Magnifying loupe

[wilejoe]

Thanks for all the great help.
What happened to the 2 feet of snow we were supposed to get??

 

[wilejoe]

Try the "red" color sharpie.

Worked for me.

Thanks the red one seems to be easier to see then the black one

 

[jpm2]

What happened to the 2 feet of snow we were supposed to get??

Maybe it melted before it hit the ground, that's what usually happens where I'm at.

 

[wilejoe]

LOL

Weathermen told us a huge storm is coming.
Shut down all the bridges,buses, subways and even the post office in NYC
Which was great for me, a free day off from work and only 9 inches of snow
Long Island and further north got the brunt of the storm

 

[rutcrazed]

I will third the Lee Valley loupe. I bought one per this thread. I am very happy with it so far. Probably going to buy another one.

 

[farmboy]

I've been using a linen tester for years, and it's been very helpful for checking my edges.

 

[wilejoe]

It seems real glass gives a much sharper image then so called optical grade acrylic

Do you need the light


Thanks once again

 

[ToddS]

..
Do you need the light

...

I prefer to stand under the halogen spotlight in the ceiling near my bench - tilting the blade under the light.

 

[HeavyHanded]

I prefer to stand under the halogen spotlight in the ceiling near my bench - tilting the blade under the light.

^ This.

With a bright enough light that is the dominant light source in the area (and preferably overhead) one really doesn't need a loupe - though they do come in handy.

After a few, you begin to recognize artifacts with just the naked eye after cross referencing them from the loupe to naked eye and back. They come in most handy toward the end of the day...

 

[hfrog355]

Received my 40x loupe I got off Amazon for $3 today (ordered 1/20/15). It's everything you would expect for a $3 item shipped direct from China. The lens focuses clearly only in about the middle 30-40% of the field of view and the depth of focus is super shallow. It technically does everything it says it is going to do, but it's more or less a piece of junk. Pretty good example of "you get what you pay for".

I'm still in the market for a good loupe.

 

[ToddS]

I use a Bausch and Lomb 10x Hasting Triplet watchmakers loupe.

 

[HeavyHanded]

Received my 40x loupe I got off Amazon for $3 today (ordered 1/20/15). It's everything you would expect for a $3 item shipped direct from China. The lens focuses clearly only in about the middle 30-40% of the field of view and the depth of focus is super shallow. It technically does everything it says it is going to do, but it's more or less a piece of junk. Pretty good example of "you get what you pay for".

I'm still in the market for a good loupe.

I inherit the ones we buy for work after they've been in service for a few years - they get pretty beat up out on the floor.

My two favorites are this, the 12x and mine no longer has its base, just hold it by the cylinder:
http://www.edmundoptics.com/microscopy/magnifiers/handheld-magnifiers/easy-grip-magnifier/1719

And this one, the AFL-15x, also bereft of its base:
http://www.magnifier.com/printers_loupes.htm

Both in the $50 range and good quality. The Edmunds one has a bit larger field of view and lets in more light. Personally I do not much care for handheld loupes above 15x, 20x max, and find 10-12 to be about perfect for me. The field of view shrinks as the power goes up, and you find yourself looking through a very small aperture that needs better and better lighting to get the full benefit.

 

[Panotaker]

All this talk about loupes got me interested. So I went by a store today that sells tools and supply for jewelers. They had about 20 different kinds of loupes on display. The sale's man recommended this one: http://www.amazon.com/Grobet-Usa®-Illuminated-Jewelers-Loupe/dp/B00F4AYBLA/ref=sr_1_cc_6?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1425418352&sr=1-6-catcorr&keywords=grobet+led+loupe It is a 10X triplet illuminated loupe and he said that it was the most popular one, and the main one they use in the store. One look through it and there was no argument from me. It looks fantastic from edge to edge. I looked through stronger power loupes, but 10X is the perfect magnification. Once I got outside, I looked at my mirror polished edge on my knife, and found out that I need to do more stropping. You can't see any scratches on it with your naked eye, but with the loupe, there where a whole bunch of them that you could see. I paid around $33 for mine locally here in Austin, so it was a little cheaper than the link on Amazon. Check your local jeweler's supply store and see what they got. The one I got is excellent quality.

 

[wilejoe]

Thanks for all the excellent suggestions