Viewlex Metrogon???

[Dan Fromm]

Today I went to a camera flea market and picked up what looks like a 6"/6.3 Metrogon from which the shutter and diaphragm have been removed. The only thing is, the lens isn't engraved Bausch & Lomb or Metrogon.

Instead, the trim ring on the front cell is engraved: "VIEWLEX, INC. L.I.C. I., N.Y. TYPE I - 6 IN. F/6.3 (151.5 MM) 1316 MIL-L7368B" Pardon the use of upper case, that's how its engraved. The rear cell is engraved 1316 and FD, with 5.211 after the FD. The "5.211" was done crudely and by hand with a vibrating scribe type engraving tool. So now we know its serial number and rear flange-to-film distance.

The cells look like ones in other 6" Metrogons I've seen, and each cell has two elements, which I think is right for type 1 Metrogons. The housing, however, is relatively tiny.

I did some web searches, it seems that Viewlex made projectors, including planetariums. No trace of lenses made by Viewlex.

Any suggestions about who made it, if not Viewlex, and what for? Yeah, I know, if it looks like a Metrogon it probably flew like one.

Cheers,

Dan

[Ernest Purdum]

The Department of Defence - Oops - The War Department has quite a habit of farming out items for companies other than the originator of an item to make. Sometimes this results in great acrimony, but in wartime more often results in B-17s made by Lockheed and Metrogons made by the lowest bidder.