MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Here is a quick way to look at the phase rings with your standard eyepieces. I used a piece of waxed paper backing from a roll of adhesive labels and some 3" wide clear packing tape. I made a tube that fit snuggly around the diameter of the eyepieces and slid one end of the tube on to the eyepiece i...

Interesting how some companies likes to put a spin on things. The Texas website explicitly states " for over fifty years Swift Instruments has been a global leader in the manufacture and production of quality microscopes", when in fact it sounds like the current company does not manufacture but the...

I have no idea about any clash with James Swift & Son, but I will guess that Swift Instruments, Inc. with its own unique trademark is probably different enough. The Swift Instruments I worked with was a family held company that fell on some hard times and was liquidated in the early 2000s. The purch...

I am not sure who made them, it could have been several factories ....lorez would know for sure. Thanks for the vote of confidence. The USA Swift company had its home office in Boston and the microscope warehouse was in San Jose, CA. The company started importing binoculars, telescopes, and consume...

not 31-27-28 : 31-74-28 You are correct. That's what happens when I multitask. I'm a bit confused about the specs you site on the bulb. Check here for their description: https://www.bulbworks.com/advancedSearch.php?searchType=simple&part_no=31-74-28 This discussion may fragment a bit as there are a...

Here is another, maybe a little better shot of the stalked ciliates. Again, the shot is heavily cropped to comply with the limits of the forum. Other than sizing there have been no other adjustments. As I recall the objective was a 20X phase plan achromat.

lorez

Those look like good places to start. The norweco site has photos that are excellent examples of what the wwt operators see. Maybe you can visit your local facility and beg for a sample. They take them regularly.

lorez

It's not possible that you encountered examples of those Bristolines, where the correct bulb had been substituted by one that fit and worked but not properly, Lorez? Anything is possible, but in this case the bulbs used in the Bristoline are not the 31-74-28 which was used in the variety of scopes ...

That must be an interesting exercise ... Is there a simple 'look-up table' published, which we could access; or is a matter of expert knowledge ? Here is a highly cropped photo of the "stalked ciliate" that is representative of a healthy basin. The amorphous blob to the left of the ciliates is bact...

Whatever critters disappear are always magically replaced with others,

I do a lot of work with wastewater treatment plants and this is the hallmark of their evaluations. When a certain species is present they know a certain condition exists.

lorez

I've been following this thread a bit and have a couple of thoughts. First, at the prices asked, neither are a bad place to start assuming that you will grow in your skills and interest and replace it with something more suitable. I think the Chinese microscope, regardless of the brand, badge, name,...

Back in the day I kept aquaria for invertebrates with minimal to limited success. We discovered that maintaining the necessary balance required by the variety of specimens was difficult to impossible because everything needed something slightly different. My advice would be to do as you are thinking...

Hi jos32, It looks like you have a pretty interesting project in mind. I think I would use different collection methods than you are suggesting. If you are sampling the asbestos content in such things as the cement roofing material or gasket material I think a small, carefully excised sample would y...

It certainly does focus on the specimen. With some distance between the lens and slide, not almost touching. Is this objective in fact an oil type objective? If it is, how much better performance could I expect. When this condition exists your objective is full of oil. It is making an image, but no...

Hello all, For the last year I have been downsizing my assortment of microscopes and as part of the process have been giving suitable microscopes to aspiring young beginners who range in ages from 13 to 18. Tonight I was visiting with a friend's 13 year old son and asked if he had a microscope. He t...

Your Pensacola, Florida sand is 100% real to GPS coordinates and collected by a trusted microscopist (me) too :twisted: I have the sample properly documented and catalogued and in it's little display tube. The authenticity is beyond reproach. Surprisingly, I have only a couple of samples from Flori...

It is probably just me

Absolutely ! Whom else could it be ? That's what makes if fun. Everyone sees interesting things in different places.

lorez

I just bought some sand on Ebay This raises an interesting question... "who do you trust?" I imagine there is that unscrupulous entrepreneur who sees that fill sand from the home center looks a lot like that rare sand from just north of the Gobi. There are many collectors who caution against buying...

What are your top 3 most interesting sand samples? I am just curious. That's a pretty tough question... all of them have aspects that are interesting. More than the sand, it is the story of acquisition. Although there are dozens of sites dedicated to sand "swapping" and collection with innumerable ...

I am quickly becoming a enthusiast but at this point my collection is comprised completely of a few sands I ahve collected locally (and I'm an hour from the coast!) and the sand from Dale We are in similar positions with respect to quantities of sand. Through the generosity of Dale and others I hav...

MichaelBrock,

Your fingernail polish mount looks much better than mine. I've been reading a variety of journal articles and one mentioned canada balsam as the mounting medium for their slides.

lorez

I might have to go to Hobby Lobby to get the Glass Bond... it's worth a try. I tried the fingernail polish and was disappointed when using a compound scope (2X and 4X objectives). So far I like the dry mount best. I just have to make a new slide each time.

lorez

Michael Brock, Very nice photos, Michael. I have a couple of questions. First, when magnification is mentioned, at what point is the calculation being done ? A scale bar would go a long way in clarifying size, but I completely understand the limitations of the point and shoot camera so this is not a...

While I would agree that a controlled experiment should be limited to a single variable I do not see this comparison to be without value. Seeing the results from various instruments under a variety of circumstances give us an idea of what is possible and what limitations may exist. Thanks for postin...

outlook does not like me. send a PM

lorez

It looks as though I need an updated email.

lorez

Please don't forget me.

lorez

This business of liquidating is more daunting than I'd hoped for. Since I was so bold to advertise I've had little time to actually work on it... in fact, and I hate to admit this, I've acquired a couple more scopes.

lorez

Considering that the SRL was out of production many years ago and there were probably not too many sold on a global scale it's not surprising that manuals are rare. If you are looking for "how to use" information any generic instructions for using a binocular microscope should be helpful. Aside from...

I don't get any kick-back from Tony either, but I have pestered him a little. After all, a recommendation from me is certainly worthy of some note... he did send me a note. Seriously, I will second Kurt's post as I also have the books and believe they are well worth the time and investment. I can al...