MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

This is one of those finds I’ve only ever heard about.
Here is an immaculate Nikon Labophot-2 that sat forgotten in a cabinet for 20 years.

This came from the medical school where they are closing the microscope lab.
I must admit with few exceptions, scopes I’ve gotten from the school were generally picked over or just worn out. Covered in tape and stickers. But this one looks like it’s never seen the inside of a classroom.

My Optiphot has some more features for the photographer, but I tried most of them once and didn’t use them further. It's racks are worn out and the stage falls.

I moved the phase contrast equipment and the trinocular head to this stand, and added the polarisors, and what a pleasure to use. Like new.

Congratulations.

This is one of those finds I’ve only ever heard about.

Good to hear that some urban myths are true!

They exist! I have been fortunate enough to find a few that appear as though never used. It is a very nice looking scope! Definitely looks like new.

Radazz wrote:This is one of those finds I’ve only ever heard about.
Here is an immaculate Nikon Labophot-2 that sat forgotten in a cabinet for 20 years.

Hi radazz, good score on the Nikon, I love how all these quality microscopes come up for sale and there is no competition for them
Just an unrelated question if I may, those small blue dropper bottles on the shelf above your microscope, what do you use them for? I am just getting into the hobby and am trying to fast track my setup. I observe live stuff mostly, prototista.

Welcome to a great hobby, Coominya.
I got them from Amazon. Search dropper bottles.
I use them for handy drops of 70%, 91% and 95% alcohol, acetone, glycerin, hydrogen peroxide and distilled water.

But I use 70% alcohol and acetone most frequently while cleaning vintage stands.

Don’t really use any of them with Protista.
Are you using phase contrast? I get the best results with it hunting amoeba.
Dark field and oblique illumination works well too.

DIC is still just beyond my reach, but I’m still moving pieces around.

Radazz wrote:
But I use 70% alcohol and acetone most frequently while cleaning vintage stands.

Don’t really use any of them with Protista.
Are you using phase contrast? I get the best results with it hunting amoeba.
Dark field and oblique illumination works well too.

DIC is still just beyond my reach, but I’m still moving pieces around.

I have phase contrast on a second microscope I bought, an IMT-2, but it's a complex unit so I'm leaving it covered in the corner and am sticking with an old OLY ECE-Bi for now and building up my skills. Your answer to my question only raised a dozen more I'm afraid but we'll stop here as I couldn't imagine using acetone for anything other than a heavy duty cleaner that melts plastic if put in the wrong location. The bottles looked useful though, I have seen them before.

I have the microscopes, a dissection kit from long ago, some slides, slips, and a bottle of creek water I'm breeding micro-organisms in. That's as far as I have got in 3 weeks, aside from some crude video with my smart phone via the EP. I am reading widely on the subject and hope to up to speed in a year or three


I haven't found the subforum yet with a good guide to basics but I'll get my little "lab" sorted eventually.

Thanks for your reply, I'll get some of those bottles for the future.

You might want to check out the article data base on the MicrobHunter magazine page.
Some interesting photos as well.