Ex-NVA Carl Zeiss EDF 7x40 Binos

[bellero]

Here's a pair of Binoculars that I bought in Germany in 1993. They are built like a tank and still in pretty good shape excepted for the tritium illuminated reticle that never worked since I got them. Here's the story,when the NVA was absorbed into the West German Bundeswehr, the stock of binoculars was taken over, but the illumination was removed since the tritium source did not adhere to the strict West German environmental protection laws.
My question; Is there anybody that could fix the illuminated reticle and make it be the way it used to be? I contacted Zeiss Canada and Zeiss USA but I was told that they cannot perform the required work since this model was never sold commercially and the removed parts were properly disposed of by the German government. I know that Docter optics used to make a civilian EDF version but without the illuminated reticle. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[bellero]

Here's a more technical description of the inner workings of the reticle that I found on the net, hope this will help somebody to point me in the right direction;

''This is the version of EDF with illumination. It features a lever right to the right hand side ocular to switch on/off the reticle illumination, and the symbol for radioactivity. The light source is a small hollow and transparent capsule, filled with radioactive tritium gas and inner walls coated with a tin sulfide layer. The tritium is decaying, emitting electrons which then excite the tin sulfide to emit photons, which finally illuminate the reticle. The EDF was constructed so that the illumination could be removed or installed during maintenance work, i.e. both versions were interchangeable.''

Thanks for looking

 

[Thomana]

Try this chap..

http://flcamerarepair.com/id4.html

Call him, explain the problem, see what he says.

 

[bellero]

Thanks Thomana, I was getting desesperate about this post being left unanswered after so long. I will look it up for sure.

Cheers

 

[bellero]

After contacting numerous optical devices repair shop in Canada, US and Europe, I'm still left with no one being able to re-activate the luminosity of the tritium reticle. So I thought about reviving this thread just in case.

 

[delta1]

I think just think you are going to have no luck in finding someone who will redo the tritium capsule you need. Anything in the radioactive sphere of products is more than likely monitored very closely. Us civies are not in the loop of users.
If I am wrong and it can be done, I would like to know.

 

[bearkilr]

Not sure who you've contacted, but you can try mbmicrotech.com . They're one of the bigger producers of tritium vials, located in Switzerland. Shipping "radioactive" items may be a problem, but it wouldn't hurt to call or send an e-mail.

 

[sillymike]

Send an email to Peter Abrahams (telscope @ europa com) The guy run a "binocular" mailing list, if he doesn't know... one of the member certainly will.

The list goes out about once or twice a month... very informative.