MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

I was given a pair of 30.5mm polarisers, and when put together one way and rotated they act like polarisers that I'm familiar with on my camera, reducing reflections. But if I swap them around then look through them I see colours. So I tried them on my scope, placing one on the built in lamp and one over the eyepiece. I tried various transparent items under the objective from clear plastic to salt crystals but no matter which configuration I used I didn't see any difference.

Hi Cyclops,
here is a link to a previous post with a diagram showing a convenient way to place the polarizers.
Also scroll down to see the following post by gekko re linear polarizers.

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=1725&p=13195&hilit#p13195

Sugar, if placed on a slide with a drop of water and allowed time to melt and then dry produces some very pleasing polarized effects.

If what you have in hand are circular polarizers (more common for camera use) rather than linear, try flipping them. In my experience (with just one of the polarizers a cheap Chinese circular type), one orientation will usually give a linear effect. Could be a single bit of linear polarizer film might get you going?

It's so easy to get breathtaking images with a simple and cheap polarizing setup, one would think every scope would include it.

When you get the scope set up, try this...
Crush up an Extra Strength Tylenol and devolve it in alcohol.
Take some of the muck you get and spread it thinly on a slide.
Put the slide on the stage, and drop some alcohol on the thin paste.
Stay on the 10x objective so you keep some distance, and scan around the slide.
It should look like tiny silver flecks boiling in the alcohol.
When the alcohol evaporates enough, the residue begins to crystallize, and the crystals grow fast and right before your eyes.



Enjoy,
Radazz

Very beautiful and mesmerizing!.. thanks for sharing...

BillT