Micrometric scale. How make?

[daleo]

Hi,
I have a problem, I would like insert a micrometric scale on the my microscopic photos, but I don't know do. I don't have a micrometric ocular. Can I make with Paint or Gimp? Someone can help me?

[gekko]

Hi daleo,
I can tell you what I do: I have a stage micrometer (now they are available for US $10 to $20 from ebay. I take a picture of the micrometer scale with each of my objectives one time and save them for use to make the scales for all pictures taken with the same objective. I don't know this makes sense. Other people may have better suggestions.

[daleo]

Thanks for your reply.
So I can look on ebay or Aliexpress ok, but before I would like make something of more artigianal and more speedy. Some idea?

[gekko]

Thanks for your reply.
So I can look on ebay or Aliexpress ok, but before I would like make something of more artigianal and more speedy. Some idea?

You can make a rough, approximate scale: if you have a transparent ruler (with 1-mm or 0.5-mm graduations), you can take a picture with your lowest (say 4x) objective and use that to make a scale for pictures taken with the 4x objective. For the 10x, you can make the scale 2.5x as long, and so on for the other objectives.

[lorez]

Here is a site that explains it very well.

http://www.microscopyview.com/MENU/Meas ... OV-01.html

lorez

[mrsonchus]

Hi daleo, a couple of tips for you that may help....

The item you require is called a 'stage micrometer' and is a std-sized glass slide with several very fine scales etched (maybe even stuck) onto it's upper face. i.e. the face that a specimen would usually be on if this were a normal slide. The procedure is usually and easily carried out with software that includes the facility to calibrate your image-capture for each of your objectives, by using this slide to do it. An excellent free program that includes this facility and is very easy to use and indeed fully-featured for photo-micrography is called 'Toupview' - I use it exclusively for all my pictures as seen on this forum, and that's where the scale-bars and/or measurements on some of them come from.
Basically, you take a picture of the scale on the SM slide through say your x4 objective (via the 'scope-eyepiece-camera route of course), then 'tell the software' the length of say a line using the scale for the value. This you do for each objective, the calibrations are saved by the software and off you go - no need to do it again all being well.
However - it's vital that you do not alter either you camera's 'zoom level' or it's distance from the eyepiece that was used for each calibration - if you do this you'll ruin the calibration - it'll be wrong - and you'll need to redo it. (because doing this will alter your image's size and compromise the calibration completely).

You could do this with a ruler for example, as suggested, or anything that has a very accurate known dimension - for example you may buy a cheap set of metric feeler-guages for about £1, bend each blade partially vertical and use this as a very accurate reference for your calibrations - this would be very accurate, have different values (from the different guage-blade thicknesses) suitable for different objective powers, and save you about £20-£30! You could even dip each blades edge in some paint say, deposit the mark carefully onto a plain slide and make your own stage-micrometer, or simply press each blade's edge into a smear of say nail-polish on a slide and use the impressed lines each of a known thickness (that of the blade that made it) - anything of a known-dimension suitably small and accurate would do the trick even pollen-grains or synthetic grains etc would do, as long as you already know their dimensions....

Personally though I'd spend the cash and buy the SM - it's just plain easier, very accurate and convenient.

Hope this helps a bit.

[daleo]

thanks for reply,
I look for Toupview and I calibrate with my microscope.
I try that.