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How to Repair the Textured Paint of Old Binoculars. Wie Man die Strukturlack der Älteren Fernglas Reparieren. Comment Faire pour Réparer la Peinture Texturée des Anciennes Jumelles. Как отремонтировать текстурированной краской старый бинокль. Hur Man Reparerar det Strukturfärg för Gamla Kikare. Cómo Reparar la Pintura con Textura de Viejos Prismáticos. Come Riparare la Vernice Strutturata dei Vecchi Binocoli.

It is usually difficult to touch up old miniature binoculars without your efforts being rather obvious. But there can be exceptions, as shown below.

Nice pair of pre war Race 6x15 binoculars with case…

But...

... a previous owner scratched their name into the paint of a prism cover, in a particularly crude and ugly way. But because the paint is crinkle paint (heavily textured), it is quite practical to make good remedial repairs.

For years I recommended Krylon ® “Wrinkle Finish” paint for binoculars and their paints in general. Lately I’ve had problems with various of their paints perhaps due to formula changes and did not have a good experience of them honoring the satisfaction warranty on the cans. Rustoleum ®now makes a wrinkle finish paint and I have some but haven’t tested it as much. The wrinkle finish typically appears when the paint is almost dry. As dry time is a bit slow, I prefer to force dry the work with a heat gun or hair dryer to the point that the paint flashes and texture appears. It only takes a few minutes, using that forced drying technique. Be careful not to blow the paint around.

The paint must be applied in a rather thick layer in order to “wrinkle” properly as it dries. In this case I chose to paint the entire panel where the owners name had been scratched, and applied the paint by brush rather than masking and spraying. And I also touched up the wear on the edges of all the prism covers as shown in the photo.

This is the final result. There is no sign of the name, and it is not obvious that anything has been done, so I am quite pleased with the result.

After repair. Nach der reparatur. Après réparation. Efter reparation. Depués de la reparación.

Before repair. Vor der reparatur. Avant réparation. Före reparation. Antes de la reparación.

How to Improve the Appearance of Old Cases for Binoculars . Wie Man der Darstellung von Schutzhüllen für Ferngläser Verbessern. Comment Améliorer L'apparence de cas Anciens pour Jumelles. Hur Man Kan Förbättra Utseendet På Gamla Ärenden för Kikare.Cómo Mejorar la Apariencia de Viejo Casos para Prismáticos. Come Migliorare L’aspetto di Vecchie Casse per Binocoli.

It is easy for anyone to improve the appearance of worn or distressed binoculars cases with a bit of shoe polish. For brown cases I prefer to use dark tan polish, so as not to darken the color.

Before repair. Vor der reparatur. Avant réparation. Före reparation. Antes de la reparación.

After repair. Nach der reparatur. Après réparation. Efter reparation. Depués de la reparación.

Before repair. Vor der reparatur. Avant réparation. Före reparation. Antes de la reparación.

After repair. Nach der reparatur. Après réparation. Efter reparation. Depués de la reparación.

Note: there are paint compatibility issues between enamel and lacquer. Enamel can usually be successfully applied over air dried and baked lacquer. But lacquer usually cannot be successfully applied over enamels, as the aggressive lacquer solvent will often attack the previous enamel coat and cause it to peel or “alligator”, especially around chipped areas. A second lacquer coat over a previous lacquer coat is OK, and an enamel coat over a previous enamel coat is OK, and enamel over a previous lacquer coat is usually OK. I think most Japanese binoculars were originally painted with lacquer.

How to Use Wax and Polish to Improve the Appearance of Old Binoculars . Wie Sie Wachsen und Polieren Verwenden, un das Aussehn der Ferngläser Verbessern. Comment Utiliser la Cire et Polonais pour Améliorer l’apparence des Jumelles. Her man Använder Vax och Polish för Förbättra Utseendet på Kikare. Cómo utilizar Cera y Polaco para Mejorar la Apariencia de los Prismáticos. Come Usae la Cera e il Polacco per Migliorare L’aspetto dei Vecchi Binocoli.

I suspect that a lot of older binoculars used a lacquer paint finish. Japan has a long tradition of using lacquer for painted finishes. There are various lacquer formulations, and with the invention of nitrocellulose lacquer in 1921 (cellulose resin plus high volatility fast drying solvents) it became popular because of the quick dry time. Lacquer finishes can get cloudy with age or prolonged exposure to a humid environment. While I encounter a dull cloudy finish on full size binoculars more often than on miniature ones, it is good to know how easy it is to get a great improvement with minor effort using automotive polish or wax on these finishes. I like carnauba wax plus elbow grease.

Before repair. Vor der reparatur. Avant réparation. Före reparation. Antes de la reparación.

Typical cloudy dingy finish. No wear, but doesn’t present well. And not dirty:these have already been cleaned, which really did nothing to improve the appearance.

After repair. Nach der reparatur. Après réparation. Efter reparation. Depués de la reparación.

After a few minutes of polishing.

Small effort.

Big improvement.

Wax and some rubbing...

Sad Birks case from a London Hospice shop

Same revitalized Birks case from a London Hospice shop after 5 minutes of polishing.

Uncooperative Center Focus Mechanism. Repair Tip . Unkooperativer Fokus Mechanismus. Reparatur Tipp. Centre Non Coopératif Mécanisme de Mise au Point. Réparation Astuce. Миниатюрные бинокль ремонт предложение. 小型双眼鏡修理提案 . Icke Samarbetsvilliga Fokus. Reparera Tips. Mecanismo de Enfoque Central que no es operativa. Reparación Punta. Meccanismo di Focalizzazione del Centro non Cooperativo. Suggerimento per la Riparazione.

Seized central focus mechanisms on miniature binoculars can often be made operative with penetrating lube and a bit of patience moving the focus wheel back and forth. But the problem can also be hardened optical grease within the mechanism, and there are times when lube and force will not work. In this case heat from a pencil torch will normally work on ocular focus models, given generous effort and patience.

Unscrew the end cap for the center focus wheel.

Heat the center focus center to free the focus wheel, and progressively heat and move the wheel to free it up.