Loupes? 30X? 40X?

[NewPenMan]

I've read that 20x is fine but all that staples is carrying these days are 30x and 40x. Anyone have experience with these higher mags?

 

My experience with lenses is that the higher magnification comes at the cost of light-gathering; with fountain pen work, you need to see nib tines magnified, but also under adequate light.

 

thoughts?

 

Thank you

[jar]

Above 20x I always want the best lens and a built in light source. But I find 10x and 20x to be the ones I use the most.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I have a good glass 10X, could 'perhaps' use a 12 X...15 X would be on the outside of what I'd get.

No, I'd not get a 15 X...to much power, too small a view and for what? My 10 X does a good enough job, when it comes down to it.

 

20X if good glass, is said to be too much; by many folks that have them.

 

Dirt cheap 20-30-40 Xor what ever will give you, 10X if that, in reality.

 

A good glass and a good coating...and you need the coating, get what you want.

Triplex is best. Belomo 10-12 (or 15 X can be had).

 

@$35 + (could be $5 more now...with inflation since I last looked) will get you a nice 10X triplex Belomo.

I think 12 X would be the most you ever need. You do want to see what you are looking at, and the higher the magnification, the less field you have. The harder it is to find the nib tip in the loupe, the harder to get a 'full view'.

If I had to do it all over again, 12 X and no way 15 X....if you are buying good coated glass.

 

There are Nikon and Ziess lenses that cost $100-150 and more. Don't think you need that, in your livelihood don't depend on the Jewels you buy and sell.

[mike.jane]

If you choose to buy a really- cheap loupe directly from China (And you might, because, boy! so cheap) beware, the magnification - as stated already - will be lower than what is advertised, probably around x10-15 (but really just guessing here).

I have one and only paid less that 3 dollars for it. wuut. It's perfectly adequate for that price.

[Glenn Atkins]

Excellent loupe for the money. No affiliation.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10x21mm-Triplet-LED-Illuminated-Jewelers-Magnifying-Eye-Loupe-Magnifier-From-USA-/221175099033?hash=item337f102e99:m:mj1QlmLNMkKx15s3aWeyZcg

[DustyR]

Probably too much. This one works fine for me:

http://www.amazon.com/Peak-1961-10x-Loupe-Magnifier/dp/B01142AU5M

[markh]

For aligning tines, or reshaping (like cutting a stub) a 10x seems mostly enough. I occasionally use a 15x to see if there is a fine defect in the tipping, but I could certainly get along without it.

 

No matter what loupe you get, good lighting is critical. I work at my desk with a very bright, multi-bulb Ledu desk lamp. Makes a big difference.

 

I recently upgraded to this loupe, both a 10x and 15x. I think they are higher quality and easier to use than the cheap loupe I had before:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EXPWU8S?keywords=belomo&qid=1458011993

 

.

[ISW_Kaputnik]

I have three Belomo loupes, 10X, 12X, and 15X. I find the 10X and 12X about equally practical, the 15X more magnification than I need almost all the time.

 

I think a genuine 30X or 40X would be too much if hand held. but some cheap brands evidently have less magnification than advertised. I have two cheap putative 30X loupes which I'm sure are no more than 10X by comparison with my Belomos. Mind you, they're usable, despite some distortion at the edges of the field of view.

 

I looked at the Staples web site for loupes (hadn't realized they sold them.). At the fairly low prices they charge for those 30X and 40X loupes, I would guess with some confidence that those aren't the real magnifications, and that as with my cheap 30X loupes, you'll be getting something lower and more practical. But confident or not, that is a guess, not a certainty.

Edited March 15, 2016 by ISW_Kaputnik

[ac12]

I find my 10x perfectly adequate, and rarely take out the 20x loupe.

 

As has been said, lighting is important. If you work at bench with a good light, then you don't need a lighted loupe. However, if you are working at a bench/kitchen table with poor lighting, or using the loupe at a pen show (poor lighting), then you want a lighted loupe. Really good optics is of no value if there isn't enough light to see with. If Belomo made a lighted 10x, I would have bought it. So my 10x is a lighted loupe.

 

If you are only going to work at your workbench, a decent stereo microscope would be worth the investment. And you can find them for under $100. It is a LOT easier to work on nibs when you can use both hands. It is much better than using a loupe to; look, adjust blindly, look again, then repeat the blind adjustment. Here are a couple of low cost stereo microscopes:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AmScope-SE100X-Portable-Stereo-Microscope-10X-20X-/400454341381?hash=item5d3cf05305

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AmScope-SE204-AX-10X-20X-Excellent-Binocular-Stereo-Microscope-/140926159622?hash=item20cfda8b06:g:6a8AAOSwNphWYkgo

Same as with the loupe, don't get carried away with magnification, some/many times lower is better. So don't get one that won't go down to at least 10x.

Edited March 15, 2016 by ac12

[bizhe]

I've seen usb magnifiers on amazon, some saying 40x-800x, but I don't know how clear they are.

[Frank66]

Most of the times, I use a a foldable magnifying glass that I found at a local bookstore. It is very convenient for general purpose nib work, and you can easily carry it around in a briefcase because it is foldable.

 

Because it can stand on its own, one can use it to (1) hold it over a nib while one is grinding on a rotary instrument and (2) take magnified sample pictures of my nibs / pen components if one is interested. If you are interested, you can see pictures taken with this loop posted in page 2 of my thread https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/302951-kaigelu-316-modification-250-6-bock-nib-beaufort-ink-converter/

 

http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah12/phzervas/foldable%20magnifier_zpsqgobl7su.jpg

 

Although mine does not have LED lights, may I refer you to this link in ebay if you are interested.(Black 10X Magnifier Glass Foldable Round Lens w LED Light)-- ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-10X-Magnifier-Glass-Foldable-Round-Lens-w-LED-Light-/301738510313?hash=item46410447e9:g:Qx0AAOSwpzdWq4Bn ) -- not affiliated.

 

However, let me add that I have other higher magnification loupes that I seldom use in addition to this one, when I want higher magnification, but they are more cumbersome to use. If I would like to afford more, I would look also into a USB microscope or a stereomicroscope as suggested above. Regards, Photios

Edited March 15, 2016 by Frank66

[Precise]

For aligning tines, or reshaping (like cutting a stub) a 10x seems mostly enough. I occasionally use a 15x to see if there is a fine defect in the tipping, but I could certainly get along without it.

 

No matter what loupe you get, good lighting is critical. I work at my desk with a very bright, multi-bulb Ledu desk lamp. Makes a big difference.

 

I recently upgraded to this loupe, both a 10x and 15x. I think they are higher quality and easier to use than the cheap loupe I had before:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EXPWU8S?keywords=belomo&qid=1458011993

 

.

I bought one of these Belomo magnifiers. It's the widest field of view I've seen for this magnification and I'm quite happy with it. But a nib tip is so small that cheaper 10x magnifiers, with narrower field of view, work just as well.

 

I have a B&L Stereo microscope in my shop, which I use for a variety of tasks from removing splinters, to trimming hangnails, to nib work. I wouldn't be without it.

 

Do any of you use a video microscope?

[KBeezie]

20 to 30x for my normal inspection, my little 60x if I'm trying to check alignment or tip texture on an EF-XXF type of nib.

[jar]

Do any of you use a video microscope?

 

I used to but my cat ate the cable.

[BillZ]

Precice,

I use one of these for normal inspection

http://www.chefknivestogo.com/20xloupe.html

I have a cheap video microscope I use if I REALLY want to look closely at a nib and/or take a picture of it.

[shea2812]

This what I use. A surprise find from a stationery shop. Old stock, not cheap though. A geologist friend told me that this is serious stuff!

[ac12]

 

I've seen usb magnifiers on amazon, some saying 40x-800x, but I don't know how clear they are.

 

 

Those are microscopes. Two problems.

#1 - The problem with the USB microscopes (like a regular compound microscope) is working distance, or more precisely the LACK of working distance. If you want to work on the nib, you need some working distance for your hand. Otherwise you are back to working blind. You look, adjust blindly by feel (because you cannot see what you are doing), then look again, then repeat as often as needed. With some loupes and certain nib adjustments, I can hold the loupe and make the adjustments. That would be REALLY HARD under 40x magnification.

 

#2 - If all you are going to do is look at something, it might be OK, but 40x is still way too much magnification for much of the nib stuff that I do. You can see the tipping but not the entire tine. When you are looking for tip alignment, you don't need to see the texture of the tipping. It would be much better to have the low magnification down at about 10x or even 5x.

 

First I have not used one of those USB microscopes, only optical microscopes. As for clarity, good optics cost $$$. Though I am surprised how good some of the less expensive stuff is. Yet I would not expect really clear images at 800x. There is a trick that the camera makers used. They would get a 3x optical zoom, then use software to take a smaller section of the sensor image (digital zoom) to get greater magnification. The problem with the digital zoom is, as you increase the digital zoom, you are using less and less pixels to generate your image. So the image quality get less and less sharp, and you could start to see pixilation when you look real closely. If they are getting their 800x with digital zoom, I would not expect good image quality at high magnification.

Edited March 29, 2016 by ac12

[Drone]

If you have a cell phone with a decent camera, download a magnifier or microscope app. Many cell phone cameras these days will macro focus. But if your phone doesn't macro focus, then just hold your loupe in front of the phone's camera lens and voila - video microscope! You can stick a loupe on the phone temporarily with some of that foam mounting tape. There are even macro lens attachments for cell phones. The cheap ones just stick to the phone and are easily removable. The one thing you will need though, is a good light source that you can move around a bit. A desk lamp does nicely.

[ian1964]

If you have a cell phone with a decent camera, download a magnifier or microscope app. Many cell phone cameras these days will macro focus. But if your phone doesn't macro focus, then just hold your loupe in front of the phone's camera lens and voila - video microscope! You can stick a loupe on the phone temporarily with some of that foam mounting tape. There are even macro lens attachments for cell phones. The cheap ones just stick to the phone and are easily removable. The one thing you will need though, is a good light source that you can move around a bit. A desk lamp does nicely.

 

What a great idea...thank you

[peterg]

I use a cheap E-bay x30. The clarity and magnification are good but it has a very short focal distance, about 20 mm.