MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Continuing the idea for creating pictures from Pol crystal shots by mirroring the source image into symmetrical end results.

REALLY must thank Hobbyst46 for the suggestion to use ethanol to dissolve paracetamol - also working on other medication, in this case a painkiller containing paracetamol aspirin and caffeine - it seems to work much better than just water or isopropyl alcohol

So, yeah, - i like think of this as something positive resulting from mixing alcohol and painkillers


thanks 4 looking




https://flic.kr/p/PGCYTE FLICKR link

What a nice Kaleidoscope! how did you project the image to create the symmetric pattern? is it done in software, microscope mirror, camera trick ? Please tell.

Hobbyst46 wrote:What a nice Kaleidoscope! how did you project the image to create the symmetric pattern? is it done in software, or hardware optics? Please tell.

thanks Hobbyst46 - yes its just copy and pasted in photo editor. paste 3 extra copies and rotate into position - i've started taking the shots with this method in mind now, rather than just editing random POL shots from my hard drive - i think it's much better that way and the results are more purposeful

One issue i'm still struggling with is filtering the mixture - i'm using a spoon to mix and heat the powder/ethanol/water together and a pipette to suck it up in order to put on the slide - however the pipette isnt sturdy enough to pull the liquid through tissue and it just clogs up straight away - so im trying to pipette the liquid from the spoon without too much solids coming with it.

Anyway though that is a problem i need to work on but still having fun with the whole process, thanks again Hobbyst46 for advice in the other thread

Aenima wrote:

Hobbyst46 wrote:One issue i'm still struggling with is filtering the mixture - i'm using a spoon to mix and heat the powder/ethanol/water together and a pipette to suck it up in order to put on the slide - however the pipette isnt sturdy enough to pull the liquid through tissue and it just clogs up straight away - so im trying to pipette the liquid from the spoon without too much solids coming with it.

The relatively expensive way is to buy special disposable syringe filters, and use them along with disposable syringes. But I suggest the less expensive , ancient trick : Take a very small ball of cotton (medical cotton), a few mm in size, and roll it between fingers to create a tiny plug. Take a glass pasteur pipette or a simple eyedropper. Remove the rubber bulb and through the top wide opening, insert the cotton plug into the pipette. Push it down, as far as possible, but gently (avoid excessive pressure) with a thin rod or Q-tip. Replace the rubber bulb. Use this filter-equipped pipette to directly withdraw clear liquid from the spoon.
Another trick is to transfer the medication-alcohol mixture from the spoon into a narrow long container - essentially a test tube. They come in many sizes. Then let the solids settle down so you can easily plunge the pipette into the top clear layer without disturbing the "mud" on the bottom.

awesome, great advice, thank u - yeah i've considered using something with more suction power like a plastic syringe with plunger - but also the idea of using cotton as a filter inside the dropper/syringe is very good. I should be able to find these things online - thanks again (Y)

Excellent results! I will definitely get into kaleidescoping some crystal shots. I was inspired from someone on IG that does the same thing with nature and mushroom shots and now you.

It'd be great to see this at a higher resolution if you are willing to share it that way. I upload my shots here to imgur dot com

thanks esmacro - btw just realised your instagram has the macro stuff - i followed the page without really putting 2 and 2 together lol but wow, amazing macro shots!

Anyway, a few more kaleidoscope pol shots -