Gunpowders

[Microworld Steve]

Besides playing around with microscopes, I also play around with guns and ammo. I hand load and reload all of my own centerfire cartridges, and I use different powders to do so. Here's some pictures of some of the powders I use. The GOEX ffffg black powder is not for reloading, I use it in the flashpans of my flintlock rifles. I use fffg and ffg for reloading. It was a bit tricky getting these pictures, because when I had the microscope in focus and put the camera in, the picture was out of focus, so I had to focus by watching the computer screen.

The microscope is my AmScope stereo with my AmScope 5.0 mp camera.


IMR Trail Boss Handgun powder.


Vihtavuori N150 Rifle powder


Winchester W231 Handgun powder


Hodgdon H4895 Rifle powder


Hodgdon H414 Rifle powder


Hodgdon H110 Handgun powder


Alliant Blue Dot Shotgun/handgun powder


GOEX Black Powder ffffg Flash pan powder

[JimT]

Neat. The first image looks like sliced bagels

Fun to take images of everyday objects.

[shawngibson]

Cool. I have a similar stereo. One thing I can say is, make sure the base and scope are very heartily locked. If the base is not connected with a strong lock, the scope will move around for well over a second when changing the focus, before 'settling'. If you take a picture during this time, it will be less than perfect.

Also, grab some lens cleaning tissue and an elastic, and make a big bubble on the top light, it will soften the light/remove spectral highlights.

edit: also put more distance between your subject and the bottom glass. It will render the glass as out of focus. Right now, it's just ugly blobs competing with your subject.

Shawn

[Microworld Steve]

Neat. The first image looks like sliced bagels

Fun to take images of everyday objects.

Either sliced bagels or sliced and cooked pineapple. That powder, the Trail Boss is mostly used for loading cowboy ammo, pushing a 250 grain lead projectile at around 950 fps.

Small things you see all the time takes on a whole new look when magnified.

[Microworld Steve]

Cool. I have a similar stereo. One thing I can say is, make sure the base and scope are very heartily locked. If the base is not connected with a strong lock, the scope will move around for well over a second when changing the focus, before 'settling'. If you take a picture during this time, it will be less than perfect.

Also, grab some lens cleaning tissue and an elastic, and make a big bubble on the top light, it will soften the light/remove spectral highlights.

edit: also put more distance between your subject and the bottom glass. It will render the glass as out of focus. Right now, it's just ugly blobs competing with your subject.

Shawn

I don't have any way of locking the base to anything, I'm using my reloading bench for my microscopes. After I get it in focus, I wait a few seconds before I take the picture.

I'll try that with some lens paper.

The powder is in a watch crystal, and I had to put a folded paper towel under it to elevate it enough to get it in focus.