MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

I think you folks across the pond call it "washing up liquid". Dawn is en excellent product. https://dawn-dish.com/en-us/products/by-line/dawn-ultra Just a quick Dawn tip, I have used straight 100% undiluted Dawn many times to clean objectives that I simply couldn't get clean by other means. What I ...

Excellent!

What stacking software are you using? Just curious. I downloaded one called Digicam but haven't been able to get it working. I like it for general photos but that's as far as I got.

Thanks
Kirby

I have personally never laid hands on a Balplan but I have heard a lot of good things about them. I seem to remember reading something somewhere by a microscope technician who compare them favorably to the BH2. I have a BH2 and IMO that's saying something. Seems at the very least to be an overlooked...

Might not be within your budget but I use these folks,

https://www.apioptics.com/

Their film is very good quality and easy to work with. Also it doesn't stink! I bought a used sheet once and the smell wasn't worth the price savings!

Kirby

I think I want one! However, it looks like they skimped on the optics!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Uramec-Settled ... Swq7pfPAxV

Kirby

Very nice image!
Kirby

Interesting video Don! You must be the hardest working man in amateur microscopy today! Your enthusiasm is inspirational

Kirby

Now you have a prestained bacteria reservoir! A bright side to every situation

Hans,

What about a telescope focuser? An old tasco is cheap, has a rack and pinion and telescoping tubes. Could you make something like that work?

Kirby

Some of my better crystals were grown in my fume hood which is room temperature. I just left them sit over the weekend or longer. Monitor the change over time is interesting. If you don't have a properly vented and or explosion proof oven you could just use a toaster oven outside. You can add a digi...

Thanks for saying thanks . It's a rare thing these days!

Are you talking about blank slides or complete mounts? Heating will speed up curing some mounting mediums. I sometimes heat Canada Balsam and Hoyers. A properly vented oven is of course necessary.

Hi, For cleaning optics Zeiss has some good information. https://www.zeiss.com/microscopy/us/solutions/reference/basic-microscopy/care-and-maintenance-of-the-microscope.html#cleaning Cleaning optics is something one must get a feel for and in time you will develop your own methods. I use a solution ...

Is it just an interpupillary issue? Have you adjusted the distance of the eyepiece tubes? https://www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/resources/laboratory/light-microscopy/adjustment-of-the-interpupillary-distance#:~:text=If%20you%20look%20through%20the,is%20now%20correct%20for%20you. If this a new instrument and th...

TP.S. Fun fact. Nikon used to sell the PlanApo 100x NA1.30 from around 1964 till around 1972. From 72' they began selling a Plan 100x NA 1.30, and a Apo 100x NA1.40. The later Plan 100x NA1.30 actually was the same thing as the previous Plan Apo 100x NA1.30, but they dropped the "Apo" since it was ...

Thank you for the great resource. I'm wondering if it's possible to stain a live specimen without killing it? I think it would be great to observe protists this way, if it is possible at all. This is the thread I was referring to. Beat juice was the "stain" mentioned. https://publiclab.org/question...

Thank you for the great resource. I'm wondering if it's possible to stain a live specimen without killing it? I think it would be great to observe protists this way, if it is possible at all. I'm very new to staining so I'm learning what I can and sharing when I find something I think is worthwhile...

I just wanted to share some articles I recently found on staining. There was a few threads recently asking about stains so they might be helpful to someone. All these links come from very good sites that most are already familiar with. However. the third site was new to me and it's really worth expl...

Hi Perry,
Welcome to the forum! Looking forward to seeing some of your mounts on if you decide to share!
Regards
Kirby

Put your room lights on a remote or the clapper! I inspect a lot of reflective surfaces at work with the stereo scope. The eyecups have a darkening affect on the image which is why I don't like them. It doesn't really make sense to me that this happens but it does. It took a while but I finally got ...

Although I am not a big fan of eyecups I think you have a good idea. Nice Job!

Do you wear glasses? My eye Dr. has suggested that I wear them while working but I find it annoying and I think the eyecup hinders the image.

Kirby

This does work and has a certain............unique aesthetic, but I wouldn't recommend it. I like the PVC idea for a cheap inexpensive mockup. I seem to spend a lot of time messing with camera hight and different configurations. Once I have a combo that seems promising I like to work with it a whil...

[/quote] Kirby Yes, the usual workflow is to design the parts, or assembly, using a CAD program. I mostly use Fusion 360 which is free for non commercial use. Ideally the CAD program should be capable of creating *.STL files (stereolithography files), so that you can create a file of that type for e...

That looks like a fantastic start there Kirby. I use almost exclusively hand tools to avoid the irritation of the fine dust (as well as the noise of power tools which causes me some psychic trauma), so I know what you mean! I hope you can finish though, since a well-made walnut cabinet is always go...

Kirby Thanks for the kind words. For printing I used a standard Creality Ender 3 printer which is relatively small and cheap but still has a good build volume. This project doesn't exactly stretch the printer to its limits on size but it is getting close. I used a PLA filament that I buy for $35.00...

Tom,
Your 3D printed cabinet is outstanding! Very well done! I don't know what it costs to print something like that but would think they would sell like hotcakes!
Kirby

As cheap and readily available alternative to a wood slide cabinet a index card cabinet can be gutted for slides. If memory serves a seven drawer cabinet will hold about 250 slides. eBay is not the place to buy them but here is an example of what I'm talking about. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-7...

Don,
That was really cool! And kind of creepy. I'll never look at a cucumber the same! Who gets the music credit? Sounded like a little Lustmord influence.

Kirby

There was a nice little article in the Quekett Bulletin recently by Gordon Brown. He experimented with two types of LOCA, type TP-2500 and TP-1000. Maybe if you search the net you could find the article. As a PostScript he added that "cedarwood oil works very well as a wetting agent for LOCA". Kirby...

Well done! A little ingenuity goes a long way! I've been screwing around with an Olympus SZ40 and trying to get my Canon T7 set up. I have 1x diagnostic instruments adapter that's showing some promise. Still need to experiment a bit and workout the plumbing. Your PVC method may have opened some door...