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How to Repair Binoculars? | 4 Simple Steps Anyone Can Follow!

How to Repair Binoculars
Written by Dan Goldsmith
Last Update: August 11, 2023

Do you love stalking animals, viewing nature, or aggressively obsessing with sports?

If you belong to any of the categories, then I am sure you are familiar with the use of binoculars.

Falling, pressing, colliding, and exposing the binoculars to a certain condition can damage the parts of the device.

This is why it is imperative to gain additional knowledge on how to repair binoculars.

We will be looking at some vital points, precautions, and methods that you can use to keep your binoculars in good condition.

Taking out time to do some predictive maintenance, repair, and cleaning can be effective to get your binoculars to last for decades.

Your interest should exceed buying one to maintain what you have and gain maximum value for your investment.

The prisms, lens, and focus Knob are the three most fragile parts of the binoculars that are prone to fault.

And strict adherence to the following guide below will assist you to stay away from optical repairs.

So let’s take a deep dive into how we can personally fix parts of the binoculars from the comfort of our home.

How to Repair Binoculars at Home: Step-by-Step Guide

1. Fixing Prisms

Prisms are the most significant part of binoculars. Its primary function is to collimate the inner image that is generated from both sides.

Once both images are aligned perfectly, the brain will receive and interprets the image.

Conversely, if both images appear distorted, then the brain will struggle to interpret the image.

functions of prism in binoculars

When a prism produces dual images due to dis-alignment, such a scenario is known as de-collimation.

And this is caused mostly due to damages that occur in the binos.  Although this condition cannot be prevented but can be fixed.

Doing this may appear tricky but not difficult. Patience will be the virtue you will adopt through the process.

1. Get all your necessary tools in place

You will need a scale, screwdriver, cleaning cloth, manual, and tissue rolls. It is more advisable to get a binocular collimator than use a screwdriver to collimate.

Although screwdrivers can also serve the purpose, when using a screwdriver, the process is known as conditional alignment.

  • More accessories will be needed: you will need a target and a tripod stand, you will use this to check for accuracy while carrying out repairs.
  • It is advisable to hang your target on an object that is stable. You can use a wall or a tree that is 100 yards away. The current magnification power will determine how far your target will appear. If you have binoculars that offer 5x, then go for 50 meters if it offers 10x then check out 100 meters.
  • Most of the screws that attach the prims are found under the covering, so it’s important to remove the covering. Use a knife or scissors to peel off the covering; this will allow you to access the screw.
  • The prism has two screws. One of the screws is used to arrange the path at which light travels while the other screw is the zooming power.
  • Find out the fault of your prisms by aiming at a straight line or wire. If you observe the targeted line or wire appearing on different heights, then the prism is faulty.
  • You will need to tighten up the screw if you observe the screws appears lower on the other side.
  • Move each screw on the monocular using the smallest screwdriver and afterward, run a check on any of the targets.
  • When you observe a little change in the line, i.e., the line moving upward; then you are on the right track, it is advisable to keep moving until both lines are merged.
  • Likewise, if you have a target that appears higher than a usual target, then try loosening it a bit, until you observe the screw has merged up.
  • You will need to depend on your eyes for the final verdict as the binoculars are de-collimated, and all the lenses are known to show different imagery.

De-collimation is a defect that is caused by excessive usage and tilting of the screws.

This makes it important to run a check to know if you were able to collimate the binoculars perfectly.

The adjustment of the focus knob also leads to a slight adjustment of the prism screws, and the arrangement of binoculars can get disturbed.

2. Fix the Lens

One of the most vital and significant parts of the binocular is the lens.

The lens is the most exposed part of the binoculars. If the binoculars fall, the lens experience significant damage.

To maintain the lenses of your binoculars, you should consider the following precautions:

Maintain the lens of binoculars

  1. Avoid exposing the lenses to moisture. This will cause the moist to get trapped in the body and lead to fungi growth on the surface. And this can take a lot of effort to eliminate.
  2. Do not use binoculars while it is raining or windy.
  3. Avoid repeated alteration of the lenses.
  4. The use of pressure on each lens can cause them to move from the center. So it’s best to prevent mishandling.
  5. Avoid beaming the binoculars directly at the sun. Doing this will simultaneously lead to a series of damage to the lens of your hunting binoculars and your eyes.

Patience is indeed the major virtue you will require if you intend to work on your optics.

Below are a few tips you can adopt to fix them within the comfort of your home.

  • Get all the screwdriver that is needed in opening the invisible screws.
  • You will need a repair manual, a wiping cloth, kitchen tissue, and a scale with a soap solution.
  • Locate the position of the lens screw to start the entire process.
  • Ensure the lenses are both clean before you fix each lens on its position. It is best to use a dry piece of microfiber cloth or a professional kit for cleaning, but if you have a lens that is dirty and dusty, use water to clean them up.
  • Once both lenses are clean and dried, resort to each of the centers of the lens cups.
  • Once you place the lens in its cup, you can use tweezers to adjust its position.
  • Now run a check and ensure both lenses are in their perfect position. While doing this, avoid a direct touch on the lens surface, as this marks them up with fingerprint
  • Once that is rightly done, you can view through the lens to ensure they are both in place.
  • Once the screws are rightly adjusted, try to measure out the center of both sides of the lenses, they will help you know if the entire process is successful enough.
  • Although, in some cases, the lens can appear in faulty positioning. Once this occurs, you can repeat the entire process since you are now conversant with the position of each screw.

NOTE: if you have broken or cracked binoculars, then it has no possibility of being fixed.

3. Fix Your Focusing Knob

Once the Knob is used excessively, it generates friction.

And once the lubricant you use is no longer available, then focusing on the Knob becomes very difficult.

But the good news is, you can run a quick fix on this within the comfort of your home.

A trivial mistake may ruin the whole thing, that’s why it’s important to understand how binoculars work.

So pay painstaking attention when fixing the knobs. Here are some materials and tools you will need to fix up the focus Knob.

  1. Grease: there are varieties of grease, and often times most of the grease is accompanied by a bad odor. We suggest going for greases that are odorless and colorless. You can easily access this in most automobile and optic stores.
  2. Cotton Buds: you will need to apply grease on a cotton bud to clean up the Knob carefully.
  3. Magnifying glass: these glasses are needed to check out for rust and dust particles.

Once all the materials are in place, then you can start the first phase of ….

How to Repair Binoculars: In-a-nutshell

Repairing your binocular

Stage 1: you will need to open up the focusing knob. The Knob has a large-sized screw found on its top that is easily removable.

Stage 2: once it is opened, you can use the bud to clean up the inside.

Stage 3: apply some amount of grease on the bud and ensure you apply the grease carefully all through.

Stage 4: you will also be required to fasten the screws within time intervals as an excessive application of grease will cause all the screws to be very slippery.

Stage 5: all you need to do at this point is to put back the screw, once that is rightly done, you are done!

Now that you are done with the three essential parts of the binoculars, clean them up and run a test run for the last time to ensure its focusing Knob is well aligned.

While doing this, move it forward and backward to be certain about its state.

The entire steps above were primarily compiled to help you fix your binoculars within the comfort of your home.

Now you no longer need to visit the optics store or call in a professional if you observe dual appearances through your night vision binoculars.

You can set out time to be your professional by doing the entire process yourself.

About the author

Dan Goldsmith

Hi, this is Dan. We all know firearms are dangerous, but only when one doesn’t know how to use and care for them. I have 30+ years of experience with different types of guns and for the last 10 years, I have taught numerous people how to hold and shoot a gun while staying safe and keeping the surroundings unharmed.

My neighbors are some of my biggest admirers who enjoy talking to me about their guns, firearms safety and maintenance.

Whenever I am able to catch a moment of free time, you will find me enjoying my family or heading to the range on my motorcycle. I have enjoyed shooting sports ever since my dad introduced them to me as a child.

I like to think of myself as an outdoorsman who lives his life to the fullest. I hope you will benefit from my efforts to create valuable resources on this website. Happy reading!

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