DESCRIPTIONS | INTRODUCTION & HISTORY |
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tilting standwas an extra $16 in 1956, or about $160 extra today. Note that the cost of the Metami was a lot more than the Tami for only a modest degree of improvement; it cost 2/3 of the cost of the Protami. This is likely the reason they were not very popular and were made for a relatively short time. Details of the history of Hensoldt are found on my Hensoldt history page.
THE EARLY TAMI MODEL
HENSOLDT, WETZLARunder the focusing control ring. On the back of the instrument it is signed
D.R.P.a.which is the German abbreviation for
Patent Pending. On the top of the cover it is signed:
1778and in the insignia
HENSOLDT,.WETZLAR.Below the insignia it is signed
Germany.The focusing control simple threads the optical tube through the support ring. The stage is made of glass with a fixed angled mirror in the removeable base. The black stage clips attach to the ring around the base. There are two draw tubes, each calibrated with magnifications. The upper tube is calibrated from 40 to 115, the bottom from 42 to 110 There is a single eyepiece and a single objective.
THE LATER TAMI MODEL
Tamiabove the knurled focusing control and with the emblem with the words
HENSOLDT, WETZLARunder the control. On the back side, the microscope is signed with its serial number and below that, D.R.P. indicating it is patented in Germany. The top of the cover is signed with the newer insignia with the words:
HENSOLDT, WETZLARwith the serial number beneath the insignia. Note that this instrument has the newer insignia without the dots on each side of the word
WETZLARThe focusing control simple threads the optical tube through the support ring. The stage is made of glass with a fixed angled mirror in the removeable base. The black stage clips attach to the ring around the base. There are two draw tubes, each calibrated with magnifications. The upper draw is calibrated from 70 to 145 while the lower one is calibrated from 160 to 230. There is a single eyepiece and a single objective.
THE METAMI MODEL
HENSOLDT, WETZLARin the emblem on the back, and
D.R.P.below that; lower down it is signed
Metami, Vergr. 25-600. Vergr. is an abbreviation for the German word for magnification. Just below the focusing control is a sticker by a retailer, labelled
PALO COMPANY, NEW YORK. The D.R.P., which stands for Deutsches Reichspatent, is the German term for patent. The cover is signed with the serial number
1092above the insignia signed
HENSOLDT, WETZLAR.
THE PROTAMI MODEL
crinkle blackfinish except for the stage and focusing knob which are a semigloss or flat black and some parts including the objectives have a nickel finish. It has a round base of about 1 3/4 inches in diameter. The height with all the drawtubes extended is about 7 5/8 inches. Height of the cover is about 6 1/4 inches. The back of the instrument is signed:
HENSOLDT, .WETZLAR.in the insignia. It is also signed
Protami, D.R.Pand
Vergr. 40-1200. The top of the cover is signed
Protamiabove the insignia signed
HENSOLDT, .WETZLAR.. Below the insignia is the serial number
4361
1/12, n.a. 1.3.The microscope could also be ordered with a 1/10 objective instead of a 1/12. The two draw tubes are each calibrated with sets of magnifications. The top draw tube is calibrated from 90 to 160 and also from 340 to 545. The bottom draw tube has three sets of calibration markings, one for each objective; 170 to 250, 565 to 760, and 880 to 1200. The stage can be turned aside just like the Metami, but instead of just an iris, it has a full substage condenser above the iris. The stage clips are made of a nickel finished metal. Like the Metami it has an articiated substage mirror. Unlike the Metami, there is no need for storage of another objective; their is a hole in the base. Just like the Tami, the Protami had an inclination attachment available for an extra charge. Just like the Metami, the focus control moves the optical tube without rotating it. Unlike the Tami and the Metami, the Protami has an oval cutout in its back. Later versions of the Protami cover had a crinkle finish similar to the microscope. Another feature was a small canister similar to a standard can for holding objectives which attached to the bottom of the stage. It housed a small vial of immersion oil. The top of the canister had a dovetail that slid into a dovetail slot on the bottom of the stage. My example has the dovetail slot under the stage but the can is missing.