Search found 101 matches

by Bryan
Sat Nov 30, 2019 8:51 pm
Forum: Illumination Techniques
Topic: Identifying asbestos
Replies: 26
Views: 15925

Re: Identifying asbestos

Some time ago I boiought a Lomo portable microscope, which is equipped for polarization work. It came in a fitted wood lined metal carry case, with the wedge and wave plates missing but I have managed to find the right ones, to fit their slots. It has the Bertrand lens in the upper part. They appea...
by Bryan
Fri Nov 29, 2019 5:48 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Leitz and Lomo compatibility
Replies: 1
Views: 1491

Leitz and Lomo compatibility

I’m wondering if there is any compatibility between parts with Lomo and Leitz. I know the Soviets took over Leitz factories after the war and continued production of Leica cameras without many changes. Same goes for Zeiss. Specifically I’m interested in some parts for my Leitz SM microscope from the...
by Bryan
Wed Nov 20, 2019 2:57 am
Forum: Introduce yourself
Topic: New Member Micro-Photography Specialist
Replies: 13
Views: 7853

Re: New Member Micro-Photography Specialist

Hey Brian, So you are making images from the specimens on the stage of your microscope? And 4x5 no less. Yes, that is photo micrography. It’s for scientific and teaching purposes. What I am doing is the opposite. I am taking pictures with the microscope as the camera to produce micro photographs di...
by Bryan
Sat Nov 16, 2019 4:02 am
Forum: Introduce yourself
Topic: New Member Micro-Photography Specialist
Replies: 13
Views: 7853

Re: New Member Micro-Photography Specialist

Welcome Mark, I’ll be interested to learn what you find out about micro-photographs. I’m a film shooter that recently started doing photo-microscopy. I first mounted a 35mm camera to my Leitz SM microscope and have since graduated to a medium format camera and a 4x5 camera. I’m making contact prints...
by Bryan
Sun Nov 10, 2019 3:29 am
Forum: Illumination Techniques
Topic: Identifying asbestos
Replies: 26
Views: 15925

Re: Identifying asbestos

Here’s some information on bulk asbestos identification. It sounds a lot like the method I used and it lists the oils that you need

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2003-154/pdfs/9002.pdf
by Bryan
Sun Nov 10, 2019 3:18 am
Forum: Illumination Techniques
Topic: Identifying asbestos
Replies: 26
Views: 15925

Re: Identifying asbestos

You don’t need anywhere near 100 different RI oils, I think I had a set of less than a dozen and there were a few out of that set that got the most use. I wish I could remember what ones we used.
by Bryan
Wed Nov 06, 2019 5:42 am
Forum: Illumination Techniques
Topic: Identifying asbestos
Replies: 26
Views: 15925

Re: Identifying asbestos

My first job out of college was a microscopist I an asbestos lab. It’s been almost 30 years since I left that job but I remember a few things. I did two different types of analysis, the main one was PLM identification using a petrographic microscope. This was for identifying asbestos in bulk samples...
by Bryan
Wed Jul 31, 2019 2:41 am
Forum: Beginner's corner
Topic: Coverslip spacers for permanent mounts?
Replies: 8
Views: 7062

Re: Coverslip spacers for permanent mounts?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOe5VbaTexY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_wki4O8urc One person used a opened hard drive. No pictures were given. I don't know if that was me but I did cobble one together from a hard drive, pipe fittings and some scrap wood. It works pretty good but a real one wo...
by Bryan
Mon Jun 10, 2019 11:15 pm
Forum: My microscope
Topic: Olympus VT-II Stereo Microscope
Replies: 7
Views: 8126

Re: Olympus VT-II Stereo Microscope

Thanks for all the information everyone, I'll definitely be looking for some 10X eye pieces. It looks like Olympus made a G10X 22 that should work with this scope properly.
by Bryan
Mon Jun 10, 2019 5:39 pm
Forum: My microscope
Topic: Olympus VT-II Stereo Microscope
Replies: 7
Views: 8126

Olympus VT-II Stereo Microscope

I've been trying to learn how to make permanent mounted insect slides and one problem I ran into was manipulating the little buggers into position with the equipment I have. I decided to break down and get a stereo microscope for this purpose. What I got is an Olympus VT-II, it's a good sturdy metal...
by Bryan
Tue May 07, 2019 3:24 pm
Forum: Identification help
Topic: Tiny Caterpillar?
Replies: 2
Views: 2491

Re: Tiny Caterpillar?

It's Polyxenus sp. Thanks Viktor! When I first saw it I was thinking Millipede but after seeing the tufts I thought it may be a caterpillar. I should have stuck with my first impression. Interesting how the tufts are a defense against ants. I have seen these in my yard in the past, I just never too...
by Bryan
Tue May 07, 2019 2:57 am
Forum: Identification help
Topic: Tiny Caterpillar?
Replies: 2
Views: 2491

Tiny Caterpillar?

I found a few of these critters in my back yard, it kind of looks like a tiny caterpillar. It's about 2mm long, anyone have any idea what it is? This is my first attempt at focus stacking, I used a free program called Picolay that someone recommended on this forum. It's 51 photos in the stack. Shot ...
by Bryan
Thu May 02, 2019 4:35 pm
Forum: Camera systems and imaging
Topic: A question about the Past - shutter induced-vibrations in film cameras
Replies: 4
Views: 3548

Re: A question about the Past - shutter induced-vibrations in film cameras

When I bought my Leitz MIKAS adapter a few years ago it came with a Nikon M35 camera attached. That camera has no shutter, it has a dark slide that you pull out by hand and what looks like a shutter button. The shutter button is just for releasing the film advance to go to the next frame. I think sh...
by Bryan
Wed May 01, 2019 8:36 pm
Forum: Camera systems and imaging
Topic: Medium Format Upgrade
Replies: 5
Views: 5413

Re: Medium Format Upgrade

The shutter shock on my Bronica would shake the whole house. Actually I'm not using the lens on the Bronica which has a leaf shutter built into it. What gives the biggest shock is the mirror flipping out of the way. Most of the shots I do are long exposure, that way I can close down the diaphragm as...
by Bryan
Wed May 01, 2019 7:13 pm
Forum: Camera systems and imaging
Topic: Medium Format Upgrade
Replies: 5
Views: 5413

Re: Medium Format Upgrade

Hi Bryan, your images look very good - sharp and contrasty. How do you digitize the film images? In normal photography I startet late with digital, my first digital Camera was a Pentax K110d DSLR in 2007. Up til then I frequently carried a medium format camera with B/W film along my 35mm film SLR. ...
by Bryan
Wed May 01, 2019 6:04 pm
Forum: Camera systems and imaging
Topic: Medium Format Upgrade
Replies: 5
Views: 5413

Medium Format Upgrade

As some of you may be aware from my past posts I like to shoot film. My current setup is a Leitz SM Microscope with a MIKAS camera adapter on a trinocular head. With the MIKAS adapter I can use leica thread mount cameras and, with adapters, just about any other 35mm camera. I wanted to upgrade to me...
by Bryan
Tue Apr 09, 2019 4:40 pm
Forum: Pictures and Videos
Topic: Bugs, Grass and Diatoms
Replies: 0
Views: 2954

Bugs, Grass and Diatoms

These photos are from some antique microscope slides I recently purchased off the evil auction site. As I have mentioned before I like to shoot on film so this was an exercise in improving my photography skills with that medium. Since focus stacking would be quite difficult with film I was trying to...
by Bryan
Tue Mar 26, 2019 3:31 am
Forum: Pictures and Videos
Topic: Crystal Mania
Replies: 8
Views: 5756

Re: Crystal Mania

Beautiful shots! How much vitamin C do you put into solution? I was doing 1/4 teaspoon in 30ml solution.
by Bryan
Tue Mar 19, 2019 1:42 am
Forum: Pictures and Videos
Topic: Cyclopoid nauplius
Replies: 10
Views: 7066

Re: Cyclopoid nauplius

Very nice image! What a creepy looking critter.
by Bryan
Mon Mar 11, 2019 8:26 pm
Forum: Pictures and Videos
Topic: Crystals and Polarized light
Replies: 8
Views: 4206

Re: Crystals and Polarized light

Thanks Bryan - I noticed you added table salt - it turns out that every alcoholic drink I add table salt do also crystallizes. So I tried NaOH no crystals. I tried NaCl (table salt) to, water, methanol, and ispropanol - no crystals suggesting it is the Cl ion that might be important or something in...
by Bryan
Mon Mar 11, 2019 6:09 pm
Forum: Sandbox
Topic: flickr test embed
Replies: 8
Views: 17606

Re: flickr test embed

mrsonchus wrote:Thanks for the info, what's it like as a place to keep photos online do you think?

John B.
I like it, they give several options for sharing photos on other sites.
by Bryan
Mon Mar 11, 2019 6:06 pm
Forum: Pictures and Videos
Topic: Crystals and Polarized light
Replies: 8
Views: 4206

Re: Crystals and Polarized light

Wow, great colors! I posted this on Beerenol crystals a while back. they don't produce a lot of color but the structure is interesting. http://www.microbehunter.com/microscopy-forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6883&hilit=beerenol It's a film developer I came up with for black and white film. This is the rec...
by Bryan
Mon Mar 11, 2019 5:59 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Simple cleaning of a partially frozen field diaphragm
Replies: 4
Views: 4616

Re: Simple cleaning of a partially frozen field diaphragm

Graphite also works well for that. Sprinkle some on the blades and work it in. Then blow away the excess. I have done this on camera lenses, just don't get it on any on the glass lens. They usually sell it in the lock and key section of hardware stores. It's often used to lubricate locks. On camera ...
by Bryan
Mon Mar 11, 2019 1:47 pm
Forum: Sandbox
Topic: flickr test embed
Replies: 8
Views: 17606

Re: flickr test embed

Yes, looking good! Nice clear vid/animation too. How is the venerable Flickr these days, since turning 'pro'? I used to 'be on' Flickr many moons ago, and did like it's interface and basic organisation. It's now a subscription service? John B. You can have up to 1,000 photos without paying for a su...
by Bryan
Sun Mar 10, 2019 4:54 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Possible to lubricate iris-equipped objectives?
Replies: 17
Views: 8894

Re: Possible to lubricate iris-equipped objectives?

I’ve had some luck with this on old camera lenses. What 75RR said about heating it can help but I usually use a hair dryer. That way you avoid over heating it and you can keep adding heat as you work it. If the problem is hardened grease this can help but sometimes the grease will re-harden when it ...
by Bryan
Fri Mar 08, 2019 4:33 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Leitz Eyepiece Questions
Replies: 8
Views: 6189

Re: Leitz Eyepiece Questions

Thanks for the response apochronaut. I found a good deal on this pair of Periplan 10X O so I'll give them a try. They look like a newer version but also slightly longer than the one pictured above. I have seen much longer ones that I assume are the ones you were referring to. Hopefully these help wi...
by Bryan
Fri Mar 08, 2019 4:57 am
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Leitz Eyepiece Questions
Replies: 8
Views: 6189

Re: Leitz Eyepiece Questions

Does anyone know what the “O” in the designation “10X O” means on this Periplan eyepiece?
6590A89D-C136-4F09-B75C-0CE65AA8C510.jpeg
6590A89D-C136-4F09-B75C-0CE65AA8C510.jpeg (85.47 KiB) Viewed 6007 times
by Bryan
Mon Mar 04, 2019 10:34 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Leitz Eyepiece Questions
Replies: 8
Views: 6189

Re: Leitz Eyepiece Questions

Thanks for the information Bob. Based on the table below that came with my microscope it looks like I may benefit from Periplan eyepieces when I use my 100X Oil objective. My microscope has a 170mm tube length so I assume I should avoid the Periplan 10x18 eyepieces. If I'm reading my chart correctly...
by Bryan
Mon Mar 04, 2019 7:09 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Mechanical stage binding
Replies: 4
Views: 3689

Re: Mechanical stage binding

Did you clean off the old grease? Grease that was used when that microscope was made can harden over time. Maybe a cleaning with solvent then re-greasing it will help.
by Bryan
Mon Mar 04, 2019 6:58 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Leitz Eyepiece Questions
Replies: 8
Views: 6189

Leitz Eyepiece Questions

The more I look into Leitz eyepieces the more confused I get. I know there are many different designations for eyepieces depending on the use but my questions are fairly basic. I have a Leitz SM microscope from around 1957, it came with 10X and 6X paired eyepieces. These have the "B" designation to ...