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Microscope - what can we look at?; I need ideas!
Topic Started: Jan 24 2009, 01:00 PM (418 Views)
dolmansaxlil
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HOLY CARP!!!
I bought Liam a little microscope for Christmas - I think it's 600x on the highest setting. We haven't really done much with it, other than the slides it comes with. I think tomorrow, I may do up a bunch of slides so we can do more with it. I have shrimp brine, so I'll make some of that up. I know we can look at onion skin (thank you grade 9 science class! I need to pick up some iodine for that...) Can we see anything if I start up some yeast? What other household things could we check out?
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
Skin, insect parts, hair, vegetable/fruit peel scrapings...
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!"
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Mark
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pond scum is cool.
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kenny
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BTW use the low power objectives.
Unless you spent tens of thousands of dollars the higher powers will have low resolution.
Tons of stuff is fascinating at 10 to 60x.

Pull a hair out and look at the root

Blood

Compare the cloth fibers in wool, cotton, polyester etc.

Pond scum, opps it's winter.

Paper currency and coins

House plant root tips

Dust from the floor in the corner before vacuuming it up

Something from your vacuum bag

Scrape some jam from between your toes or under your toenails.

Finger nail clippings

That spooge under the keys of an old acoustic piano.

Rust

Compare beef, chicken and fish up close

Watch bubbles pop from a coke

"Catch" live bugs, ants, flies, fleas, carpet beetles with tape and watch them squirm under the scope

Everything around you is fascinating up close.
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sue
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Quote:
 
Scrape some jam from between your toes or under your toenails.
yum

I wonder what ear wax looks like
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kenny
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sue
Jan 24 2009, 01:26 PM
Quote:
 
Scrape some jam from between your toes or under your toenails.
yum

I wonder what ear wax looks like
EXACTLY

A microscope is a new pair of eyes after living blind, in a sense.

I worked with a fine one for 25 years and it is soooooooo cool to have one.

Get a good light source too if you can.
A small pointed source is bad.
A larger source is better, and a ring-light is best.
You need a very bright light.

Good lighting can do so much to help resolve detail.
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dolmansaxlil
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Thanks, guys. I really don't have a lot of experience with them. Liam seems to be very science minded (or maybe all kids are) and I'd like to encourage that exploration. I'm just not sure what I'm doing, so I need help getting him started!

Kenny, I tried the 600x, and it's REALLY hard to see anything. The other lenses are much easier. I'm glad to hear I don't have to worry about the fact that the 600x seems blurry no matter what I do - the other lenses should suit us just fine!
"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson

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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
Dead bugs are cool. They have science fiction bodies. Hairy little buggers they are, too.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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Mark
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Kenny is a geek! :lol2:

But then so am I. I have a vintage laboratory grade professional trinocular telescope from AO Spencer. It has very high quality objective lenses and a real good pair of 10x eyepieces which are interchangeable with lower and higher power eyepieces. The "trinocular" ascpect of this telescope is a third viewing tube so one can attach a camera to it to photograph the very small things in the universe.

I have not played around with it in a few years now but I did take some photographs with it.

Posted Image

All of the mechanics in this thing are top notch in quality, smoothness and precision.

More parts that came with it when I purchased it.

http://www.pcsincnet.com/microscope_parts/index.html

Last photo I took with it was a close up of a Silver Liberty Dollar. The lighting was a real challenge.

Posted Image


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dolmansaxlil
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Ok - I'm going to admit to my ignorance about this.

I thought when you looked through something with a microscope it had to be transparent?? I remember cutting things down to paper-thin so we could look at them. And the onion skin thing - we had to pull off one little layer so we could see the cells with the light shining through. Am I wrong?
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Mark
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Yes you are wrong. My photograph proves it. :P
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Mark
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Looking at coins is a cool thing to do with a microscope btw. ;)
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sue
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You have cool toys, Mark.

To answer dol's question, is it because of the lighting capability of the professional type microscopes?
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kenny
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Subjects need to be transparent if you want light them from below. (This is the lowest-cost, simplest light source for entry-level microscopes.)

You can also fit special lights to shine from above.
Very fancy microscopes ($50,000+) send light through the body of the scope and into the objective itself.
The objective is the lens at the bottom of the scope.

Others, usually lower power stereo microscopes, have an external halogen bulb and a fiber-optic snake that delivers the light to a ring-light screwed to the bottom of the objective.
Example, this light source alone would cost perhaps $500 to $1500.
Posted Image

You can spend a fortune on lighting.
For something affordable I'd recommend experimenting with an 18" fluorescent tube fixture and placing it just above the stage but above the bottom of the objective so light can't shine directly into the bottom of the scope.

A curved white business card (perhaps covered with aluminum foil) could be placed on the other side of the stage to reflect some light into the other side of whatever you are looking at.

Hours of fun.

Cool scope Mark. :thumb:
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Mark
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Not really Sue.

I used a single 40watt incandescent light bulb in my desk lamp (you know the scissor lift type with springs on it?) and as Kenny pointed out some reflective surfaces surrounding the object.

I lit it from the top and sides using a single bulb and sheets of copier paper.
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dolmansaxlil
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Well, Liam's microscope is specifically for kids, and it's lit from below. If he really enjoys it, I'll look into something spiffier. For the time being, he's happy with it!
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kenny
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That sound good Dol. :thumb:

I'm just saying you can greatly expand what he can look (to include stuff that requires lighting from above) at with almost no expense.
This will result in him getting much more enjoyment and stimulation from it.
You two could even make it a fun project using a CFL bulb (for low heat) and build a light box out of cardboard and aluminum foil for next to nothing.
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dolmansaxlil
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Ok - we'll see how it goes. I'm sure he'd like a building project (as evidenced by the cardboard car that is in my livingroom that he has been constructing and adding to for the past month. It's a good thing I have no desire to have a show home!) I may come back and ask more about how to do that. Maybe over March Break, when I have more than a couple hours free at a time. :)
"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson

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kenny
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Hey Dol.
If you make it up here to London I could try to make a lighting box in the shop if you bring the microscope with you.
I can't imagine it would take long.

Slap me around if I'm being pushy.
I just think it is so cool to see stuff under a scope.
Another world that few have experienced awaits Liam.
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dolmansaxlil
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You're not being pushy at all! I just have no idea what I'm doing, so I do appreciate the help!

Will a lighting box work with Liam's little microscope?
Posted Image
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kenny
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Sure.
It would be light and portable and he'd place the object on the stage, then place the light box over/around it.

The box would just rest on the table and make a semi-good seal at the top so light from it would not blind him as he looks into the scope. Easy Peasy.

I t hink a round large Coffee can would be a smart start. - I have one at school.
Since it is metal it is already light reflective.
It is already round and rigid and a good height to start with.

Hey, I coincidently actually already have a little fluoresecent fixture with 3 extra bulbs i can contribute.
The fixture stand broke and I can make it work for this.
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dolmansaxlil
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I'm trying really hard to picture it. Just not getting there.

My mum buys coffee in big cans. Shall I tell her to save her next one for me?
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dolmansaxlil
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Just read your edit - As long as I can bring the microscope to you so you can show me what the heck to do with it! :) I'm sure Liam would appreciate it!
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kenny
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Yes, your coffee can may be larger, or shaped more usefully, than the one I have in the shop.

Can you take some measurements? . . .

Total height
Height at the stage
Circumference or diameter at the largest part of the body
The Circumference or diameter half way up near the focusing knob.
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dolmansaxlil
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Ok, the microscope can be placed at an angle, so I'm giving you two measurements for some of those:

Total height: 9 1/2"
Height at stage: 2 1/2"
Diameter of largest part of body (with eyepiece in the straight up position): 5"ish
Diameter of largest part of body (with eyepiece angled out): 6 1/2"ish (but total front to back diameter if you include the eyepiece, which is quite a bit higher up is 8"ish)
Diameter near focusing knob: 4"ish
Diameter near focusing knob (with eyepiece angled out): 6 1/2"ish


"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson

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