specific way to be done right.

Okulare festgestellt -nicht verdrehen. = Oculars are locked, Do not turn them.
Benutzer = User.

I think the confusion might be that they shared this rain cover with U-boat glass that has to be adjusted with a tool.

They didn't use a blank one used on these fixed focus models.