Ainsworth Solar Transit – S/N 2946 – Nice Condition – Circa 1915

Ainsworth Solar Transit – S/N 2946 – Nice Condition – Circa 1915

***Price Drop*** $1900

This is a very nice solar transit made by Ainsworth, an instrument maker based in Denver Colorado. The solar attachment is a Saegmuller unit, and the transit was made in about 1915 based on its serial number. Comes with a tripod but not box.

Circa

Circa 1915

Maker

Ainsworth

Country of manufacture

North America

Categories: Surveying Instruments & Mining, Engineering antiques

Description

This is a really neat circa 1915 Ainsworth Solar Compass.   Ainsworth had a unique approach to attaching a Saegmueller Solar unit to a transit.  Ainsworth would modify a Saegmueller solar unit to fit on a mining transit designed for a second scope and counterweight (like Berger used).  I’ve asked around and Ainsworth was apparently the only maker who took this approach.

 

 

Note that the counterweight loop is only a half loop.  I have no idea what that’s about – never seen that before.  

 

 

This Ainsworth solar transit has an earlier style Saegmueller solar unit, which is interesting.   The Ainsworth manual shows later style a Saeg unit.  The counterweight on my unit also looks larger than what the manual shows.  I suspect that the purchaser of this Ainsworth might have already had a Saeg solar unit and had Ainsworth modify his Saeg unit to fit on the this Ainsworth transit.  Don’t know for sure of course – maybe Ainsworth had an old Saeg unit sitting on the shelf.

 

 

Either way, this is a really neat and very solar transit.

 

 

No box, but has a tripod (probably not original).

 

 

9.5 inches telescope.  2.5 inch compass needle.  Serial number 2946.  Missing one vernier glare guard.   Compass hard to read – small 2.5 inch needle

The levels contain liquids.

 

 

Optics work on both scopes. No crosshairs on the big scope. The Saeg might have crosshairs – hard to tell.  Solar unit wobbles a bit – needs tightening.  

 

Please see my Ainsworth Instrument Maker Webpage for more information about Ainsworth.

 

 

360 Degree Spinner View – with Zoom Option

(Zoom with your mouse scroll wheel or with the magnifying glass in the spinner menu bar. Unzoom to regain control of the 360 degree spinner).

 

 

Click Here to see more high resolution photos of the Ainsworth Solar Transit

 

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US The Compleat Surveyor

The Compleat Surveyor specializes in rare instruments and books related to land surveying. This initially was a family business - my father (F. D. Uzes) was a noted surveyor, collector and author (Illustrated Price Guide To Antique Surveying Instruments and Books - published in 1980). Having spent a lifetime surrounded by old instruments and books, I now run the business myself. I use my website (www.CompleatSurveyor.com) to both sell instruments and provide historical information related to land surveying.

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