Hilger & Watts engineer's microscope

[tim-tim]

Today I picked up an engineer's microscope without a power supply. Made by Hilger and Watts it is in very good condition and needs vey little work to make it usable. Firstly no transformer but the bulb holder and a bulb is present. I see with a little Internet searching that the original was 4.5V. I have a power supply for a microscope which is 8V to 16V so a new bulb was required. Found a screw in LED car side light bulb as used on classic Jaguar cars. This fitted the original bulb holder and at 12V mated very nicely with my power supply.
I do have a question. The microscope I have has an additional piece fitted at the objective end of microscope tube. This additional piece has "T" piece, this tee piece has a lens in it and small adjuster that appears to move something inside by max 90deg back and forth (could be a mirror). Nothing is attached to this although it has a thread inside.
Does anyone have knowledge of these engineers microscopes to give guidance on what is missing.
Attached image of microscope the T is just above the objective lens.
Also details of the LED bulb I used.
Thank you in advance.

 

[Pete.]

These are very nice I have one myself. I think the adapter is just an alternative place to put the illumination lamp though it might also be an adapter for a lens or camera.

 

[Ian X]

That looks to be in exceptional condition. If the platen has not received the usual scuffs or rust pits it really is a good find.

 

[Brad93]

@Pete.

 

[tim-tim]

These are very nice I have one myself. I think the adapter is just an alternative place to put the illumination lamp though it might also be an adapter for a lens or camera.

Thank you for the reply Pete.
If I put light into it, it gives me nothing but using the light in the base I can get light to come out of the T but twisting the adjuster on the T. This makes me think some sort of shadow graph screen but can't find anything on the Internet to support this theory.

 

[tim-tim]

That looks to be in exceptional condition. If the platen has not received the usual scuffs or rust pits it really is a good find.

Ian, the condition is excellent, it has some extras along with some parts made by a previous owner all are well made.
The thread in the T I am enquiring about is very clean as if whatever fits it has just been removed.
I purchased it from an Antiques centre and it was sold as a charity sale. They know nothing of its history.

 

[voipio]

The side tube might be to provide coaxial illumination to allow inspection of areas of a specimen that would otherwise be obscured by shadows. It might require a lamp with some sort of collimating optics to work properly. A bulb on its own might not be sufficient. Something like this: (taken from: https://microscopist.co.uk/files/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/part-3-illumination.pdf )

 

[tim-tim]

The side tube might be to provide coaxial illumination to allow inspection of areas of a specimen that would otherwise be obscured by shadows. It might require a lamp with some sort of collimating optics to work properly. A bulb on its own might not be sufficient. Something like this: (taken from: https://microscopist.co.uk/files/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/part-3-illumination.pdf )

View attachment 485753

Thank you for this information, I will investigate (try a few settings).
I did find the attached image on the Internet but this one looks to be more like a compressed air line than a light!!!
What are your thoughts?

 

[tim-tim]

I have tried several setups with a light into the "T" and have found a combination that allows the light to fall onto the specimen and give an improved 3D view of objects. An example a coin the stamped surface jumps out and can show a clearly contrasting surface image. Then by adjusting the mirror adjuster it goes to a silhouette giving a clear contrast to the periphery of the coin (the coin shows black and the microscope plates glass shows as white).
Thank you again voipio good information.
I just have to make something permanent.