MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

There are three Carl Zeiss circular rotating stages. Two are show below: The one on the right is more common, is less expensive, has a smaller stage area and the x-y controls are on the side. The one on the left tend to be more expensive, has a larger stage area and the x-y controls are on top of t...

Very clever, I would never thought of this. It looks like the slip is rotated by hand into desired positions. Correct?

Thank you all so much for your response.

Hey Phil, I never thought about making a rotating stage for the cover slip only. Can you post some pics of it and write a bit about how you built it?

A question for Zeiss gurus. I'm picking diatoms on my 1969 Zeiss Standard model 18. It is a phase contrast scope. If I had a rotating stage, I think I could improve my diatom arranging skills. But did Zeiss ever make a rotating stage that fit this scope? Please help me, Zeissbewan Kenobi. You're my ...

Thanks for the Leitz objective tip, Bob. But I already bought Zeiss' 2.5X Plan. It gives me just enough elbow room to get my needle in position. I looked it up and the Leitz would indeed give me more working room. I'll file this info away in case my needs change. I really appreciate it. My eyepieces...

The new Zeiss 2.5X objective is really great. It has allowed me to move my diatom picking and arranging operation to the Standard 18. Thanks again to all who chipped in their two cents. Keith.

Just smashing!!! I scooped up a 2.5X plan and got it on my Zeiss Standard minutes ago. It's gorgeous. It's physically twice as long than I'd like it to be. I have be very careful where I position my diatom picking needle so the 2.5 doesn't bump it. But it's manageable. The added working distance was...

Yeah, I tried that, but it didn't work. I couldn't get the image to focus despite racking out the focus knob.

Thank you so much hobbyst46. This is very valuable information for me. The 2.5X plan achro is exactly what I need. On my Leitz, the 3.5x achro barrel is very short, like a snub nosed .38 is to a rifle barrel. I can drive a truck through its working distance. The Zeiss objectives are quite different,...

Oh, hey. I can't believe I didn't think to ask. Can somebody measure the barrel length in mm of the Zeiss 2.5X plan objective for me? Do not include the threads in the measurement. I'd like to know the barrel length of the 2.5X plan apo as well. I'd be so grateful. Thank you.

Thanks, folks. Any low mag from 2.5-4X would work. I was hoping to get a low mag parfocal achromat that had a short barrel, affording plenty of working distance. When setting up for diatom picking, I need to skillfully position my glass needle over the slide and in the optical path with the diatoms....

I need some help. I need a 4X objective for my Zeiss Standard model 18 scope. I need an achromat, which, I believe, will give me maximum working distance for diatom picking and glass needle positioning/centering. My Zeiss has the 160mm objective specification. I see objective model names on Ebay lik...

Hobbyst46:

Lowering the slide onto the cs means you must turn the assembly over. How do you prevent the cs from shifting? I'd think half way through the turnover, gravity would pull the cs down the slide.

Thanks for the link, Pete. I checked it out; I didn't know this little guy was out there.
Keith

Hello. I've been away a while, at my scopes, busy diatom wrangling and mounting. I find the weakest part of my diatom mounting procedure is the final placement of the coverslip onto the pluerax. I've only done it a few times and am not comfortable with it. I spent the day practicing the task. I tri...

Would anybody care to swap diatom samples through the mail? I have some Cymbella, Surirella, some Coke bottle looking ones, centrics, something that looks like tape worm segments, snow pea looking guys, stick shaped ones, etc. Sorry folks, I don't know my species. The sample I send you are already c...

I'm composing a private message. I have the text done. I tried to insert pictures in the message. I see the little insert pictures icon. I click on it, but it only types this at the end of my message: [img]. If I double click the icon, it types [img] [img]. I don't see any picture inserting function...

I just bought a Zeiss Standard 14 Phase Contrast microscope. I've been searching for literature on it with little luck. I managed to get a copy of Zeiss' Optical Systems , and a couple equipment catalogues in German. I wondered if anybody here has an owner/operator manual for the scope That they can...

You might find the floaters easier to for your brain to ignore by viewing through a binocular rather than monocular microscope? Just to posit a theory -- your brain gets two images to average? Proper Kohler illumination may also help. I'd find them very prominent in an antique monocular microscope ...

MichaelG. wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 24, 2020 6:28 am

I have no connection with Mayo Clinic ... but this is a good description of ‘floaters’

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-con ... c-20372346#

MichaelG.

This is spot on, Michael, like it was written for me. Thank you so much.

All of this is very helpful. Thank you so much. I'll try these ideas to see if I can reduce them. I'll post my results when I learn something. I did think about eyedrops before viewing, but w have an answer for that.

Keith

I have annoying floaters in my eyeballs as I look in my microscopes. I know they are in my eyes because I'd view with one eye through my monocular Leitz, switch eyes, and see that the floaters have changed. The floaters in one eye might be spots, and in the others thread like filaments. On another d...

I just got a vial of pleurax from Michel at diatoms.nl. the first week of July. It took about two weeks to arrive from the time of purchase. It cost me about $70 for 20ml. There was no charge or delay by customs. Michel is really pleasent to deal with.

Keith

I thought I'd post the solution to my wispy needle problem. Maybe the example will help someone out there troubleshoot his own pulling technique/apparatus. I needed to reduce the needle's taper and needle length and reduce the shoulder's radius. I made three changes. First, I bought another shaft. I...

These look like fine needles, Wes. I wish I had hands that good. Yes, professional needle pullers are still manufactured. Sutter is one. They are capitol equipment, easily costing north of $20,000, far beyond the means of the diatomist. Engineers arrange digital control over the heating/pulling appa...

I'm sure it would. My hand held open flame will always be subject to variability, especially when my morning coffee wears off. I have to control torch position and duration of flame/glass contact. A heating coil would simplify that to controlling only duration, which requires a mere push of a button...

Build Your Own Needle Puller, Part Two The duo has now been brought close to the loaded capillary. This shows that the shaft, capillary, and drop collar slot are all in alignment: bottom tube aligned.JPG The capillary is loaded into the drop collar the same way it was loaded into the top spacer. I ...

Build Your Own Needle Puller Part One I cannot pull glass needles by hand. I simply don't have the dexterity and touch and can't learn it. I solved the problem by building my own needle puller. Perhaps it will help beginners pull needles. It might help hand pullers improve their needle quality. All...

Whoa! I'm sold. Incredible images. I almost have all my goodies together. I can't wait to get started. Many thanks, Charles. You're doing such great work. Keith

OK, got it. But whoa, whoa, wait just a minute. There's a problem here...maybe. Consider the mountant: it must be formulated with a proper index of refraction to support image quality of the microscope. Anything in the light path must. Does this adhesive have the proper index of refraction? I can't ...