An Interesting Alternative To A Loupe

[FVargas]

Yesterday my brother came to me for help with a pen of his; I don't claim to be an expert, but I could definitely tell that something was wrong with the nib.

 

Where one may have brought a loupe to their eyes, I opted for the more bulky albeit more ubiquitous set of binoculars; looking through them in reverse magnified the image and I was able to spot the issue.

 

Although you may prefer the loupe, I found the binocs to be a suitable substitute.

[PAKMAN]

Whatever works!

[Edgar Allan Bo]

Or macro photography, I did that with a missaligned nib before I got me a loupe.

[ldfph44]

I occasionally use an inverted telescope eyepiece.

Edited December 28, 2011 by ldfph44

[someonesdad]

For those of you who want a good tool that can magnify and measure, see if you can get your hands on a Dumaurier Micro-mike (Dumaurier went bankrupt, but there's someone else selling them now). My favorite is a 20X one with a scale that has 0.1 mm divisions. There are no moving parts and the thing can clip in your shirt pocket. I've been using mine for over 30 years with no problems (I also have a 50X one, but it gets far less use).

[estie1948]

Before I retired, I used a stereoscope at the lab after hours. That was great - both hands free to work on the nib while still looking at it under magnification. Talk about having aligned nibs! Now I squint through a loupe and struggle just like almost everyone else.

[cikavac]

I use a mini microscope. It's 60-100x and has a light on it. Very handy and fun for looking at other stuff too.

[Tweel]

Before I retired, I used a stereoscope at the lab after hours. That was great - both hands free to work on the nib while still looking at it under magnification. Talk about having aligned nibs! Now I squint through a loupe and struggle just like almost everyone else.

That's what I've wished for. The loupe-squint is no fun.

 

On odd occasions I've used an objective lens from a pair of binoculars and a dismounted camera lens.

[Garageboy]

I think I've seen Richard use a stereoscope (dissection microscope) at shows

My dad's poor man's loupe is a microscope eye piece