Tripods & Optics...Breeding like rabbits.

[whsammler]

Hello everyone,

Picked up a nice period (Ordnance Tan) painted Gestell 31 tripod from eBay USA.

One of the legs had some damage due to hyper extension (a very common problem on the G31) but some carefully applied PL Premium & the leg is solid again.

The unit is makers marked B&C Bruninghaus & Co, Leder u. Metallwarenfabrik, Versmold. With serial #103.

I’m going to remove the red aiming circle to lube the internal gear mechanism & to replace a few missing grub screws on the locking collar.

I have mounted my late war Handwinkelfenorhr on it. Colour coordinating [emoji41].

Hope you guys like it. If you have any questions or need more photos please let me know.













“This is glue, strong stuff” Elwood Blues.
















Glen
Collector of Wehrmacht Optics, Ordnance & Field Equipment.

[Sgt Bilko]

Very nice indeed! I particularly like your warning sign.

[behblc]

Nice collection and a nice repair.
Never leave two of them in a dark room again .......... they take advantage.

[whsammler]

Tripods & Optics...Breeding like rabbits.

I did not heed behblc advice so now I have 2 more in the collection. A very nice “barn find” Gestell 31 & my first Gestell 40. Thanks Peter..[emoji41].

I’m in the process of stripping the post war green paint off the G40 & so far it’s coming off with relative ease. The original base coat of Ordnance Tan has held up well.

Once the legs are done I’m going to move onto the head & give it a once over. It too was post war painted & from a quick look some of the grub screws have been replaced with aluminum pins..? So it may be a bit of a challenge to pull apart as the pins will need to be carefully drilled out.

Here are some pics of progress so far. I can only go an hour or so before I’m muttered from the fumes. Still worth it...[emoji851]

If you have questions let me know.







EAF = Aude & Reipert Optische Industrie, Babelsberg, Germany.




















Glen
Collector of Wehrmacht Optics, Ordnance & Field Equipment.

[MAUSER99]

very nice... and now you have quite a few.. I have a few myself.
one found at a local junk shop for cheap $$. It was a good day.

[whsammler]

Tripods & Optics...Breeding like rabbits.

Little update. “Far from perfect-Perfect from afar” [emoji41]

I found that the centre extendable leg was NOT painted by the factory so it was an easy-ish strip job. The end cap (stop) & the foot spike were the only parts painted Ordnance Tan.

So I removed the foot & wrapped the leg with a lacquer thinner soaked cloth to give the paint a good soak. The paint came off easy with a gentile scrub. At the stopper end I had to be careful not to over do it & strip the paint off the stop. So some careful applications with a fine brush & it think it came out ok.
The foot was tough as it’s not a smooth surface so it has some green paint remnants. I’m happy with the end result. If I went any harder I would have taken the OT off.

Tomorrow I will tackle the inner surfaces of the main leg.

Here are a bunch of before & after pictures.




























Glen
Collector of Wehrmacht Optics, Ordnance & Field Equipment.

[whsammler]

Another update.

Finished the legs on the Gestell 40 today. I’d say 99% of the post war green paint has been removed. A tedious task to say the least but well worth it in the end.



Now I’m onto the aiming circle. It’s also had a sloppy repaint. The main body is in red & the knobs where coated in black stove paint.

I’ve pulled it to pieces & have removed some of the red paint & all of the black. The red is really bonded so I may not be able to get it off with out ruining the original red. If this is the case I will respray it in the correct tint.

The only part I can’t suss is the water level. It looks like it was set in with an epoxy/sealant. I don’t want to go mental trying to excavate it out. I have few extras in my collection but they are for another project. So I may just let it sit & clean around it.....[emoji848]

I’m going to take the parts to work & run them through the parts washer to clear out the dirt & “ear wax grease” [emoji1785].

I will post better pics of it all laid out so you can see how it comes apart etc.

I’m going to have a few of the missing set screws remade & source the remainder via the inter-webs.





Enjoy.
Questions comments are welcome.



Glen
Collector of Wehrmacht Optics, Ordnance & Field Equipment.

[whsammler]

Tripods & Optics...Breeding like rabbits.

So yesterday I pulled the aiming circle to bits & put it through the parts cleaner at work.

I’m happy to report that the post war paint came off with ease & the original base coat has survived & has a great patina.












M



You can see in the pics above the original finish & the lower traverse cartridge reinstalled.

Below are a few exploded views of the traverse cartridge it was not too hard to remove & take down.

To remove it from the main body you must first remove the spigot assembly (I will show this process in my next post) to not damage the gear mechanism. Next you will need to punch out the pin that holds the traverse knob. After removing the know you will need to remove the wee set/grub screw that locks the rear cap nut on the main body. If you don’t remove it you will damage the threads on the cap. Next you will need to remove the 2 side set/grub screws that hold the mechanism from turning in the main body. They are located under the water level...you will notice in mine one is the correct slotted shouldered screw & the other is brass. I think when they were refurbished some of the screws were lost/damaged ect...so they were replaced. I will show details in a later post.

The cap once removed will allow you to gently tap out the traverse cartridge. Tap on the knob side & it should just drop out of the body. It’s a snug fit but not a friction fit.







Next post I will explain how to take the traverse cartridge apart.




Glen
Collector of Wehrmacht Optics, Ordnance & Field Equipment.