MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

I mounted a Lomo phase condenser and phase lenses in a Wesco (Japanese) scope. The Lomo condenser was about half a mm too big to fit; but it was possible to disassemble the scope carrier and bore it out (in a lathe) enough to fit. Don't know about your scope, but you might check to see if there's ro...

Oakleyworks -- don't have any direct experience with that seller but have two thoughts from considering them as an option early on: 1) The 100% positive feedback should give some confidence. 2) A single high power LED does a fine job in my experience of replacing the typical 20-30 watt halogen bulb ...

Johan -- a power supply should certainly be able to replace a battery. However, you want to be sure that power supply to a LED is current limited. A resister can be added to do that. Probably lots of info available a Google away; as well as LED specific power supplies a bit more elegant and energy e...

Spectacular images, Rod.

ZZ -- thanks for the UV filter link. I've been using UV cut off filters for cameras - cheaper than your link but also less trustworthy (that they actually cut off) IMO. Just ordered a couple from your link. In my experience, it's hard to be sure what you're getting from many Chinese suppliers. I've ...

I've recently fixed up a couple dozen scopes for a kids' program -- converting many from either an old or missing incandescent bulb. Just in case this info can be of use to others, a few lessons learned below. Also have a question to the group at the end. Naturally the idea is to get the actual LED ...

Charlie -- I'd be very interested to learn more about your "poor man's" DIC if you have the opportunity.

ZZ -- The Wesco head I'm using has 35mm+ of depth. Not sure if that's enough to handle your objectives. I could measure more accurately if you need something like, say, 37mm? I also have an older Nikon S-Ke with the same dovetail size as the Labophot and Wesco, possibly near the same head length, wh...

Thanks for the heads up on Balplan and MicroZoom info -- besides one useful link, all a Google search was getting me was three pages of dead ends and "invitations" to speed up or virus check my computer. Zzffnn -- sharp eye on the head on the Nikon Labophot. It's a made-in-Japan Wesco head with the ...

I've just picked up a B&L Balplan phase scope and a few MicroZoom stereo scopes and wonder if anyone can point me to either brochures for manuals for these? Any help much appreciated. The Balplan looks fairly self-explanatory but I'd like to know what lenses besides the phase contrast were available...

If it's a surface deposit rather than pitting through the chrome layer, you might try a very fine abrasive (e.g. a high quality 600 grit silicon carbide paper). I've had decent luck putting a corroded lens on a parfocal extender, chucking it in a lathe (actually collet), and very carefully polishing...

Are you driving a car to the next location? Seems you could just get a decent microscope case, pack it in the car, and away you go. A large polyethylene bag over the scope (I get mine from McMaster Carr) could add a second layer of protection and slow down temperature changes. Here's a decent and af...

Great images.

Curious if these are one carefully focused image; or a few images stacked?

While it's true the AO Cycloptic type has steps, those steps also allow easy use of micrometer calibration for measuring things under magnification. Perhaps because of familiarity (I've had one in my shop for decades) it's a favorite. Between 4 barrel change magnifications, several objective changes...

Is a Leitz Periplan GF 10x M the sort of eyepiece you need? If so, I have 3 of 'em and only need 2.

Not sure what Zeiss model you have, but one of the scopes I picked up for our kids' science program was a Zeiss "Standard." Would have to check the bulb this originally came with but it sounds much like yours. Replacing the whole bulb assembly with LED illumination was very easy, if you have a good ...

Great looking photos. Hope you have a terrific 2017.

My limited experience in buying about 20 microscopes for a kids' science program is that it is often better to buy something relatively complete, even if the price seems just so-so. Most of the dozen or so folks regularly parting out microscopes on Ebay think very dearly of their bits -- with a cond...

Just to add to HKV's notes on quality, a further subdivision might include: - Color correction - from achro to apo being best with most fluorite lenses in between) - Field flatness - with plan (flat across the entire field) best and semi-plan next - Field width - often ranging from narrow in older a...

Just to close the loop. There was too much clearance between the cap and lens body to feel comfortable using a Loctite low/medium strength thread locker (they don't fill gaps). Ended up using some tiny dabs of a Loctite gel "instant glue." That's holding fine; and the cap appears to be in a position...

Pete, how do you prepare medicines to observe as crytals? Being 74 . . . Dale I just put them in solution, if not already in one. Put a drop on a slide. Cover it with a slip. Then let it dry and recrystallize. Maybe start with sugar. Who knows what you'll find -- some stuff looks pretty interesting...

I think LED conversion makes Kohler a moot point.. There is no filament to focus.. BillT I'd be curious to know the answer to that. I've hacked a couple LED conversions in the past month, trying to put a single bright LED in the same focal plane as the filament. This was particularly easy to do wit...

Thanks, Lorez. Good to have that verified. And, Gekko, thought you added to the conversation.

The other thing you might want to look for is the ability to cobble together a polarizing option. Very cool to see various crystals (sugar, caffeine, medicines) as well as thin rock sections under polarized light. You can get a couple of camera linear polarizing filters fairly inexpensively. One siz...

I'll be interested in the to-oil-or-not question as well. My only slightly relevant experience is with dial indicators (think a sort of clock mechanism with a spring plunger). When they're gunked up by ham-handed use of something like WD-40, the use of lighter fluid frees them up only for a while. U...

Just a thanks, Rod.

Just a follow up and a follow up question. I let the sparingly applied lighter fluid passively soak for a couple days -- but no joy. Then heated the outside of the barrel to warm to the touch to get a bit of thermal expansion, added some lighter fluid to the .0001" or so gap, and fairly quickly work...

Thanks, Lorez. Lighter fluid is what I tried the first time (two tiny applications); based on experience freeing up things like dial indicators. I'll give it a couple more tries. Based on other experience, heating the outside barrel up to, say, 120-150 degrees (what I did before) would help open up ...

Just to add, the BH-2 (from my experience of one) had 160mm tube "D-Plan" and even pricier "S-Plan" objectives. There's apparently some correction in the eyepieces as well, so you'd want to match that up as well. If the stand is affordable, no reason you couldn't go with some other properly matching...

Thanks, Lorez. Attached are some pictures. The back stop appears to be a black plastic with about a 1/4" hole reaching an inch or so into the back of the lens. To me, there's no apparent way to remove it. I probably have some sort of expanding sleeve tool around that I could attempt unscrewing and/o...