I have a similar lens that dates to 1895. These were very common lenses and turn up frequently. They were older technology at that time and less expensive to produce, so they were popular. Mine is a less-than-spectacular performer, but I think it may have been disassembled and reassembled incorrectly at some point in its life. Rapid Rectilinear lenses generally are decent performers. (I own a different RR lens that is quite sharp.) They tend to be a little soft at the corners, but since you are using it for a smaller format than it was built for, that may not be a problem. Figure your maximum aperture to be about f/8. I find that darkslide material from a broken slide makes good material for fabricating Waterhouse stops. Have fun with it - there's nothing like using an old lens.
Peter Gomena
