Pol crystal mirror abstract

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Aenima
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Pol crystal mirror abstract

#1 Post by Aenima » Thu Sep 27, 2018 7:39 pm

ImagePolarised crystal abstract 1 by Jay Bird, on Flickr

Just something i've been messing around with. Basically, in the absence of proper lab skills to make crystal POL images, i bodged together a slide and took a different approach to get a final image from it. :)
Details on flickr link.

Thanks for looking :)

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coominya
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Re: Pol crystal mirror abstract

#2 Post by coominya » Thu Sep 27, 2018 8:15 pm

Intricate. It looks like a kaleidoscope. I know sea salt has a variety of different minerals dissolved in it and I wonder what would form when it was allowed to crystallize.

MicroBob
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Re: Pol crystal mirror abstract

#3 Post by MicroBob » Fri Sep 28, 2018 1:18 am

Great image! This is an interesting approach at microscopy - don't care too much about theory, get a polarizing setup with plan optics and good camera working and mirror the images with artistic effect. Much amateur polarisid crystal microscopy is just for fun anyway so why don't increase the fun with this method. I will keep thinking about it!

Bryan
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Re: Pol crystal mirror abstract

#4 Post by Bryan » Fri Sep 28, 2018 1:33 am

Nice job, it almost looks 3D.

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Aenima
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Re: Pol crystal mirror abstract

#5 Post by Aenima » Fri Sep 28, 2018 7:40 pm

cheers guys :) it works better with some images than others - i added a few more to my flickr page from that same slide - i did like the grey and stony effect that it has. Although admittedly many of them weren't great by themselves, hence the photoshop! haha :D

MicroBob - yeah that pretty much nails it. I would like to understand more of the theory involved, as well as the practical aspect (in this case, of making crystals) but most of it is new to me. I know a lot of you guys are coming primarily from a science perspective, with the photography second, so it can be a bit weird approaching it this way. :P

Still, i really do need to work some things. :) really appreciate some of the more technical knowledge that you've gathered here on the forum.


regards

Hobbyst46
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Re: Pol crystal mirror abstract

#6 Post by Hobbyst46 » Fri Sep 28, 2018 9:10 pm

Aenima wrote:...Basically, in the absence of proper lab skills to make crystal POL images...
May I suggest an easy crystal POL experiment that requires neither lab skill nor special tools.
Take a paracetamol drug capsule or pill (Tylenol or any other brand name). If a capsule, open it and pour the powder into a small glass flask or bottle (a 100-200ml flask). If a pill, wrap in wax paper or parchment paper and, by means of gentle hammer blows, disintegrate it into powder (coarse powder is fine). Pour the powder into the flask as above. Add 2-3 spoonfuls of 70-95% ethyl alcohol (ethanol, not rubbing alcohol). Stopper the flask loosely with a cotton ball or cork. Swirl to mix and dissolve, or immerse in a hot water container for A FEW minute. Not all solids will dissolve, that is OK. Filter the mixture through a cotton plug or filter paper and use the clear liquid. Alternatively, omit the filtration and just pick up a drop from the top, clear layer of liquid in the flask. Place the drop on a clean microscope slide. It will spread. WAIT UNTIL THE LIQUID EVAPORATES. Place the slide (uncovered) on the stage and enjoy under 4X-10X plus POL. Notice that with time, more crystals form and the pattern evolves.

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Aenima
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Re: Pol crystal mirror abstract

#7 Post by Aenima » Sat Sep 29, 2018 2:34 pm

Hobbyst46 wrote:
Aenima wrote:...Basically, in the absence of proper lab skills to make crystal POL images...
May I suggest an easy crystal POL experiment that requires neither lab skill nor special tools.
Take a paracetamol drug capsule or pill (Tylenol or any other brand name). If a capsule, open it and pour the powder into a small glass flask or bottle (a 100-200ml flask). If a pill, wrap in wax paper or parchment paper and, by means of gentle hammer blows, disintegrate it into powder (coarse powder is fine). Pour the powder into the flask as above. Add 2-3 spoonfuls of 70-95% ethyl alcohol (ethanol, not rubbing alcohol). Stopper the flask loosely with a cotton ball or cork. Swirl to mix and dissolve, or immerse in a hot water container for A FEW minute. Not all solids will dissolve, that is OK. Filter the mixture through a cotton plug or filter paper and use the clear liquid. Alternatively, omit the filtration and just pick up a drop from the top, clear layer of liquid in the flask. Place the drop on a clean microscope slide. It will spread. WAIT UNTIL THE LIQUID EVAPORATES. Place the slide (uncovered) on the stage and enjoy under 4X-10X plus POL. Notice that with time, more crystals form and the pattern evolves.
excellent info - many thanks! :)

will have to give it a bash

(BTW any chance that rubbing alcohol will work? or perhaps ethanol is easy to get online?EDIT: found & ordered ethanol :) can it be used for other crystal making? thnx)

Hobbyst46
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Re: Pol crystal mirror abstract

#8 Post by Hobbyst46 » Sat Sep 29, 2018 3:52 pm

Ethanol dissolves many drugs and evaporates quickly so I believe that it can be used with other drugs as well. I will try. Rubbing alcohol - possibly, I did not try. Acetone evaporates very rapidly - probably too rapidly.
I should have added though, that to get attractive POL patterns, it is essential that not only does the alcohol dissolve a chemical or drug - the chemical must also crystallize as solid from the liquid solution when the liquid avaporates (with Ibuprofen this did not happen), and the crystals must be birefringent (not all chemicals are such).

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