Lommers had this unusual mechanism for retaining lenses. Each retaining ring had a "whisker" cut (by hand) from the ring. These whiskers are bent away from the retaining ring. When assembled, the whiskers act like retaining springs to hold the glass lens in place.
Whiskers from the retaining ring hold the lens firmly in place, but also allow for thermal expansion without binding or cracking the lens.
The tiered wooden base is oak with a mahogany base piece. It is solid, with no drawers or fixtures.
The support pillar is held in place by a tapered dovetail. Each side piece is fastened to the wooden base with nails. The circular fitting on the left is for the illuminating mirror.
The illuminating mirror is mounted on a rotating gimbal, which is press-fit into a peg at the base of the support pillar. There is only one reflective side. Dia=2.5cm.
The shaped brass limb supports the microscope body. It is fastened to the pillar with an ornamented screw.