Vintage Ernst Leitz Wetzlar Laborlux Binocular Microscope with 6V PSU, c1960s
Here we have a very nice and usable example of a vintage Leitz Laborlux binocular laboratory microscope in black enamel finish dating from the early to mid 1960s and carrying serial number 616426. The condition of this example is very good suggesting it's been used carefully by former custodians. The 6V power supply unit supplied with the instrument is marked GGH, which may refer to Glasgow Gartnavel Hospital and therefore a previous association with the NHS, which is not unusual for these quality instruments. Turning to the main technical details of this binocular microscope, we have the following.
A binocular eyepiece unit with twin 10x magnification Leitz Periplan eyepieces. The binocular unit has a quick-release mechanism, can swivel by a full 360 degrees and the focus and eyepiece separation can be adjusted manually via a central thumb-wheel with graduation markers. The binocular unit is +1.25x magnification, thereby giving the eyepieces an effective boost to 12.5x magnification. The instrument's main focus and fine focus is by a single set of thumb-wheels located at the base of the frame which moves the stage - travel and focus remain very good offering a fine degree of smooth focus control. Please note that the frame on this model of microscope is not designed to tilt. The focusing technique is to achieve near-focus, then reverse the direction of the thumb-wheels, which automatically engages the fine focus mechanism - a rather neat Leitz feature. There are four good quality objective lenses all by Leitz. This gives a usable selection of progressive magnification on the rotating quadruple turret: 3.5x - Leitz 10x - Leitz 45x - Leitz 100x oil immersion - Leitz. The objective lenses therefore provide an effective magnification range from around 43.75x up to an impressive 1,250x magnification when using oil immersion techniques. A fully mechanical stage by Leitz with twin thumb-wheel x-axis and y-axis controls on a drop-down adjuster located on the left side of the stage that's really easy to use with no obvious wear in the rack and pinion gearing. It's also fitted with an adjustable sprung slide holder mechanism for holding slides in place during viewing sessions. There is only very minor wear to the black paint finish on the stage surface indicating relatively light use. A condenser by Leitz which has a swing-over lens feature, a lever-operated iris for controlling lighting levels and a rack and pinion system to adjust the height.There's also a swing-out filter holder for adding coloured, opaque or dark-field filters. Lighting is provided by a switched electric sub-stage illuminator with a 6V 15W tungsten unit that's contained within a bulb-carrier and slots into the base illuminator - it's rotatable and just plugs into the transformer unit that connects to a conventional 240V wall socket. The rheostat on the transformer is used to control lighting intensity via a rotating dial.
In summary, this is a really clean, usable and top-quality example of a vintage 1960s Leitz Laborlux binocular microscope in excellent condition. This example may therefore appeal to collectors looking for a quality vintage Leitz binocular microscope as well as general fans of binocular set-ups. It's also extremely good value for a such a quality vintage instrument from well-known makers Leitz. It's supplied with a usable range of original Leitz objective lenses, a fully mechanical stage which is a must for high-magnification applications and it's got very useful adjustable low-voltage lighting. This is also quite a large, heavy and bulky laboratory microscope equipment especially with the supplied transformer unit, so owing to its weight it will be partially dismantled, very well packed and dispatched by insured courier upon receipt of cleared funds.
Thanks for looking - please check out my other listings if you get a chance. The item "Vintage Ernst Leitz Wetzlar Laborlux Binocular Microscope with 6V PSU, c1960s" is in sale since Saturday, May 8, 2021.This item is in the category "Antiques\Science/Medicine\Scientific Instruments". The seller is "arcboutant" and is located in Glasgow. This item can be shipped to United Kingdom, Antigua and barbuda, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Australia, United States, Bahrain, Canada, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, China, Israel, Hong Kong, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Barbados, Brunei darussalam, Cayman islands, Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Grenada, French guiana, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Macao, Monaco, Maldives, Montserrat, Martinique, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Paraguay, Reunion, Turks and caicos islands, Aruba, Saudi arabia, South africa, United arab emirates, Ukraine, Chile, Bahamas, Colombia, Costa rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Kuwait, Panama, Philippines, Qatar, Trinidad and tobago, Uruguay, Viet nam.
- Period: 1951 to Present
- Material: Steel
- Type: Microscope
- Antique: Yes