01-032. German, early 4th quarter 20th century, signed on the base "Leitz Wetzlar Germany," and serial numbered 5614. Made of chrome plated brass, 5 3/4" wide x 3" tall overall. The vertical circle, for A5, is 2 1/4" diameter; the outside horizontal circle, for A4, is 4 3/8" diameter. The original accessories include a centering base, 1 set of hemispheres (nD=1.516), glass stage disk, and 2 mounting screws. The stage is in very good mechanical and optical condition. A customized wood case is included.
The universal stage, with its several axes of rotation, permits accurate and rapid determination of the optical properties and orientation of crystal plates or fragments. The universal stage was first introduced by E.V. Federow and is extensively used to diagnose the indicatrix in bi-axial crystals.
