Question: What is the ideal scope magnification?

[Karlspinks]

I still don't have a turntable but I started cutting at 10x magnification and have since bought a 0.5 Barlow and now cut at 5x.

I don't have a zoom scope but the meiji I got came with 10x and 20x objectives.

Would like to learn on the correct magnification.

If this is a silly question and the answer is of course what magnification suits individuals or changes as per what you are in graving could you please give me as a novice an idea of where to start on small plates


Many thanks


Also here is a simple scroll I done. I can see a few issues with it not looking right. I struggle with the middle of the scroll as in the round bit and a couple of my lines went to deep. How is the direction of my cuts and bevelling? This is something I was consiously trying to improve. Thanks

 

[sam]

I normally work in the middle ranges of a zoom scope so I'm somewhere around 10x I think. I never work at full power.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

With the meiji I use the X 0.5 objective lens with the X10 eyepieces. That gives me all the magnification I will ever need.

Some engravers prefer the X 0.3 objective lens because it gives them more working distance.

There is no right or wrong........you'll find your own sweet spot after a while. It just takes getting used to and it varies from person to person.

One word of caution with a microscope..........don't zoom in so close to the work that you lose perspective of what you are doing and end up over egging the pudding

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Dave London]

A small tip to avoid the doglegs in the scroll stop cutting when you reposition your hand. Only cut while turning the vise. Good luck

 

[Tsu]

With the meiji I use the X 0.5 objective lens with the X10 eyepieces. That gives me all the magnification I will ever need.

Some engravers prefer the X 0.3 objective lens because it gives them more working distance.

There is no right or wrong........you'll find your own sweet spot after a while. It just takes getting used to and it varies from person to person.

One word of caution with a microscope..........don't zoom in so close to the work that you lose perspective of what you are doing and end up over egging the pudding

Cheers
Andrew

Andrew, do X0.5 objective lens with X10 eyepiece make 5 times magnification? On my microscope, the larger magnification gives longer working distance. Opposite with Meiji?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[tsterling]

Andrew, do X0.5 objective lens with X10 eyepiece make 5 times magnification? On my microscope, the larger magnification gives longer working distance. Opposite with Meiji?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Andrew is referring to the 0.5x and 0.3x Barlow lenses available for the Meiji. He didn't mention the 0.7x to 4.5x zoom objective. The Barlow power reduction lenses reduce the available power of the microscope, but increase the working distance.

The way to determine the magnification is to multiply the objective power times the eyepiece power time the Barlow lens power. For instance, 4.5 (zoom) x 10 (eyepiece) x 0.5 (Barlow) = 22.5 power, the maximum available for the common Meiji zoom stereo microscope with the 0.5 power Barlow.

My favorite magnification with my Meiji is 2.5 (zoom) x 10 (eyepiece) x 0.5 (Barlow) = 12.5 power.

 

[Gemsetterchris]

I thought the standard setup for meeting went something like x3 to x22 ...doesn't really matter much as long as you can see what you want!

 

[Gemsetterchris]

Meeting should be meiji ☺ blame my phone.

 

[Brian Marshall]

I guess I don't have a favorite magnification? I use the magnification that feels right to me for whatever it is that I am doing.

I don't work under a Meiji (or a Leica) though there are 7 or 8 of them here and I used to use a Meiji for many years.


For the past 18 years I've used Zeiss surgical scopes which don't have zoom magnification - they use step magnification.

Zeiss has always been of the opinion that the zoom feature reduces the gathering of light as well as edge to edge clarity in the field of view.


I think it took me 2 days to get used to the step changing and I've never felt the need to search further.

There is no better optical glass than Zeiss makes.


Over the years I have put together and sold about 30 of them to engravers here on the forum, but I'm done with that.

Sold the last one to another forum member a few weeks ago.

Just gotten too expensive and takes too long for the right parts to come up on Ebay.


Should anyone on here decide to go down that road, keep in mind what these scopes & parts were used for. They come from all over the world...

Unpack them with gloves on and don't take them off until you have sterilized every part thoroughly. (This is why their sale is supposed to be restricted to "licensed" medical users)

I know 2 other engravers who bought parts and put together their own systems that have been infected because they didn't sterilize.

One almost lost an eye... took 6 months to control the bacterial infection he got. The other had an open cut on a finger and got some kind of rare (in the USA) disease.


Brian

 

[mitch]

"I caught it from my microscope."

yeah, sure you did. i guess the ol' 'toilet seat' excuse was wearing thin after all these years....

 

[tsterling]

I thought the standard setup for Meiji went something like x3 to x22 ...doesn't really matter much as long as you can see what you want!

For a Meiji EMZ-5 with 0.5x Barlow:

0.7 (zoom) x 10 (eyepiece) x 0.5 (Barlow) = 3.5 power (Meiji lowest zoom setting)

4.5 (zoom) x 10 (eyepiece) x 0.5 (Barlow) = 22.5 power (Meiji highest zoom setting)

Yes Chris, for a common Meiji engraving configuration, you are correct.

Tom

 

[jerrywh]

It depends on what your doing. Sometimes I use as much as 30 power but for normal engraving I go to about 5 - 7 power

 

[mitch]

5-10x for me, with most work at around 8, which seems to be a good compromise between magnification and field of view. for small lettering i'll go 12x or a bit higher.

 

[Karlspinks]

Thanks for all your replies, i did asume there would be no correct answer, but it is interesting seeing the differences in range you guys use.

 

[vdrum4250]

this might help

this chart will be of some help to others