MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

I found this stereo microscope at a flea market yesterday, and at ZAR225 (about US$18) I couldn't resist. It's really quite a small thing, and it came with 15x and 50x oculars. I expect the latter will be quite useless, but will test them out properly later. Its four prisms (if that's indeed what they are) are painted silver and seems to be placed in such a way to make them a feature of the scope instead of hiding them.

Interesting find! I would have expected those to be metal covers over the prisms, not the prisms themselves. I hope they aren't chipped up too bad. Looks like it performs well.
CE

Nice find for US$18! Looks to be in excellent condition. Congratulations!

Thanks!

What a cracking little instrument - you did well there old chap! Very nice.

I have one of those!... It actually works pretty good...

That's awesome! Yours is far less weatherbeaten than mine; did you purchase new, and if so, I'm curious in which decade?

I bought this from Ebay two or three years ago for the grandkids to use so they would leave my stuff alone... It was listed as used and it came in a fitted card board box with extra oculars...

Geez BillBilt,
Now we know what to get you for Christmas- Venus flytrap plants!

-Dennis

Hi Dennis,
Actually I would like to try carnivorous plants.. I bout the books to see what it takes to do it... They can be troublesome... I developed an interest in them after reading about some experiments that Darwin did with them...

These were made by Carton Optical in Japan, and stencilled for whoever wanted to import and market them. I've seen black and pale green ones branded Tasco , grey ones branded Lumex and Monolux. There were Selsi and Lafayette ones in the U.S. too but probably a dozen other names. Intras is a new one on me for any microscope. They came with a fitted styrofoam case in a cardboard box as well as a dovetailed Luan case, complete with 16 mineral and crystal samples.

The magnification marked on the eyepiece is the total magnification . They have a 2X objective , so the eyepieces are 7.5X( 15X), 15X(30X) widefield and 22.5X(45X).
Some brands had a different eyepiece complement, where the basic instrument was the same but the magnifications went 15, 30 and 50.
Those silver prisms are in fact covers , held on with 2 screws. The prisms are mounted in a pair of crudely made copper( sometimes brass) clips, which grip the prism and allow a degree of movement to collimate.
The same head can be found , fitted with threaded in oculars and a different pair of objectives as opera glasses. I have a pair made in Occupied Japan , which I think ended in 1952.

Thanks for the info!...

BillBillt
Nice little stereo scope. Good choice of books too! If you were in the UK I would offer you some plants but try a Venus flytrap and some sundews to start with.
Rainwater is the key, not tap water.

Not sure where you live but if you are close enough for a pilgrimage to California Carnivores I believe it would be well worth it!
Cheers
Steve

Hi Steve,
Thanks for the offer.. Crater Eddie was generous enough to send me two types of them... I am having mixed results.. After a lot of pampering, one of them seems to be doing well while the other is faltering... I live near Houston, Texas so California is out of reach... The weather here fluctuates somewhat to the extreme... Now it is hot and steamy like a tropical rain forest... Winter is a disappointment... It is getting to where we rarely have a freeze... Last winter fall came very early...

Thanks!
BillT