20X and 400X Magnification

[grepper]

Thought y'all might find this interesting.  I included two pics of a mm ruler to give perspective.  The rest are pics of my wife's knife.  It has very hard steel that is difficult to sharpen.  It has a... (gasp)... pink handle.

I sharpened it not too long ago, but as you can see it needs a little work again.

Ruler 20x:



Ruler 400x:



Blade 20x:



Blade 400x:



Blade 400x:



Blade 400x:

[Elden]

Mark,

What did you finish the blade on? Could you show a close up of the edge with little (2-3x) or no magnification? Great and interesting pictures.

[Herman Trivilino]

What are you using to take these photographs, Mark?

The piece you show at the 20X magnification looks pretty good to me.  I doubt you could do much better without the Japanese Waterstone.

I would take the leather wheel to it and see if there's any improvement in how it looks or performs.  My guess is you'd get a bit of an improvement.

[grepper]

I took these pics with:
http://www.amazon.com/Veho-VMS-004-Discovery-Microscope-Magnification/dp/B0025U0L8Y

The extreme grain that you see on the 400X pics are due to light refraction, not the grain of the bevel.  I was rushed for time so I only spent about 10 minutes doing it.  Had I spent a little more time I could have played with the lighting and produced better pictures.  You can tell that on the 20X pics.

I have to return the thing, as it has contamination inside the unit.  It's the hair that you see in all of the images. It's not on the outside of the lens.

I'm not sure I'd recommend this particular microscope, but it's not bad for being a cheapo.  But most of them only have 200X, so I went with the one with the most X.  I really like X .  You really have to do your research unless you want to spend $500. 

You have to watch out for the different ways they focus, stands, X, true optical magnification vs digital zoom, interpolated or not image resolution, white balance and a host of other considerations.  If you are interested and want info about what I know and have learned, just let me know.

I sharpened it on the T-7 of course.  As I recall, I gave it a light honing, just to leave it with a little "tooth" but not too much.  Sometimes "tooth" is handy even if it means that the edge might not hold up as well.  Just another excuse to have something to sharpen!

Fun stuff!

Hmmm...  I wonder what you could pick up a used SEM for?

[grepper]

I should amend the previous post to say that the bevel is actually quite smooth, so, when I was speaking "grain" I should have said grain/scratching.  The light refraction is part grain and part scratching, but the scratching is so light you can't feel it with your fingernail.  It's not a mirror finish, but close to it.

I can tell, apart from the pics, that it need sharpening again.

[Herman Trivilino]

What I've seen with my 40X microscope is that the scratches from the grinding process remain after honing on the leather wheel.  The flat spots between the scratches get polished by the leather honing wheel creating the mirror finish, but scratches remain.

You can actually see this with the naked eye, and on the Tormek videos, on a chisel bevel.

[Elden]

You have to watch out for the different ways they focus, stands, X, true optical magnification vs digital zoom, interpolated or not image resolution, white balance and a host of other considerations.  If you are interested and want info about what I know and have learned, just let me know.

Mark,
I for one would be interested in further information. Do they have them in 80 to 100x max. Are they adjustable magnification or fixed at a couple different powers. True resolution versus advertised, etc. Whatever you care to share.

[grepper]

Hi There Elden,

Yes.  There are a bunch of lower power USB microscopes:

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-Deluxe-Handheld-Digital-Microscope/dp/B004QF0A1Y

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-44301-Handheld-Digital-Microscope/dp/B004IAKOZ4

http://www.amazon.com/Dino-Lite-Digital-Microscope-10x~200x-Magnification/dp/B0015EQICO

http://www.amazon.com/Dino-Lite-AM2011-10x~50x-Digital-Microscope/dp/B003Q9OVFW

http://www.amazon.com/Aven-26700-300-Microscope-Mega-Pixel-Magnification/dp/B004M8SQ6Q

Most of these things have a couple of set powers, such as 10x, 40x and 150x etc.

Some of them, I think for example the Celestron's change as you move closer/further away from
the object.  Others, you have to press the object against the end and then turn the ring
until it goes into focus.  Low power at one end of the dial and high at the other extreme
end.  Celestron is a well known telescope maker.

When on 50x or less, they are very easy to use.  At higher powers, focusing can be much more
difficult and the depth of field is very small.

1.3mp or 2mp is about all you are going to find at less than $100.00.  I think the one that
I had was 2mp, but 1.3mp would be fine too.  At this price range, don't get too hung up on resolution.  The Dino-lite AM2011 is very well reviewed for example and it's 0.3mp.  Dino-lite makes forensic quality scopes that cost much more.

You can find examples of how they work on Youtube.  Just searh for them by name.

While I have not tried any of the ones above, I would imagine you would be happy with any of them. Check out the manufacturer web sites. Pretty interesting stuff.  Like must stuff they all have their strengths and weaknesses.  But then we are mostly talking considerably less than $100.

Higher power USB scopes make the decision much more difficult, but if you are looking for using it most at 100x or less, just about any should be fine.  They are a lot of fun!

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Mark

[Herman Trivilino]

You may find this information useful.  This is a very reliable vendor.

http://www.vernier.com/products/sensors/proscope/

[grepper]

Yes, the ProScopes are top of the line scopes.  They have the advantage of different lenses for different magnifications.  Did you price these things?  By the time you add a couple of lenses, and the software and the measurement software you will end up with $700-$1,000.  Good quality, but very pricy.  That's why I didn't mention them here.

If you have that kind of $$ to spend, then check out Dino-lite, FireFly, etc.  These are also very nice scopes, but you will start out at the $350-$750 price tag to get what you really want.  Dino-lite makes a couple of $100-$250 dollar scopes that are good quality too, but mostly that is not their market.

Another consideration is that paying a lot for say a 5mp sensor right now might not be the best move unless money is not that much of a consideration.  I think, just like the digicam market, soon you will see much higher resolution sensors for much less than they currently are now.  Think about it.  You can get 15mp consumer digicam for $200, and these little scope things are still thinking that a 5mp sensor is something special.

There is one other consideration when thinking out resolution in a scope.  A digicam can take a picture of a landscape, while a scope is only a couple of inches or way less.  So the resolution of the sensor is much denser over such a small area.

But... Those expensive, high end scopes are probably very nice, with quality software and good support. I wouldn't mind having one.

[Herman Trivilino]

The basic Proscope kit from that vendor is $200.  I would think that would be plenty good for looking at knife edges.  And I'm sure you could find it, or something of comparable quality, cheaper elsewhere.  Vernier sells to schools, any vendor that does that has high prices.

[grepper]

Yes, the basic ProScope HR is $200 with a 50x lens  It is the older HR model with a 1.3mp sensor compared to the HR2 which is 2mp.  Additional lenses are about $150 each.  Measurement software is about $150.  Measurement software is included with most of the less expensive scopes these days.  It's what I used to show the measurements on the above pics.

I would want to take a hard look at Dlite before deciding on ProScope these days.  5mp sensor, fixed tips for 30x, 50x, 75x, 100x, 150x, 200x, measurement and calibration software and a nice stand included for $249.  I'm actually considering this one.
http://www.youtube.com/user/DliteMicroscope
http://schooltr.com/Products/Dlite_5MP/Dlite_5MP.php

Does either the Dlite or ProScope have adjustable brightness LED's?  I don't know yet, but some of the now less expensive models from other manufacturers do.  I've found that especially when examining shiny objects such as knife blades, reflection can be problematic.  Polarization filters can be very useful too, and make a big difference in the ability to see detail.  Dino-lite has units with that feature.

One thing that I really like about the ProScope is that it has a 1000x lens available.  I've never seen anything else that goes above 400x. Check the above pics for examples of 20x and 400x.  I'd love 1000x!     Here's a good example of what X can do you: http://proscopehr2.com/about.html

If all you want to do is look at knife blades at 50x, then these higher end scopes might well be overkill with not much advantage over units costing half as much..., or not..., depending on exactly what you are looking for in a scope. 

Oh, and Herman, do you know that you can buy USB heads that attach to the eyepiece of a regular microscope so you can get cool pics and videos from your regular microscope?

[Herman Trivilino]

I can see how the ability to post photographs of those enlarged images would be useful for discussions here.  I'd be particularly interested in seeing what the Japanese Waterstone could do to an edge.

[Elden]

The Dlite looks and sounds impressive. Now if if I can figure out a way to justify it. If it was about 1/2 that price..........

[grepper]

Maybe this will help Elden,

Top 10 justifications for getting a microscope:

10.  Just think of all the things you could look at with it!

9.  Get wife's approval by promising to identify bugs in the garden.

8.  If you have kids, you can say it's for their education.

7.  You kind of want one.

6.  They work as a web cam.  So the money you save basically makes it free!

5.  You know it would be cool.

4.  The folks down the the Tormek forums will think you are cool!

3.  Life is short. 

2.  It's just money..., right?

And the number ONE justification!  You know you want one.  You know you really do, and it would make you happy. And..., You actually can have one! Just press GO, order it and be done with it!  After all, shouldn't you be happy?