MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

I just picked up a microscope from Craigslist and need to get a starter kit with slides, cover glass, eye dropper, etc.

I’d like to start looking at pond life.

Suggestions would be appreciated!

Best to begin cheap and cheerful until you feel your way. As you are doing with your Amscope T490B for $220

So collecting jars (old jam jars), old toothbrush (to brush stones to collect diatoms) turkey baster (to collect samples), pipette (to place sample on slide), tweezers, slides and cover slips.

Don't worry too much at this stage about cover slip thickness, it's only especially critical on high magnification dry objectives.

So 0.13 - 0.17 will do fine.

That was helpful, thanks!

I need to order some slides, cover glass,and pipette.

The seller called me back, he found some slides and cover slips and is mailing them to me.

Some useful microscope supplies when making wet mounts are a couple boxes of Kim wipes, essentially Kleenex for optics, and the best lens cleaner. You can make the best lens cleaner at home with a plastic water bottle. Drink 1/3 of the water and fill back up with rubbing alcohol 70 or 91, don't waste the reagent grade stuff just regular rubbing alcohol. Then a pinch of clear, unscented dishwashing soap. I use a push pin to poke a hole in the cap so I can squeeze out a jet. Also you can shake it up and squeeze foam out of it to get picked up with a cotton swab .

Thanks for the tips!

oh yeah and go ahead and drop $30 on a nice pair of tweezers. They're expensive, but they act like your hands would. My preference is for fine-tipped curved forceps style, but there are a lot of different styles to choose from.

Thanks! Any suggestions on where to buy these things in the United States?

All the usual massive online retailers should be able to supply some Kim wipes and good tweezers. If you want to have some fun checking out an overly-comprehensive selection of microscopy tweezers I would check out Electron Microscopy Sciences. They will also sell chemicals to residences generally. I haven't used Newcomer Supply but I might try them sometime-- their prices on formalin can't be beat!

https://www.joann.com/jewelry-tweezers- ... 51274.html
They are in no way the best ones, but while I figure out if I’ll be in the microscope hobby for the long run, they have served me well.
Like mentioned before.... start cheap

There have proven to be very good:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/Titanium-Forcep ... nav=SEARCH

Haven't tried the titanium ones, but stainless steel forceps are relatively easy to reshape with a diamond sharpening stone. You can make the tip narrower, and you can make new tips if you accidentally drop it and bend the tips.

Thanks folks!

I have had good luck getting them from staples.com of all places

https://www.staples.com/Kimtech-Science ... uct_808376

Gerard

Thanks Gerard!

I have slides and covers now. Any suggestions of how to separate slides that are stuck together right out of the box?

Soapy water

Thanks!

Many microscopists reuse slides, some also reuse cover slips. You want them to drip dry afterwards: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2332

75RR wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 08, 2020 7:01 am

Many microscopists reuse slides, some also reuse cover slips. You want them to drip dry afterwards: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2332

That is creative, thanks!

rmcnelly wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 07, 2020 7:57 pm

how to separate slides that are stuck together

The slides's glass attracts moisture. The moisture tends to react with the glass and leave a pitted surface. So it makes sense to check slides before using them for permanent preparations. Apparently this degradation only takes place in packs of slides, on on slides that sit separated in slide boxes.

MicroBob wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 08, 2020 7:42 pm

rmcnelly wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 07, 2020 7:57 pm

how to separate slides that are stuck together

The slides's glass attracts moisture. The moisture tends to react with the glass and leave a pitted surface. So it makes sense to check slides before using them for permanent preparations. Apparently this degradation only takes place in packs of slides, on on slides that sit separated in slide boxes.

Thanks!