Plastic 6x42

Mfr: Believed to be Universal Camera Corp.

Date: 1944

AFOV: ~50 degrees

TFOV: 8.5 degrees

Eye Relief: ~14mm

Weight: ~935g

This appears to be a prototype example of a plastic 6x42 binocular developed for the U.S. military during World War II.  See the references listed below for more information.  This particular sample was obtained in an estate sale in the Kansas City area, otherwise, little is known about its provenance.  The body is a two piece brownish bakelite material while the eyepiece housings are a black bakelite material.   The interpupillary distance on this sample measures 65mm.  The two halves of the body are held together by eleven screws.  There is a gasket between the two halves made from a string like fibrous material impregnated with a cement or waxy substance in this sample.  Each body half has a small GE (General Electric) logo molded inside, along with a few numbers and letters (see internal pictures below).

There are metal inserts in the bottom half of the body for the screws to attach to the top half and for mounting the prism clusters.  The objective rings are also made of a metallic material.  The objective cells are eccentric for collimation.   In this sample the objectives and prisms do not appear to be coated but the eyepiece lenses are.  Note that the references describe this binocular as fully coated.  The eyepieces are fixed focus, though they do screw in and out to adjust the focus (they were probably supposed to be cemented in place after factory adjustment).  The design is supposed to accommodate reticles but none are present in the sample.  Other than the few markings molded into the body noted above, there no other identification markings found on this binocular.

As for optical performance, this binocular provides decent, well corrected images but a narrow field of view.  The image field is nearly flat with low distortion and sharp images close to the edge.  In this sample several prism leaks are visible but additional shielding may have been planned for production (shields not present are shown in design drawings).

Major participants in the development of the plastic 6x42 were:

1. U.S. Naval Observatory.  Directed development.

2. National Bureau of Standards.  Contributed to plastics and optical design.

3. Universal Camera Corporation.  Manufacture and structural design.

4.  General Electric Corporation.  Produced molds for plastic body.

Development started in 1942 for a U.S. military binocular using alternative materials for improved weight, durability, and cost.  After testing of various materials a type of bakelite or thermosetting phenolic with asbestos (!) fiber fillers was selected for the body.  Bakelite is widely considered the first (synthetic) plastic developed around 1907.   The body consists of molded top and bottom halves with aluminum alloy inserts for mounting screws.  A gripping surface is molded into the body so there is no need for any material applied to the outside of the body.   The focus and interpupillary distance are fixed.  Different versions for interpupillary distances of 62, 65, and 68mm were planned though 65mm was believed to be sufficient for most of the population.

Samples of the plastic 6x42 were produced in 1944 for evaluation and testing.  It is believed that Universal Camera manufactured the test samples, though interestingly, the article in Modern Plastics barely mentions Universal's role*.  The results were positive and it appears that there were plans to put this binocular into service.  It is not known if this binocular was ever produced for use beyond testing, though it is doubtful since it was developed near the end of WWII.  According to Cynthia Repinski, Universal at one time intended to bring this binocular to the commercial market after the war.

Note:  Germany also produced bakelite binoculars during WWII, specifically, at least two 6x30 models by Busch and Voigtlander.

References:

1. Bailey, Lt. W. Russell, and Kline, Gordon M.  "The 6 x 42 Binocular", Modern Plastics, October 1944.

2. Kende, George, Universal Camera Corp.  U.S. Design Patent 140,730, April 3, 1945.  See image below.

3. Kende, George, Universal Camera Corp.  U.S. Patent 2,392,154, January 1, 1946.  Covers construction details, only first page of text shown below.

4. Repinski, Cynthia.   The Univex Story, Centennial Photo Service, 1991.    See link below for details on this excellent book and how to order it from the author.  It has quite a bit of binocular content on the plastic 6x42 as well as other American models.

http://www.univexcamera.com