Manuals for old microscopes

One of the problems frequently vexing old-microscope enthusiasts like me is the lack of documentation, such as operating instructions, service manuals, exploded or circuit diagrams, etc.

Here are some links to pdfs of some hard-to-find old manuals. As new manuals are added, they will be edited into this post.

These manuals are free for use and printing hard-copies by anyone; also, please feel free to copy the files for free distribution from your own website. I strongly believe that these out-of-date manuals should be widely disseminated for free, for all to use.

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Here are some links to some of the larger on-line free collections of microscope manuals and catalogs for older microscopes (1930-2000):

Bausch and Lomb:
       https://vademecummicroscope.com/bl-manuals-and-catalogues/

Leitz:
      http://microscope.database.free.fr/Welcome.html

American Optical, Spencer, Reichert:
      http://user.xmission.com/~psneeley/Personal/Microscope.htm

Polarizing microscopes:
       http://earth2geologists.net/Microscopes/index.htm 

Olympus:
      http://www.alanwood.net/photography/olympus/downloads.html#bh

           and Carl Hunsinger's excellent Olympus repair trove:

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ckZ6amci3tcVdXdnFYVDJSRW8/view

Zeiss: 
     http://roslistonastronomy.uk/category/microscopy/equipment-for-microscopy/microscope-manuals

All sorts:
     http://www.science-info.net/docs/


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INDIVIDUAL MICROSCOPE MANUALS

Here is an English-language operating manual for the Reichert Univar, a 1970's-80's large, heavy, and sophisticated research microscope of its day. Reportedly, there were only about 300 of these made. I have one of these which I have been restoring to some semblance of its former glory. The manual was available on the internet only in German, so I translated it into English, reproduced it with all of its drawings, and also attached a Univar sales brochure to the end of the manual:

Reichert Univar Microscope Operating Instructions (English), V1.4:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10DxbR9yXI4QQXK38fCUTFSXXXXo7vw6v/view?usp=sharing

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Bausch and Lomb Dynazoom Bench Metallograph Instructions:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2112ra92dk949kv/B%26L%20Bench%20Metallograph%20manual?dl=0

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Bringing old microscopes back to life

One of my hobbies is rejuvenating old microscopes. Most of them are purchases via eBay, and are typically in rough shape and missing vital parts. I like fixing them up and restoring them to functionality. The vintages I concentrate on are from the 1950's to about 2000, at which point the used 'scopes become prohibitively expensive and remain contemporary laboratory resources.

Occasionally, I will sell a fixed-up microscope to a new owner. Some people may want or need a microscope, usually at home, for one reason or another: self-guided nature studies of the microscopic world around us (e.g., pond water), electronics repair, photo/video-micro/macrography, craft activities where magnification is desirable, and the all-important: helping to remove splinters from one's fingers.

I will post now and then on topics concerning microscope repair, collecting, and photomicrography, and will post some hopefully decent images of microscopic life, or other wonders that surround us but are not normally apparent.

For inspiration, information, and comraderie, I recommend the following highly interesting forums and websites: MicrobeHunter.com, microscopy-uk.org.uk, photomacrography.net, and quekett.org, to name some of the most prominent.