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What to look for in a loupe

chainwhip

By chainwhip
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chainwhip Extremely Rare

chainwhip

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So, my Lamy Studio's gotten a little "toothy" as of late (I admit, I was messing with nib) - I've been reading that a loupe is useful in figuring out if anything is misaligned... So, hence my need for a loupe.

 

The thing is, I don't have the foggiest idea where to start - what do you need to look for in a loupe? I see lots on eBay, but don't want to pull the trigger on something that doesn't work.

 

Help! :unsure:

Geaux Tigers! Visça el Barça!

WTB: MB Kafka, Lamy Safari 2009 Orange, Pilot MYU (Black or Clear/White Stripe), Seiko FrankenTuna SKZ253 / SKZ255

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chainwhip Extremely Rare

chainwhip

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We have several excellent loupes in our catalog. Start with a 10X loupe, with achromatic optics for a good allround loupe that will last for years.

Check in our pen care catalog!Tryphon pen care products

I see that you have a 30x loupe as well - are there cases where a 10x loupe would be better to use than a 30x? Just curious which tool is better for the job.

 

Also, how do I order from the site? PM me the ordering details if you'd like. Thanks Tryphon!

Geaux Tigers! Visça el Barça!

WTB: MB Kafka, Lamy Safari 2009 Orange, Pilot MYU (Black or Clear/White Stripe), Seiko FrankenTuna SKZ253 / SKZ255

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Johnny Appleseed Antique

Johnny Appleseed

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I have a 10X loupe with a built-in LED light that is excellent. I believe it is the same one that Giovanni sells, though I got mine from Hardwicks Hardware in the University District (which I am finding is Seattle's unofficial pen-repair tool store). Having that built-in light really helps when examining nibs, and when examining pens in the wild.

 

John

Edited by Johnny Appleseed

So if you have a lot of ink,

You should get a Yink, I think.

 

- Dr Suess

 

Always looking for pens by Baird-North, Charles Ingersoll, and nibs marked "CHI"

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chainwhip Extremely Rare

chainwhip

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I have a 10X loupe with a built-in LED light that is excellent. I believe it is the same one that Giovanni sells, though I got mine from Hardwicks Hardware in the University District (which I am finding is Seattle's unofficial pen-repair tool store). Having that built-in light really helps when examining nibs, and when examining pens in the wild.

 

John

Doh!

 

I was just down in that area today! :doh:

 

Thanks for the info J!

Geaux Tigers! Visça el Barça!

WTB: MB Kafka, Lamy Safari 2009 Orange, Pilot MYU (Black or Clear/White Stripe), Seiko FrankenTuna SKZ253 / SKZ255

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tryphon Vintage

tryphon

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I have a 10X loupe with a built-in LED light that is excellent. I believe it is the same one that Giovanni sells, though I got mine from Hardwicks Hardware in the University District (which I am finding is Seattle's unofficial pen-repair tool store). Having that built-in light really helps when examining nibs, and when examining pens in the wild.

 

John

Doh!

 

I was just down in that area today! :doh:

 

Thanks for the info J!

I find that 10X is all you need for 90% of the times. If you have a local supplier for the 10X Lighted loupe go for it, it is really quite good.

http://s26.postimg.org/fp30mhy6x/signature.jpg

In punta di penna.....

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Johnny Appleseed Antique

Johnny Appleseed

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Doh!

 

I was just down in that area today! 

 

Thanks for the info J!

 

Hardwicks is also the place to go for dental picks and various types of needle-nose. Lord know what else they have back in their "used" sections (the place to go if you need replacement hardware for an old house, as well). I wouldn't be surprised to find anything back there.

 

But if you don't get over there, Tryphon is an excellent seller as well.

 

BTW - are the sacks up at your site yet Giovanni?

 

John

So if you have a lot of ink,

You should get a Yink, I think.

 

- Dr Suess

 

Always looking for pens by Baird-North, Charles Ingersoll, and nibs marked "CHI"

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tryphon Vintage

tryphon

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Posted
Doh!

 

I was just down in that area today! 

 

Thanks for the info J!

 

Hardwicks is also the place to go for dental picks and various types of needle-nose. Lord know what else they have back in their "used" sections (the place to go if you need replacement hardware for an old house, as well). I wouldn't be surprised to find anything back there.

 

But if you don't get over there, Tryphon is an excellent seller as well.

 

BTW - are the sacks up at your site yet Giovanni?

 

John

John, thanks for your recommendation!

Yes, we have added the sacs to our website. In fact, over the Christmas period we added 27 new items, so if you have not visited us recently, you will see a lot of new exciting products!

Happy new year to all my fellow pen enthusiasts!

Giovanni

Tryphon Pen Care Catalog

http://s26.postimg.org/fp30mhy6x/signature.jpg

In punta di penna.....

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Video11 Rare

Video11

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I'm not sure what to look for in a loupe either but this set of three from Lee Valley Tools do the job for me and were inexpensive enough that I wasn't worried about the cost. Plus it's always fun to go to Lee Valley and look around.

Life Is Not A Rehearsal.

Our Pen Club: http://londonpenclub.com

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wimg Ancient Artifact

wimg

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Hi c.

 

By now I have a small collection o loupes, a Zeiss 6X, A Canon 5X with transparant base, a jeweler's loupe 30X, a field loupe 10X, and a PEAK NEW loupe 22X with acrylic base.

 

I do mostly nib work, other than just plain admiring pens :D, and the one loupe I always use for any nib work is the 22X PEAK. It is the sharpest loupe I have ever held in my hands, the base is big, allowing for lots of light on the object, and the field is in focus and sharp over the whole area of view. No other lens I have ever held, including the ones in my current accumulation, comes even close to this lens when it comes to image quality, so I recommend it very highly.

 

Here is a link to the page at PEAK Optics:

Peak achromatic loupes

Note that the acrylic base isn't visible in the pic of the 22X; it is similar to the 15X, though, and can be removed if you want to (screw in).

 

HTH, warm regards, Wim

the Mad Dutchman
laugh a little, love a little, live a lot; laugh a lot, love a lot, live forever

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