Bino destruction

[rgb@postman.ncube.com (Bob Bond)]

I need a new 50mm finder for the camera mount I'm working on.  After
pricing finders (oh my) and looking for old binos (where are they all,
anyway?) I decided to look at the new bino market.  I found a cheap
pair of Bushnell 10x50s on sale for $29.95!  That means I can make 2
finders for $15.00 apiece.  The lenses are glass, so I bought them.

I thought I'd share the process of removing the lenses and eyepieces
since I now know how :-).

The right eyepiece (the adjustable one) comes off just by unscrewing it.

The left eyepiece has a little tiny set screw under the rubber eyeshield
that releases it from the metal casting.

The lenses are glued in a plastic threaded casing and are screwed into
the plastic barrels.  The lens barrels themselves screw into the prism
housing.  I was unable to get the lenses to come out of the barrels
(there is glue *everywhere*) so I cut the barrels off just above the
lens with my band saw, then cut the plastic around the lenses with a
pair of diagonal cutters.  Not too subtle, but the lenses came right
out with no damage.

My wife is now sure I have lost it.

There was heavy waterproof grease all over the eyepiece innards.  I
used some of that solvent that smells like oranges and it came right
off.

I'll build the finder bodies from PVC...

                        Bob