[photo-3d] Realist green-button viewer - part 1

["John Goodman" <jgood@xxxxxxxx>]

I've been working with a Realist green-button. Imho, it's a 
strong contender for nicest 5p vintage viewer, with its clear, 
sharp lenses, neat design & features, solid construction. Of 
course I used DrT's informative manual to guide my overhaul. 
(If you're not interested in Realist green-button details, just 
ignore the rest of this post.)

One dicey point is the flat spring in the slide holder that presses 
mounts against the metal. (Details about this spring seem not 
to be mentioned in the first edition of DrT's manual.) In the one 
green-button I have, it is a loose fit, and rattles if the viewer is 
shaken. So I'm wondering if it is an original part or might have 
been damaged. It's copper colored, while the corresponding 
spring in all the red-button viewers I've seen are silver colored 
(plated).

I removed it, bent it to apply more pressure and replaced it, but 
thin cardboard mounts are pressed flat against the holder with 
only a feather touch, a much weaker action than the red-button 
counterpart. It works just fine, but barely. If I had an extra red-
button spring, I'd try a substitution or adaptation. What's the 
story, oh ye gurus? Are OEM replacements available?  :>)  

I probably won't widen the slide holder for 7p slides. I've 
realized that my facial structure is an insurmountable obstacle 
when trying to use Realist viewers with wider than 5p formats. 
My eyes are deep set, so even with the bridge of my nose and 
eyebrows pressed against a viewer, they are some distance 
from the lenses, reducing the angle of coverage I can see. A 
red-button is better, but I still can't see the extreme corners in 
*both* chips at the same time with 7p views.

When looking through the green-button at a view with strong 
bright areas, I notice the "ears" on the crown-shaped spring lens 
retainers. Of course they appear way out of focus and in the 
periphery, but still, "they're there." Is anyone else bothered by 
them? I suppose the inside of the lens holders could be sanded 
and painted flat black to reduce this effect (similar to the 
procedure recommended to improve contrast with the V-M 
model D viewer lenses).

The cylindrical surfaces of the lenses were left untreated by the 
factory, in contrast with some red-button lenses that are finish 
ground and coated black. There's a deep, not very precise, 
circumferential groove between the two elements, that's filled 
with congealed, yellowish cement, but the lenses are nice and 
very clear. If I ever wind up with an extra pair of original green-
button lenses, it would be interesting to reduce their diameter 
to fit red-button lens holders, as an experiment.

The illumination has a couple of darkish areas toward the top 
corners of the perceived window. I've painted the bulb side of 
the slide holder and installed a new white plastic reflector, but 
not yet painted the inside of the top cover. Perhaps the end 
faces of the bulb holder(s) should be painted flat white as well.

Using a 2.8V 0.85A frosted bulb, the view is plenty bright, but 
not as bright as a red-button with the same bulb.

(to be continued)

John Goodman

 

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