Microscope service usually involves complete cleaning of all optical surfaces and dismantling mechanical parts (stage, lamp, focus drives, etc.) for removal (ultrasonic clean) of old lubricants and refitting for proper factory recommended lubrication of these components. It takes a Leitz expert to overhaul a focus block. The photo below shows the internal planetary gear mechanism from a Leitz Ortholux II microscope. Centerable objective nosepieces from a polarized light microscope must be fully functional for proper centration of the objective to the stage optical axis. Collimation (nosepiece, stage, condenser) is critical. All Bunton microscopes are checked and adjusted prior to shipment to the customer......has been this way for over 60 years!
WARNING: Most of the "previously owned" microscopes you will see on Ebay are not being offered by microscope specialists. Used microscopes are normally found in surplus warehouses or in the home labs of deceased owners. REMEMBER, microscopes (and other lab equipment) are sent to the surplus warehouse for a reason...they have problems of some sort! Citizen scientist (home lab users) microscopes suffer from lack of use or negligence by the user. LEITZ microscopes can usually be brought back to useable status for many decades to come. This is where we come in with our RRR concept.....
most sellers will admit that they "are not microscope experts" and sell their microscopes "as in the photos". I purchase many Leitz microscopes and accessories on Ebay. Rarely will I receive a product that is fully useable, clean or packed properly for safe transit. Beware of those who sell microscopes under a "no returns" policy!
Very few sellers of microscopes on Ebay have a clue about what they are selling. Beware of those that claim "removed from working environment". Notice how the power supplies are usually missing or key components such as lamps, condensers, objectives or oculars are missing or incorrect. It is not unusual to see finite tube length Leitz microscopes being offered with old AO or Chinese-made infinity tube length lenses. All of these scopes we purchase on Ebay need a focus overhaul that can easily involve 2-5 hours of a trained tech's time. Bunton sells completely functional Leitz and Wild microscopes with a ONE YEAR WARRANTY and free after-the-sale consultations.
We purchase a lot of older Leitz objectives and oculars. Most arrive here quite dirty and in serious need of cleaning....mostly the front lenses. Was the microscope put in surplus because of neglect by the lab who used the instrument for many years? We clean the optics and the image is usually back to perfect performance again. Every now and again we will get an objective with the front lenses obliterated with dryed mounting media or leaking seals at the glass/metal junction. Mounting media is usually pretty easy to remove but "leakers" or those with internal lens separations are beyond help. They are not repairable at this point...junk drawer. Many older objectives of any make may have the coatings removed or badly scratched over time. Not repairable....awful images.....junk drawer. Read below regarding the proper cleaning of microscope objectives and oculars.
Be assured that all Leitz optics supplied with our microscope systems are in perfectly useable condition with excellent optical performance.
Here in the USA we have less than ten active Ebay sellers of microscopes that really do qualify as microscope experts. Bunton Instrument is included in this group of experts....both in sales, microscopy method consultation and service and repairs. We specialize only in the Leitz and Wild legacy models...others are more focused on Zeiss, Nikon and Olympus makes. Local microscope dealers are a thing of the past. Getting information on older models is next to impossible when contacting the USA main offices for the NOZL firms.
HOW TO CLEAN MICROSCOPE OPTICS: There are so many methods for "cleaning" objectives, eyepieces and condenser lenses. Let me tell you about some cleaning tools that you will not see on these procedures ...many are totally incorrect and outdated. Our methods involve dust-off air guns, ROR and G-Tips...plus clean white styrofoam! ROR (residual oil remover) can be ordered on line: www.ROR.net. G-Tips as well...."G-TIPS Gun Cleaning". Some Kodak lens cleaner can come in handy. Probably the most common cause of "hazy" images with an optical microscope are totally neglected optics. If you remove one of your oculars and invert it you will have a nice 10x loupe. Get in close with the eyepiece and take a look at your 40x high-dry objective. Oculars are quite hazy from fingerprints, eyelash oils and even eye make-ups of all kinds. Do yourself a favor and check your optics from time to time....end of each week if your scope has multiple viewers.
Contact us if you would like specific step-by-step cleaning procedures that are easy and completed in minutes...no charge. Get in the supplies noted here and we can get you started properly.
IF YOUR LEITZ MICROSCOPE HAS A VERY STIFF OR FROZEN FOCUS DRIVE WE CAN HELP OUT. SHIP BUNTON YOUR MICROSCOPE STAND AND WE CAN GIVE YOU AN ESTIMATE FOR A COMPLETE CLEAN AND LUBE....THEY NEED THAT EVERY 10-20 YEARS AND WE HAVE THE EXPERTISE AND PROPER FACTORY LUBES TO GET YOU BACK IN OPERATION- TYPICAL FOCUS DRIVE FIELD STRIP AND LUBE IS UNDER $500.00 - LEITZ MICROSCOPES ONLY. DON'T SURPLUS YOUR LEITZ MICROSCOPE....JUST GET BUNTON TO OVERHAUL THE FOCUS BLOCK....CLEAN ALL OF THE OPTICS AND LUBRICATE KEY XYZ MOVEMENTS WITH THE CORRECT LUBRICANTS. YOU WILL THEN HAVE AT LEAST TEN YEARS OF TROUBLE-FREE MICROSCOPY.
Service offered on general laboratory instruments as well as sales of RRR (Recondition, Repair, and Reuse) lab equipment of all kinds ..... BaneBio "Home of the Scientific Supermarket"
www.banebio.com
Aside from the accumulated dirt and grime from years of use, the most frequent trouble spot on an optical microscope is the focus drive. Very few service people know how to do these focus block overhauls much less use the correct lubricants or reassembly and adjustment procedure. Another common problem with microscopes involves their light source. Bad sockets, circuit board components in power supplies and hard to find correct bulbs are a real challenge. Beside the focus block, the next problem area is the mechanical stage and nosepiece. All of these require complete disassembly, lubrication and reassembly. See some of our LED illumination options on the MICROSCOPE ACCESSORIES page.
We are experts in updating illumination systems for microscopes. We sell LED retrofits (another R) to replace old incandescent bulbs and power supplies. We put a One Year Warranty on all Bunton RRR microscopes.
Save a microscope from the landfill .... and save a lot of money at the same time!
