Question: Magnification

CRW

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I finally bought a scope about 2 months ago, but I cannot use it. Are the engravers using a monitor to view while working? I can't get the hang of holding my head in the same spot, it's like using binoculars, they always shook around on me and this is the trouble I am having with the scope. If anyone has any idea of what I can do, please advise.
I look at video's and it looks so easy to see your work, that's what made me ask the question, are you using a camera to view while engraving.
If I can't get it to work for me I am going to take a loss and sell the scope.
Thanks to anyone that can help.
 

mfennessy

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Also, make sure the microscope stand is as sturdy as possible. I've tried the adjustable ones and there's too much give in them for me.

My turntable stand is bolted to the floor and the microscope stand is bolted to the wall, so it's really quick to get it centered. It can swing out of the way if I don't want to use the microscope but only in an arc, so it lines back up quick.

Here's a picture of the stand I just made. It's 3/4" pipe attached directly to the wall. At the old house I thought I was smart and attached it to the ceiling (actually floor joists of the floor above) but it would shake when someone walked around upstairs. You can also see my headrest in the picture.

I drilled and tapped a hole in the front 'T' and put a threaded knob in to hold the 1/2" (I think) conduit that holds the actual microscope holder and my headrest. I think I had to slightly clear out the threads in the 3/4" T so the conduit would fit through.

The headrest is a block of cherry with one of those gel keyboard wrist support things contact cemented on after cutting it to length and putting gorilla tape on the ends.

Mike

https://imgur.com/lQ2Q64R
 

CRW

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That's a nice set up Mike. My microscope is solid and does not move, I built a head rest for it but still just can't seem to hold tight enough to see exactly like I would like. Guess I will keep trying for another month or so. Right now I can do a lot better work with the optiloop than the scope.
 

mitch

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what kind of eyepieces? some, especially older scopes, had very small exit pupils(?) that required the user to hold his head really steadyb (and could not be used with glasses). it was one the first things i noticed when i went from my old standby Olympus SZIII to a new Leica S6E. the ocular lenses were twice as big on the new scope.

are you wearing eyeglasses, too? most newer scopes & eyepieces will allow that (usually designated by a "B"), but most engravers still just remove our glasses, if we wear them. if you're trying to wear glasses, you need to roll back or remove the rubber eyecups, which are meant for bare-eye usage, otherwise your eyes will be too far from the lenses and your field of vision will be a pinpoint.
 

CRW

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Fergarex "What kind of scope? What power? What reducer lens? "


The Scope is a SM745 AmScope Trinocula (10x Eyepieces) x (4x Objective) x (0.5X Barlow Lens) = 20x, (10x Eyepieces) 0.5x and a 2.0 Barlow lens, I am using the 5.0 for a longer working distance. The scope has a ring light. I have no trouble seeing the image clearly just cannot keep it from wobbling, H have a home made head rest on it that helped some but not enough.
Hope this helps you understand the working conditions. Any other information you want just let me know. Thanks for your help.
 
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CRW

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what kind of eyepieces? some, especially older scopes, had very small exit pupils(?) that required the user to hold his head really steadyb (and could not be used with glasses). it was one the first things i noticed when i went from my old standby Olympus SZIII to a new Leica S6E. the ocular lenses were twice as big on the new scope.

are you wearing eyeglasses, too? most newer scopes & eyepieces will allow that (usually designated by a "B"), but most engravers still just remove our glasses, if we wear them. if you're trying to wear glasses, you need to roll back or remove the rubber eyecups, which are meant for bare-eye usage, otherwise your eyes will be too far from the lenses and your field of vision will be a pinpoint.

Mitch, this has a lot of information in it that I have not tried such as rolling the eyepieces back I had not thought of that. Will try that today and see if that helps. I do wear glasses but not to use the scope.
the scope is a AmScope SM745 I am using the 5-0 Barlow lens The eyepiece is a 10X. Please read the post above this one for a description of the scope. It has a super clear image.
Thanks for your help.
 

SalihKara

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If you can put a camera on your microscope, I suggest to do it and connect your camera to a HD tv and try to follow your graver from TV. ın this way you can follow/watch your graver without considering position of your head and eyes. It might take some time to get used it but once you make it you will feel more comfortable.
 

CRW

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If you can put a camera on your microscope, I suggest to do it and connect your camera to a HD tv and try to follow your graver from TV. ın this way you can follow/watch your graver without considering position of your head and eyes. It might take some time to get used it but once you make it you will feel more comfortable.

Thanks so much for the advice, I may give that a try at a last resort. I'm gonna try some other things today first. Seems like that might be the answer. Yes there is a camera adapter on the scope. Any suggestions on a camera, and can it be hooked up to a computer monitor? I have a monitor setting fairly close to the scope and it can be moved to where ever I need it.
Thanks again.
 

fegarex

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Some of the figures you gave me don't make much sense but lets assume you are using the scope with 10X eyepieces and 0.5 barlow lens. This will give you 3.5 X 22 power scope. It should be fine at the low setting. I would say it is a bad scope. Try someone else's scope.
 

CRW

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Some of the figures you gave me don't make much sense but lets assume you are using the scope with 10X eyepieces and 0.5 barlow lens. This will give you 3.5 X 22 power scope. It should be fine at the low setting. I would say it is a bad scope. Try someone else's scope.

That's exactly what I would like to do but I know of no one in my area that has a scope for me to try. I live on the east side of Mobile Bay in Daphne Alabama. If anyone knows someone in my area please let me know and I will send them a PM or give them a call and ask to look through their scope.
Thanks.
 

mitch

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hey, Carl, i'm starting to wonder if this is just one of those anomalous optical mismatches. for some inexplicable reason, i could never get the "parfocality" feature to work on my Leica scopes unless both oculars were adjustable. with the standard arrangement of one adjustable & one fixed, i had to refocus every time i changed magnification. but both adjustable?- no problem. the Leica rep had never heard of such a quirk, but whatever works.

also, and this may be more analogous to your situation, when i tried 'line-less' bifocals (progressive lenses- instead of two separate corrections) maybe ten years ago they made my field of vision pitch & roll like a ship tossed in a stormy sea. the slightest movement of my head would literally give me motion sickness. my sister had run into the same problem. when i returned to the optician he said that roughly 5% of people have that problem and have to go with traditional bifocals.
 

CRW

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hey, Carl, i'm starting to wonder if this is just one of those anomalous optical mismatches. for some inexplicable reason, i could never get the "parfocality" feature to work on my Leica scopes unless both oculars were adjustable. with the standard arrangement of one adjustable & one fixed, i had to refocus every time i changed magnification. but both adjustable?- no problem. the Leica rep had never heard of such a quirk, but whatever works.

also, and this may be more analogous to your situation, when i tried 'line-less' bifocals (progressive lenses- instead of two separate corrections) maybe ten years ago they made my field of vision pitch & roll like a ship tossed in a stormy sea. the slightest movement of my head would literally give me motion sickness. my sister had run into the same problem. when i returned to the optician he said that roughly 5% of people have that problem and have to go with traditional bifocals.

Thanks Mitch. You are correct in saying that one lens is all that you use to focus. But that's not really the problem the scope stays in focus through all the motions, (zoom, and all) it's just the fact that the whole thing is not steady. I don't think I am moving my head, but I may be. Since I am used to using a Opti Visor. Could be that I am wanting to follow my tool with my eyes and not depending on the scope, if that makes any sense. I tried it again today and the same thing. So I just went back to my Opti Visor and finished the piece.
Thanks for your input.
 

Donny

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Okay Im gonna jump in here...When I started I bought this Amscope...sounds identical to yours. There was and still isn't any movement. Are all your boom knobs all tightened up? have you gone through the proper focusing setup? tightened the scope in the mounting ring? Is your boom stand on a very steady surface. Is your vise attached to your bench? Is the movement of your vise moving your desk and thus moving your Boom and scope. The slightest movement of any of those things will be multiplied in what you see in your scope. All of those components have to be solid without movement. If they are then its you or the internals of your scope. These Amscopes are hit or miss. Mine works BUT it caused my eyes to become fatigued....

Don
 

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Gary Malone

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Carl, you’re welcome to come over to my shop in Pensacola, I have a Leica scope you can try. I’m about a 40 minute drive away, just shoot me a PM and I’ll give you directions.
 

CRW

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Don that does look exactly like my scope. I have checked everything I know of and am still having the problem. I have sent Gary a PM in Pensacola to come to his place and look at his scope. I'm really hoping I can find the answer after talking to him.
Thanks so much for your help.
 

Borzzza

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I had the same problem when Graver machine was standing on a shelf inside the bench - it was giving vibration and distortion on the microscope even when just switched on. Solved after puting soft layer under and on the sides.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

gcleaker

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I have this very same scope, don’t give up on it. It just takes some time getting used to working with a scope, vs a optaviser. Even when I upgraded to the lica system I really thought I had screw up it took me a few weeks to really get used to the change. So, it comes back to we all really hate change and will go down kicking and screaming to fight it. Then when we finally give it a real chance we often like it.
Just my thoughts
Skill comes from Diligence.
 

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