Vintage C. Baker Binocular & Monocular Polarising/Petrographic Microscope

Currently Undergoing Preparation & Testing - Further Photos to Follow in Due Course. Here we have a top quality example of a C. Baker of London I/68 Model Polarising/Petrographic binocular microscope in grey painted finish and this example will date to around the 1960s or possibly a bit later. The cosmetic condition is really good with only some minor chipping to the paint finish, suggesting it's been used with care over the years.

Petrograhic microscopes come into their own when viewing thin-section mineral samples under transmitted poliarised light, but they can also be used for standard transmitted light microscopy by moving the polarising filters out of the optical plane, thereby making them quite a versatile proposition. For the main technical details of this petrographic/polarising binocular microscope, we have.

A binocular eyepiece unit that's fitted with twin 5x magnification C. Baker eyepieces and there's also a pair of C. Baker 10x magnification eyepieces supplied, one with an internal graticule and 0 - 10 horizontal scale. The binocular unit can swivel by a full 360 degrees and the focus and eyepiece separation can be adjusted manually.

There's also a monocular unit supplied that can be easily swapped over and the same 5x and 10x magnification C. Baker eyepieces can be used in the monocular head. There's a small lever on the main tube that adjusts the optics for a monocular configuration. There is also a rotating dial in the top of the main tube containing a polarising disc graduated 0 to 240 degrees plus a small magnifying attachment to enable the degree scale to be read with ease.

This mechanism is part of the petrographic polarising functionality. The main tube also has a petrographic filter on a push/pull slider mechanism as well as a mechanism for adjusting the optics to suit either binocular or monocular configurations.

Main focus and fine focus are by twin thumb-wheels located at the base of the frame which move the stage in a vertical plane - travel and focus remain very good offering a fine degree of smooth focus control. Please note that the frame is also designed to tilt to allow inclined viewing.

There are three good quality objective lenses by C. Baker on a rotating triple turret that can be removed/changed over quickly via a sliding dove-tail mechanism: 10x magnification - C. Baker fitted with RMS extender tube 10x magnification - C.

Baker 40x magnification - C. Baker The supplied objectives are all of the standard transmitted light type, giving an effective magnification range from around 50x up to a very usable 400x magnification.

In order to fully utilise this microscope for polarised light microscopy stress/strain-free objectives are usually preferred because of their superior performance under polarised light conditions. This type of objective are usually marked "POL" and have grey barrels and/or red lettering - please note that these are not supplied with the microscope. The mechanical stage is a nice design with x-axis and y-axis controls on separate thumb-wheels located to the right side of the stage that's really easy to use, with almost friction-less movement and no signs of wear in the rack and pinion gearing.

It's also fitted with an adjustable two-part slide holder mechanism for holding slides in place during viewing sessions. There is hardly any noticeable wear to the black finish on the stage surface. The condenser assembly is an interesting and quite complex C. Baker design on a rack and pinion height adjustable mount with centering thumb-screws and dove-tail slider allowing quick removal/change-over.

The condenser has right-sided thumb-wheel control for height adjustment and it also has a swing-out filter holder for coloured, opaque or dark-field filters, a swing-out adjustable polarising filter and also an iris for controlling lighting levels. Lighting will be provided by a 1.75 inch mirror with very good silvering - this is currently on order and once fitted the listing and photographs will be updated. The overall condition of this microscope is very good and also please note that there is no storage case with this example. In summary, this is a great example of a fairly rare-to-market vintage technical petrographic binocular microscope by quality makers C. Baker of London and may well appeal to those looking for a specialist petrographic/binocular microscope for technical or hobbyist uses, as well as general collectors and fans of binocular set-ups alike and those seeking a good collectable example of a vintage microscope for use or display. Please note that stress-free objective lenses will be required to fully utilise the microscope's polarising functionality. It's supplied with some quality C. Baker standard objective lenses, a mechanical stage which is a must for high-magnification applications and it's in such good condition with an interesting "Jules Verne" type of retro look about it with its multitude of adjustment mechanisms, that it would also make a spectacular display piece or curio. This is also quite a large and heavy microscope - approx 12kg packed weight, so owing to its weight it will be well wrapped and dispatched by insured courier upon receipt of cleared funds.

Thanks for looking - please check out my other listings - mainly eclectic artworks and vintage optics, plus some other cool stuff. Baker Binocular & Monocular Polarising/Petrographic Microscope" is in sale since Sunday, July 26, 2020. 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
Country/Region of Manufacture: United Kingdom
Material: Steel
Type: Microscope
Sub-Type: Microscopes
Modified Item: No