Small French Drum Microscope. Circa 1890

Description

Small French Drum Microscope. Circa 1890
Small French drum microscope made circa 1890, in its original mahogany case and in fine condition. The microscope preserves all its component parts, from the turret with the eyepiece to the double-sided mirror designed to catch the light and throw it on the sample. The brass the parts are made of is finely preserved and keeps the original finish, a protecting transparent lacquer which provides the metal with a beautiful and charming patina. In some places we can appreciate slight signs of the trace of time, almost imperceptible details which testify for the authenticity and the use of this fascinating device. The microscope comes in a solid mahogany case with original locking hooks and inner wooden pieces bound to maintain the device in its place.
Delicate and fascinating, this small French drum microscope deserves a very special place in a good collection of antique scientific instruments.
Dimensions: 1.8 in / 4.5 cm. Height: 6.3 in / 16 cm.
Drum Microscopes – History
Drum microscopes are an evolution of pocket or travel microscopes. They were invented by the English mathematician and optic material manufacturer Benjamin Martin who made the first model in 1738. This instrument was made of wood, brass and cardboard. A drum microscope is composed of a cylinder which slides inside a pipe in order to focus the specimen or sample through the instrument’s lens. The specimen receives the light reflected by the oscillating mirror located at the bottom of the microscope. For their easy operation and small size, drum microscopes became quite popular and were produced for around two centuries with scarcely any modifications of the original design. Cheap and affordable, they were highly appreciated by students.
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This is an
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, not a new item, and it's not perfect as a new one. It may have minor scratches or hits not mentioned in this description but than can be seen in the many photos published with it.
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Also be aware that when I say that an antique item is in perfect working conditions, doesn't mean that it works as new. A machine with 100 years is not prepared to be working everyday during hours, except my antique clocks. Many things can happen inside an antique mechanism and today's perfectly working spring, could be the future's failure as far away as in 10 years… or as near as the next month. It's impossible to know exactly when. But before our pieces are ready to be sold, we check the machinery and working condition of all of them. If necessary, we restore and/or repair and finally clean and/or adjust, all our antique machines, and if it's there's a defect or malfunctions, it's clearly indicated in the description, video or pictures, but these machines are still antiques.
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Jose Pascual
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My name is Jose and I am the owner and responsible of this shop. I am an antique dealer located in Saragossa, in Spain.
Saragossa is a Spanish medium size city of 700.000 people, located just in the middle of the way between Madrid and Barcelona, 300 kms from each one, and also equidistant 300 kms. to other cities as Bilbao and Valencia. It’s an antique city founded by the Romans, by the Emperor Caesar Augustus more than 2000 years ago, capital of the powerful antique Kingdom of Aragon, 900 years ago and during the Medieval times, and first defeat of Napoleon’s troops in Europe during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th Century, among other History...
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I always give guarantee my descriptions, not only in general antiques, but even in the working condition of an antique machine. Of course, to be completely sincere, it’s mainly impossible to give a full guarantee in the working condition of an antique working machine with over or more than 100 years. Many things can happen inside an antique mechanism and today’s perfectly working spring, could be the future’s failure as far away as in ten years… or as near as the next month. It's impossible to know exactly when. But before our pieces are ready to be sold, we check the machinery and working condition of all of them. If necessary, we restore and/or repair and finally clean and/or adjust, all our antique machines, and if it’s there's a defect or malfunctions, it’s clearly indicated in the description, video or pictures.
We try to have all our pieces in perfect working conditions, but if a disaster occurs and the item gets out of order or damaged, for any reason, we can help to solve the problem or to help to repair it or to restore it. We work with first class professionals that can restore from antique medieval paintings to 13th Century silver, other metals as iron, copper and bronze, to any kind of wood. Also, we can repair antique machines as gramophones, antique clocks, typewriters and antique mechanical calculators.
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