I agree that you probably do not want to send the binoculars for repair as it would not be cost effective. I have aligned binocs "good enough" simply by bending them myself. If that does not work, or you break them in the process, well then, you get to buy another pair! If that ends up being the case, you can be satisfied that you tried to fix them yourself. Mat -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Seth Jarvis Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 11:12 AM To: 'Utah Astronomy' Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Binocular repair? Dion, If the optics of each half of the binoculars are crisp and focusable over a wide range of distances, then your optics aren't the problem, the two halves simply aren't pointing in the same direction. When your eyes do this it's called diplopia. I've had the same problem (my 10x50's got dropped at a star party), and after calling the manufacturer (in my case, Celestron) and describing the problem they told me that the cost of re-aligning the barrels would cost more than just buying a new pair of binoculars. The tech I spoke with said, "You simply can't get metal to bend back to its original position and expect it to stay there. It's a matter of metal fatigue." My two cents. Seth -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Dion Davidson Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 6:58 AM To: Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Binocular repair? Does anyone have suggestions on where I can take my Bushnell 12x50 binoculars for repair? The eyes don't line up anymore, and nothing I do with the knobs and dials seems to fix it. I don't know if they got dropped or what. Each eye seems OK independently, but together they create nothing but headache because the two images are not aligned. Thanks, Dion _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options". _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options". This message and any attachments are solely for the use of intended recipients. The information contained herein may include trade secrets, protected health or personal information, privileged or otherwise confidential information. Unauthorized review, forwarding, printing, copying, distributing, or using such information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you are not an intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you received this email in error, and that any review, dissemination, distribution or copying of this email and any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please contact the sender and delete the message and any attachment from your system. Thank you for your cooperation

Hi Dion, Seth is right, it is really expensive to have someone collimate your binoculars. If they are so bad that they are useless, and if you are a gung-ho DIYer, you may want to look at this article and see whether anything in it can carry-over into your situation. http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=416 Also, if you do a google search on" binocular collimation", and "binocular adjustment", you will get a few articles and you-tube videos that may be useful. Jo On Oct 23, 2012, at 11:07 AM, Dunn, David wrote:

If the barrels will unscrew, you might be able to fix your issue by removing the barrel and then screwing it back in. I had this happen to mine once and it fixed the issue. I think they must have just been bumped and the treading was just plastic.

Thanks, David Dunn

-----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Hutchings, Mat Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 11:01 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Binocular repair?

I agree that you probably do not want to send the binoculars for repair as it would not be cost effective. I have aligned binocs "good enough" simply by bending them myself. If that does not work, or you break them in the process, well then, you get to buy another pair! If that ends up being the case, you can be satisfied that you tried to fix them yourself.

Mat

-----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Seth Jarvis Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 11:12 AM To: 'Utah Astronomy' Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Binocular repair?

Dion,

If the optics of each half of the binoculars are crisp and focusable over a wide range of distances, then your optics aren't the problem, the two halves simply aren't pointing in the same direction. When your eyes do this it's called diplopia.

I've had the same problem (my 10x50's got dropped at a star party), and after calling the manufacturer (in my case, Celestron) and describing the problem they told me that the cost of re-aligning the barrels would cost more than just buying a new pair of binoculars. The tech I spoke with said, "You simply can't get metal to bend back to its original position and expect it to stay there. It's a matter of metal fatigue."

My two cents.

Seth

-----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Dion Davidson Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 6:58 AM To: Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Binocular repair?

Does anyone have suggestions on where I can take my Bushnell 12x50 binoculars for repair? The eyes don't line up anymore, and nothing I do with the knobs and dials seems to fix it. I don't know if they got dropped or what. Each eye seems OK independently, but together they create nothing but headache because the two images are not aligned. Thanks, Dion

The conversation about repairing damaged binoculars included a reference to a book: "Choosing, Using and Repairing Binoculars" by J. W. Seyfried, available through http://www.universityoptics.com/books.html The discussion was interesting so I ordered the book ($20) and it arrived in yesterday's mail. First, I think it was packaged by someone who previously had a career packaging Fabergé eggs in preparation for the apocalypse. Second, it's a completely delightful book. Mr. Syfried is a man who clearly has been in love with optics pretty much his whole life. I spent 30 minutes last night just flipping through it, looking at his illustrations and diagrams and reading his descriptions of binoculars and binocular repair methods. His writing is very personal and easy to read. Third, the book is a bit hit-and-miss. For example, in his "Frequently Asked Questions" section he gives a compelling explanation of why Porro prism binoculars are generally a better bargain than roof prism binoculars, and much easier to maintain and repair, but he never explains what "roof prisms" are and how they differ from "Porro prisms," and neither term appears in the book's glossary. I suspect there will be other places in the book that will only make sense after looking some things up on Wikipedia. Finally, and most important, his chapter on re-collimating damaged binoculars makes it abundantly clear that _if_ your binoculars are constructed in such a way as to make re-collimating even possible, and _if_ you have the bench, tools, equipment, skill and time to tackle the project, and _if_ the prisms and lenses themselves aren't damaged, then you stand a pretty good chance of getting your binoculars back in proper working order. The edition I was sent was published in 1995, so I don't know if the companies referenced in the back of the book as providers of optics repair parts and services are still around. Interesting book, totally worth the twenty bucks, but I'm now convinced more than ever that for 99% of us, binoculars that have gone wall-eyed are just the universe's way of telling you it's time to get a new set of binoculars. Seth -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Chuck Hards Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 11:01 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Binocular repair? Dion: If there is no structural damage to the binocular, it is most probable that one (or both) of the prism clusters has become knocked out of alignment. In the good old days, most decent binoculars had access holes in the housing to allow you to get to the adjustment screws. Many don't do this anymore, and it is as Seth posted, it is often cheaper to simply replace them than to have them re-collimated. That said, some makes and models can still be adjusted. On more than one occassion I have re-collimated the ubiquitous Chinese-made 15x70mm binocular sold as Celestron, Oberwerk, Galileo, Bear, Brunton, etc. They are all the same binocular made on the same assembly line, with the only differences being labeling, the outer rubber coating and eyeguards, and slight coating differences on the optics. There used to be a DIY article on Cloudy Nights that detailed the procedure, I'm not sure if it's still there. It's a trial and error method and can be very time consuming, but it has worked for me. I'm also not convinced that the adjustments, once made, will be as robust as the factory setting since they use a putty-like substance to hold the prisms in adjustment that hardens upon application. You have to break that loose to adjust the prism clusters and once re-aligned you'd need to apply something similar to help hold them there. You have to know where the adjustment holes are for your model and to access them it often means peeling-back the rubber "armor" to get to them. And of course you have to stick the rubber back down when done. The professionals use a dual-barrel collimator. I don't think anyone in Salt Lake has one anymore. Gallenson's did decades ago. University Optics might be a good place to call. Jan Seyfried is a binocular expert and has written on the subject. He might even have a collimator and if he can't or won't recollimate them, he might be able to suggest a shop that can. Bill Cook (former ATM Journal editor) is also a career optician with a Navy background and if you can find his number, he might be able to help, as well. Actually I'm not sure if Bill is still living but you never know. On Tue, Oct 23, 2012 at 6:58 AM, Dion Davidson <diondavidson@yahoo.com>wrote:

Does anyone have suggestions on where I can take my Bushnell 12x50 binoculars for repair? The eyes don't line up anymore, and nothing I do with the knobs and dials seems to fix it. I don't know if they got dropped or what. Each eye seems OK independently, but together they create nothing but headache because the two images are not aligned. Thanks, Dion

_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".

Dion, there is often a rubber "armor" or stick-on alligator-skin type covering that must be peeled-back to reveal the holes that access the collimation screws. They are never evident with a visual inspection only. Sometimes it is just a round "sticker" covering the hole. If you are not the "do it yourself" type, I advise not even trying it. Some of us have lots of experience diving into places that the average consumer should never go. On Tue, Oct 30, 2012 at 10:53 AM, Dion Davidson <diondavidson@yahoo.com>wrote:

Seth Thanks for the assessment. I checked all around my binoculars and cannot even find the collimation screws so often mentioned on this topic. I think I'll add a pair to my Christmas list... Dion

________________________________ From: Seth Jarvis <SJarvis@slco.org> To: 'Utah Astronomy' <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2012 9:17 AM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Binocular repair?

The conversation about repairing damaged binoculars included a reference to a book:

"Choosing, Using and Repairing Binoculars" by J. W. Seyfried, available through

http://www.universityoptics.com/books.html

The discussion was interesting so I ordered the book ($20) and it arrived in yesterday's mail.

First, I think it was packaged by someone who previously had a career packaging Fabergé eggs in preparation for the apocalypse.

Second, it's a completely delightful book. Mr. Syfried is a man who clearly has been in love with optics pretty much his whole life. I spent 30 minutes last night just flipping through it, looking at his illustrations and diagrams and reading his descriptions of binoculars and binocular repair methods. His writing is very personal and easy to read.

Third, the book is a bit hit-and-miss. For example, in his "Frequently Asked Questions" section he gives a compelling explanation of why Porro prism binoculars are generally a better bargain than roof prism binoculars, and much easier to maintain and repair, but he never explains what "roof prisms" are and how they differ from "Porro prisms," and neither term appears in the book's glossary. I suspect there will be other places in the book that will only make sense after looking some things up on Wikipedia.

Finally, and most important, his chapter on re-collimating damaged binoculars makes it abundantly clear that _if_ your binoculars are constructed in such a way as to make re-collimating even possible, and _if_ you have the bench, tools, equipment, skill and time to tackle the project, and _if_ the prisms and lenses themselves aren't damaged, then you stand a pretty good chance of getting your binoculars back in proper working order.

The edition I was sent was published in 1995, so I don't know if the companies referenced in the back of the book as providers of optics repair parts and services are still around.

Interesting book, totally worth the twenty bucks, but I'm now convinced more than ever that for 99% of us, binoculars that have gone wall-eyed are just the universe's way of telling you it's time to get a new set of binoculars.

Seth

-----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Chuck Hards Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 11:01 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Binocular repair?

Dion:

If there is no structural damage to the binocular, it is most probable that one (or both) of the prism clusters has become knocked out of alignment. In the good old days, most decent binoculars had access holes in the housing to allow you to get to the adjustment screws. Many don't do this anymore, and it is as Seth posted, it is often cheaper to simply replace them than to have them re-collimated.

That said, some makes and models can still be adjusted. On more than one occassion I have re-collimated the ubiquitous Chinese-made 15x70mm binocular sold as Celestron, Oberwerk, Galileo, Bear, Brunton, etc. They are all the same binocular made on the same assembly line, with the only differences being labeling, the outer rubber coating and eyeguards, and slight coating differences on the optics.

There used to be a DIY article on Cloudy Nights that detailed the procedure, I'm not sure if it's still there. It's a trial and error method and can be very time consuming, but it has worked for me.

I'm also not convinced that the adjustments, once made, will be as robust as the factory setting since they use a putty-like substance to hold the prisms in adjustment that hardens upon application. You have to break that loose to adjust the prism clusters and once re-aligned you'd need to apply something similar to help hold them there.

You have to know where the adjustment holes are for your model and to access them it often means peeling-back the rubber "armor" to get to them. And of course you have to stick the rubber back down when done.

The professionals use a dual-barrel collimator. I don't think anyone in Salt Lake has one anymore. Gallenson's did decades ago.

University Optics might be a good place to call. Jan Seyfried is a binocular expert and has written on the subject. He might even have a collimator and if he can't or won't recollimate them, he might be able to suggest a shop that can.

Bill Cook (former ATM Journal editor) is also a career optician with a Navy background and if you can find his number, he might be able to help, as well. Actually I'm not sure if Bill is still living but you never know.

On Tue, Oct 23, 2012 at 6:58 AM, Dion Davidson <diondavidson@yahoo.com

...

wrote:

...

Does anyone have suggestions on where I can take my Bushnell 12x50 binoculars for repair? The eyes don't line up anymore, and nothing I do with the knobs and dials seems to fix it. I don't know if they got dropped or what. Each eye seems OK independently, but together they create nothing but headache because the two images are not aligned. Thanks, Dion

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