Binoculars

[Bill DawesParticipant @billdawes]

Hi guys, any Bino gurus out there.

I have an old pair of Ajax No. 9AD1-894, 10 x 50. Vintage about 1970 I think, seem to remember I won them in a competition when booking a boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads, made in Japan and given good service.

Problem I have is the adjustable eye piece is seized. Cant see how it comes apart.

There are some very tiny holes in the side when you unscrew the lense cap but can’t see if they are screws or some form of locating pin.

Bill D.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Try using a hair dryer and some freeing fluid, when it cools it will suck the fluid in, best of luck.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Before using solvent too freely be warned it might just affect composite lens glue, mounting glue, and surface coatings.

[Grizzly bearParticipant @grizzlybear]

Hi,

On mine,  Zenith 10×50. Approximately 65 years old.

Unscrew the eye piece, right hand thread, hand tight.

This will reveal 3 small grub screws set at 120 degrees, slot head.

Good luck………….

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

My inner pedant impels me to point out that a pair of binoculars would suit a 4-eyed being!  The normal thing we look through to see a closeup of things far away is a binocular…

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi John, according to my dictionary, binocular is looking at something with two eyes at the same time, and binoculars are a portable optical device for looking at a distant object with both eyes at once, so most people have binocular vision without any aid (spectacles excluded)

Regards Nick.

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcS64BR7c28b3lDbMgJNC69hcT5z5G8ej9Ib4zFRS9S3QuDwBUxltIwEVl6zBVDEtkw-ZvbijntFWDfIxNZ_R8uAH7ruxLpG9dkklF4lVXW98-aiDR05tWEVZeliOQ

This is called a monocular.  One for each eye would be a “pair of monoculars” surely?  For short a binocular.

[NealebParticipant @nealeb]

Chambers Dictionary certainly agrees that “binocular” is a noun that represents the object in question, but does also say that the plural form “binoculars” is “usual”. But should one say “my binoculars” rather than “my pair of binoculars” as the latter is a tautology? However, the latter does also imply one object rather than an undefined number of such objects, so maybe is a necessary clarification?

At least, “binoculars” is not in quite the same grammatical league as “should of”, up with which no-one should put.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi Nealeb, my dictionary says that binocular is an adjective, whereas binoculars is a plural noun.

Regards Nick.

[Bazyle]

On Bazyle Said:

Before using solvent too freely be warned it might just affect composite lens glue, mounting glue, and surface coatings.

Burnard’s suggestion of a hair dryer (not an electric heat gun) will free up old oil when it’s set. For his freeing fluid use a little synthetic car oil sparingly when it starts to free off while continuing to apply heat.

This works well on juke box mechanisms that have set solid

[Martin ConnellyParticipant @martinconnelly55370]

I would just like to point out I am reading this and wearing a pair of trousers at the same time.

Martin C

[John Haine]

On John Haine Said:

My inner pedant impels me to point out that a pair of binoculars would suit a 4-eyed being!  The normal thing we look through to see a closeup of things far away is a binocular…

The pedant’s bible is the Oxford English Dictionary, which says

Binoculars: an instrument, like two small telescopes fixed together, that makes objects that are far away seem nearer when you look through it

– a pair of binoculars
– We looked at the birds through binoculars.
– She raised her binoculars to the distant road across the valley.
– We watched the race through binoculars.

So you can relax. You are not being a pedant. You are just wrong, which is a far better thing. 🙂

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>Should be a pair of oculars really. Ocular meaning eyepiece. A pair of telescopes only cuts it when your ‘binocular’ has two objective lenses. 🥴</p>
Martin

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Arguably:

Binary-oculars – Two eyepieces.

Mono-ocular – one eyepiece.

Also, compare ‘a pair of scissors’. “In Modern English, scissors has no singular form. A pair of pairs of scissors. Scissors is an example of a plurale tantum, or an English word that only has a plural form that represents a singular object.”

Like scissors, binoculars always present as a pair.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, the word scissor does exits though, it’s a transitive verb, which basically describes the action of scissors, shears etc. but it is also describes some movements in a number of sports, plus other things like a scissor jack, and scissor lift.

Regards Nick.

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

https://www.wellreadnaturalist.com/2024/01/binocular-versus-binoculars/

 

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