Search found 48 matches

by Culicoides
Mon Apr 05, 2021 9:55 pm
Forum: Resources (online, books etc.)
Topic: Where to buy Euparal (in EU)?
Replies: 11
Views: 7383

Re: Where to buy Euparal (in EU)?

Anglian Lepidopterists Supplies in UK sell both euparal and euparal essence.
It takes some time to dry at room temperature but gentle heat ( e.g. a vivaruim heating pad) does the trick in a day or two.
Best of luck, Culicoides
by Culicoides
Sun Jan 17, 2021 5:08 pm
Forum: Pictures and Videos
Topic: Is this a tardigrade?
Replies: 3
Views: 1907

Re: Is this a tardigrade?

Yes, a springtail; Podura aquatica, common on the surface film of ponds etc.
Keep looking, you’ll soon find your water bear!
Good luck, Culicoides
by Culicoides
Sat Dec 19, 2020 3:41 pm
Forum: Pictures and Videos
Topic: POL with crude Anisotropic filter (blue background)
Replies: 10
Views: 4040

Re: POL with crude Anisotropic filter (blue background)

Tony Pattinson (the Freshwater microscopist, book 1 pages 73 to 81) discusses using plastic film with mounted Daphnia and midge larvae: but the polarising filters must be fully crossed and the film inserte into the light beam. Thickness of the film seems to make a difference, as do the type of film ...
by Culicoides
Thu Jul 16, 2020 9:41 pm
Forum: Beginner's corner
Topic: Adding darkfield to Leitz SM-LUX
Replies: 8
Views: 3544

Re: Adding darkfield to Leitz SM-LUX

Katie 2020 asked if you could get dark field with her Leitz sm lux. I too have an sm lux;like hers the condenser on mine has no filter tray, nor is there any provision to add one. Any dark field stop would have to be mounted just under the condenser. I am wondering.... Suppose one were to fit an opa...
by Culicoides
Sun Mar 29, 2020 6:46 pm
Forum: Specimens, samples and slides
Topic: Whole Mount Insect Slide Preparation Part 2
Replies: 7
Views: 4800

Re: Whole Mount Insect Slide Preparation Part 2

Apologies for the wrong attribution, AntoniScott.
Yes, IPA is isopropyl alcohol. I have not used Fischer’s mountant, so cant comment on this. Best wishes, Culicoides
by Culicoides
Sun Mar 29, 2020 10:33 am
Forum: Specimens, samples and slides
Topic: Whole Mount Insect Slide Preparation Part 2
Replies: 7
Views: 4800

Re: Whole Mount Insect Slide Preparation Part 2

An excellent contribution by Darousha; the tip about paper spacers , suspending the slide while manipulating the specimen and the paper clips especially valuable. I prefer to use Euparal as a mountant; after KOH and maybe a a quick rinse in acetic acid (white vinegar) then an hour or less in IPA and...
by Culicoides
Wed Sep 25, 2019 1:44 pm
Forum: Specimens, samples and slides
Topic: Snakeskin specimen
Replies: 13
Views: 9787

Re: mitosis in onion root tips

Many years ago (about 70!) I used to stain onion root tip sections with crystal violet. As I remember the method was flood slide with sections with 1% Crystal violet for a couple of minutes, pour off stain, flood with Lugos iodine for a couple of minutes, pour off iodine, pour on acetone then immedi...
by Culicoides
Thu Mar 21, 2019 12:08 pm
Forum: Beginner's corner
Topic: Product advise
Replies: 48
Views: 20416

Re: Product advise

Dear Tronn, There were two things to remember when starting out The first and most important is that the results you get depends, not on the instrument you use, but on the person behind the microscope (or camera). You can get results as good from a cheap microscope costing 100 euros as from one cost...
by Culicoides
Thu Mar 14, 2019 10:50 pm
Forum: Beginner's corner
Topic: DIY polarizing
Replies: 25
Views: 23176

Re: DIY polarizing

Many thanks for the explanation.
Now I begin to understand!
by Culicoides
Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:17 pm
Forum: Beginner's corner
Topic: DIY polarizing
Replies: 25
Views: 23176

Re: DIY polarizing

I can understand linear polarisation, where the light is in one plane, but what is circular? Spiral, or concentric??
John B, Guildford, Sy.
by Culicoides
Mon Dec 17, 2018 4:48 pm
Forum: My microscope
Topic: My Leitz Orthoplan
Replies: 85
Views: 52447

Re: My Leitz Orthoplan

It may be that there is a bad connection to the bulb, and the pins may not be making contact in the socket. I think that John B uses 50 watt g4 bulbs, but these will not work on my Orthoplan; I use 100 watt gy6.35 bulbs; there is a slight difference in the pins of these ( I think the pins of the g4 ...
by Culicoides
Fri Dec 07, 2018 4:43 am
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Connect eyepiece camera to monitor
Replies: 3
Views: 2759

Re: Connect eyepiece camera to monitor

Many thanks, PeteM and Scarodactyl, will ponder further to avoid the serial connector. Best wishes for Christmas.
by Culicoides
Thu Dec 06, 2018 4:04 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Connect eyepiece camera to monitor
Replies: 3
Views: 2759

Connect eyepiece camera to monitor

Dear All, can anyone one suggest an eyepiece camera to fit into an sm lux eyepiece and to connect to a monitor 15 pin serial socket? I don’t want to capture the images, just display them on the screen. High resolution is not required, and I want to avoid connecting to a computer or laptop.
by Culicoides
Mon Nov 12, 2018 7:29 pm
Forum: Pictures and Videos
Topic: Moss Dissection
Replies: 33
Views: 12888

Re: Moss Dissection

John B, What a superb introduction to mosses! This surely deserves a wider audience Had you ever thought of a series of magazine articles? You have started on the mosses, and some time ago you covered liverworts. Where? Dare I suggest Micscape Magazine, which appears monthly on the thirteenth? The E...
by Culicoides
Fri Mar 02, 2018 5:02 am
Forum: Beginner's corner
Topic: Mounting medium question
Replies: 17
Views: 8436

Re: Mounting medium question

Euparal, and euparal essence, is available in the UK from Anglian Lepidopterists supplies; you would have to enquire about shipping to USA.
Good luck..
by Culicoides
Fri Jan 12, 2018 5:00 am
Forum: Pictures and Videos
Topic: GUF testing
Replies: 23
Views: 10328

Re: GUF testing

Many thanks, Karl, I missed your original post. John
by Culicoides
Thu Jan 11, 2018 7:50 pm
Forum: Pictures and Videos
Topic: GUF testing
Replies: 23
Views: 10328

Re: GUF testing

Many thanks, Kurt. Guess what I will be doing this weekend. Best wishes, John
by Culicoides
Thu Jan 11, 2018 10:26 am
Forum: Pictures and Videos
Topic: GUF testing
Replies: 23
Views: 10328

Re: GUF testing

Sorry to appear “thick”, but what is a guf filter? Can anyone post a link to what/how
Many thanks, John
by Culicoides
Tue Jan 02, 2018 3:50 pm
Forum: Camera systems and imaging
Topic: Connecting Canon DSLR to Leitz trinocular head with all-Leitz components
Replies: 57
Views: 38912

Re: Connecting Canon DSLR to Leitz trinocular head with all-Leitz components

I connect my canon 1200d to the orthoplan photoport with a leitz 30 to 23 mm adapter; into this is a Brunel universal adapter; this connects to the camera via 37.5 mm ring araldited to a short canon extension tube. The camera connects to a. A Samsung laptop running the canon software; b. A 22 in AOC...
by Culicoides
Sat Dec 30, 2017 9:34 pm
Forum: Resources (online, books etc.)
Topic: Micscape Magazine year book 1. Paper back, around £12.99 + postage.
Replies: 0
Views: 2738

Micscape Magazine year book 1. Paper back, around £12.99 + postage.

This is a compilation of articles from Micscape from July 2014 to June 2016, by Mol Smith. Totalling 112 pages, the subjects covered by the papers range from van Leeuwenhoek to measuring with a laser pointer; from Spirogyra to cutting plant sections with double razor blades. There is something or ev...
by Culicoides
Mon Dec 18, 2017 6:37 pm
Forum: Specimens, samples and slides
Topic: Clearing Agents
Replies: 9
Views: 6179

Re: Clearing Agents

Many thanks. That sounds worth giving it a try. I'll contact Brunel after the holiday. JOHN B
by Culicoides
Mon Dec 18, 2017 3:36 pm
Forum: Specimens, samples and slides
Topic: Clearing Agents
Replies: 9
Views: 6179

Re: Clearing Agents

Hi, JohnB, Re your mounting protocol, do you know if histoclear is compatible with Canada balsam? I am looking for something that balsam ( that is natural balsam, not balsam thinned with xylene) can be mixed with, for mounting small insects that is: Insect in isopropyl alcohol to histoclear to mount...
by Culicoides
Sun Dec 10, 2017 2:20 pm
Forum: Illumination Techniques
Topic: Buib size for orthoplan
Replies: 9
Views: 8059

Re: Buib size for orthoplan

Very useful information on focussing the bulb.
Note, however, the bulb size is G6.35. My orthoplan won't take G4 bulbs of which the pins are slightly closer apart. Some sockets will take both sizes, but be warned; you seem to be lucky, JOHN B., as your photos show both.
What a great forum this is!
by Culicoides
Mon Aug 14, 2017 3:00 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Filter holder slide on leitz laborlux
Replies: 0
Views: 1744

Filter holder slide on leitz laborlux

I don't have a larlux but for what it's worth I have an orthoplan of the same vintage. This has a filter holder slide just above the objective block: the dimensions are length, 125mm; width, 30mm; thickness 4mm; the holes for the filters are 23mm. The filters are held in place by a small circle, I h...
by Culicoides
Fri Aug 04, 2017 3:06 am
Forum: Illumination Techniques
Topic: Buib size for orthoplan
Replies: 9
Views: 8059

Re: Buib size for orthoplan

John B: exactly the information I needed. Very many thanks. (Sorry I couldn't spell "bulb"!)
by Culicoides
Thu Aug 03, 2017 1:32 pm
Forum: Illumination Techniques
Topic: Buib size for orthoplan
Replies: 9
Views: 8059

Buib size for orthoplan

I too have an orthoplan, and find the power supply for the 100watt 12 volt lamp in the lamp house 100 too unwieldy. John B posted a thread recently about using a 50watt lamp at 12 volts in this lamp housing. Could I ask John B. What the base was for the 50watt lamp he used in this lamp housing - G4,...
by Culicoides
Thu Jun 08, 2017 2:36 pm
Forum: Illumination Techniques
Topic: Polarization Contrast Lighting Technique
Replies: 9
Views: 5946

Re: Polarization Contrast Lighting Technique

Pat, if you use a polarising filter or film over the light and one over the eyepiece make sure they are linear polarising (most pol filters for photography are circular polarised, and probable won't work.
John
by Culicoides
Thu Jun 08, 2017 2:28 pm
Forum: Beginner's corner
Topic: Spider mites!
Replies: 10
Views: 6143

Re: Spider mites!

Pat, try Insect Microscopy by Andrew Chick, from Amazon, UK price around 17gbp. This will give you all the information you need for your spider mites and other Arthropoda.
Good luck!
John
by Culicoides
Tue Jan 24, 2017 2:04 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Opinions on Leitz Orthoplan sought
Replies: 46
Views: 15385

Re: Opinions on Leitz Orthoplan sought

Dear John, Congratulations on your purchase. I too have one of these and can confirm that they are "rolls-Royce" instruments; although on saying this I have no experience with the other big names. Mine was (is) used for insect work and thus is almost always low-power. I also have a leitz variotube w...
by Culicoides
Fri Dec 02, 2016 8:57 pm
Forum: Camera systems and imaging
Topic: Your opinion
Replies: 17
Views: 9211

Re: Your opinion

Many thanks for info about focussing . John B.