loupe - what to buy?

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced loupe? I'm a quilter and can't
read the sizes on sewing machine needles anymore. That and to be able to
read marks inside some rings I have is all I want the loupe for, so it
doesn't have to be expensive and as fine as you folks probably need. I've
read a little about them and it sounds like a black triplet, 5X to 10X is
what I need. I've found several online in a range from $14-$23. I'd
appreciate any advice you could give me.

TIA .... Lobo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delete the obvious to reply to me personally.
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On Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:23:36 GMT in rec.crafts.jewelry "Lobo"
, intended to write something
intelligible, but instead wrote :

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced loupe? I'm a quilter and can't
read the sizes on sewing machine needles anymore. That and to be able to
read marks inside some rings I have is all I want the loupe for, so it
doesn't have to be expensive and as fine as you folks probably need. I've
read a little about them and it sounds like a black triplet, 5X to 10X is
what I need. I've found several online in a range from $14-$23. I'd
appreciate any advice you could give me.

TIA .... Lobo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delete the obvious to reply to me personally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Go to the drug store and buy some reading glasses.
That's what all us old geezers use when we're not making jewelry.
FWIW, I use a microscope at work!

"Frosty" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:23:36 GMT in rec.crafts.jewelry "Lobo"
, intended to write something
intelligible, but instead wrote :

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced loupe? I'm a quilter and can't
read the sizes on sewing machine needles anymore. That and to be able
to
read marks inside some rings I have is all I want the loupe for, so it
doesn't have to be expensive and as fine as you folks probably need. I've
read a little about them and it sounds like a black triplet, 5X to 10X is
what I need. I've found several online in a range from $14-$23. I'd
appreciate any advice you could give me.

TIA .... Lobo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Go to the drug store and buy some reading glasses.
That's what all us old geezers use when we're not making jewelry.
FWIW, I use a microscope at work!

I've had bifocals/progressive lenses for years ... those needles are just
too tiny. I have some magnifying glasses too and still can't read the
needles. The loupe idea arose to me when I took a quilting workshop and the
teacher said she could see the quilting on photos of quilts in books with a
5X loupe. That's impossible to see with reading glasses so I thought I'd
look into it.

Thanks. Lobo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delete the obvious to reply to me personally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Wed, 28 Mar 2007 01:31:24 +0000, Lobo wrote:

I've had bifocals/progressive lenses for years ... those needles are just
too tiny. I have some magnifying glasses too and still can't read the
needles. The loupe idea arose to me when I took a quilting workshop and the
teacher said she could see the quilting on photos of quilts in books with a
5X loupe. That's impossible to see with reading glasses so I thought I'd
look into it.

You want something that leaves both hands free.
Maybe flip-up magnifiers or a mounted magnifying glass ...
http://www.mbstevens.com/mscope/kindsofscopes.html
....pictured near the top of this page.

You can get lamps with circular fluorescent bulbs and
a magnifier in the center. Not too expensive.

Loupes will work well, too, but you lose binocular vision and have
to be able to hold them with your eye.
Edmund scientific has a fine selection, as do most jeweler suppliers.
A coated achromat will give you better vision. Don't worry so much
about magnification as how little aberration there is in the
lens. A really good lens at 5x is much better than a cheap lens
at 10x.

The corner drug store may have little soft plastic half-moon lenses.
These things can be stuck to almost any
other lens to make a stronger lens. I use them in all my safety glasses.
You just clean the base lens, warm the little soft lens in warm water, and
place the little lens on the base lens. Pat dry and let it set a while.
You get bifocals that really work well! You could add those to a pair of
the store's strongest reading glasses. They stay stuck for weeks or
months at a time. Don't like the setup? Peel them off and start over.
Takes about five minutes.


--
mbstevens
http://www.mbstevens.com/mscope/

Hey Lobo,

You can get some decent ones on ebay when you search 5x loupes or 10x
loupes. For basic work anyone will do. Should not cost more than $10 incl. S
& H

--

Thank you,
Ravi K.
http://www.gemsutra.com

On Wed, 28 Mar 2007 01:31:24 GMT in rec.crafts.jewelry "Lobo"
, intended to write something
intelligible, but instead wrote :

"Frosty" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:23:36 GMT in rec.crafts.jewelry "Lobo"
, intended to write something
intelligible, but instead wrote :

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced loupe? I'm a quilter and can't
read the sizes on sewing machine needles anymore. That and to be able
to
read marks inside some rings I have is all I want the loupe for, so it
doesn't have to be expensive and as fine as you folks probably need. I've
read a little about them and it sounds like a black triplet, 5X to 10X is
what I need. I've found several online in a range from $14-$23. I'd
appreciate any advice you could give me.

TIA .... Lobo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Go to the drug store and buy some reading glasses.
That's what all us old geezers use when we're not making jewelry.
FWIW, I use a microscope at work!

I've had bifocals/progressive lenses for years ... those needles are just
too tiny. I have some magnifying glasses too and still can't read the
needles. The loupe idea arose to me when I took a quilting workshop and the
teacher said she could see the quilting on photos of quilts in books with a
5X loupe. That's impossible to see with reading glasses so I thought I'd
look into it.

Thanks. Lobo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delete the obvious to reply to me personally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh.
http://tinyurl.com/35fo7e

On Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:23:36 GMT, "Lobo"
wrote:

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced loupe? I'm a quilter and can't
read the sizes on sewing machine needles anymore. That and to be able to
read marks inside some rings I have is all I want the loupe for, so it
doesn't have to be expensive and as fine as you folks probably need. I've
read a little about them and it sounds like a black triplet, 5X to 10X is
what I need. I've found several online in a range from $14-$23. I'd
appreciate any advice you could give me.

Since you only need it for occasional use, not for long work periods,
you're probably right that a loupe is appropriate, not a binocular
magnifier. Any reputable lapidary supplier will have something. I
wouldn't go to ebay or an unknown just to save a couple of dollars.

The Belomo loupe is well regarded, and can be ordered from Amateur
Geologist for $15.95, quantity 1. ($12.99 if you can find 24 friends
who want one :-) A number of faceters use it.

http://www.amateurgeologist.com/prod...magnifier.html

--
Al Balmer
Sun City, AZ

When Lobo put fingers to keys it was 3/25/07 5:23 PM...

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced loupe?

http://www.sciplus.com/singleItem.cfm?terms=12817

They're cheap and work surprisingly well for the price. Get two and put
one away for later.

Step one, take the stupid flashlights off. Use them for something else.

I did watch and jewelry repair for 3.5 years and wore an OptiVisor for
most of that time. It's a nice item but it's around 35 USD. During that
time I also got a couple of the item above and keep one in the home for
the occasional fine job and one in the workshop especially for splinter
situations.

Using them will take a bit of getting used to, but having the binocular
vision is glorious. I _always_ do a slow blink when switching to or
from magnification, it eases the disorientation.

- CW

Carl schrieb:
When Lobo put fingers to keys it was 3/25/07 5:23 PM...

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced loupe?

http://www.sciplus.com/singleItem.cfm?terms=12817

They're cheap and work surprisingly well for the price. Get two and put
one away for later.

Step one, take the stupid flashlights off. Use them for something else.

I did watch and jewelry repair for 3.5 years and wore an OptiVisor for
most of that time. It's a nice item but it's around 35 USD. During that
time I also got a couple of the item above and keep one in the home for
the occasional fine job and one in the workshop especially for splinter
situations.

Using them will take a bit of getting used to, but having the binocular
vision is glorious. I _always_ do a slow blink when switching to or
from magnification, it eases the disorientation.

- CW

I think the best one is LS10 from Schneider:
http://www.gemmologie-schneider.de/pruefger.htm
I tested more than a dozen different 10x Products, however it is also the most
expensive 10x loupe

With best regards,
Heinrich Butschal
--
Estate Jewelry http://www.schmuck-boerse.com
Famous antique Jewelry http://www.royal-magazin.de
Goldsmith signet rings http://www.meister-atelier.de
Firmengeschenke und Ehrennadeln http://www.schmuckfabrik.de

"Lobo" wrote in message
...
Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced loupe? I'm a quilter and can't
read the sizes on sewing machine needles anymore. That and to be able
to
read marks inside some rings I have is all I want the loupe for, so it
doesn't have to be expensive and as fine as you folks probably need. I've
read a little about them and it sounds like a black triplet, 5X to 10X is
what I need. I've found several online in a range from $14-$23. I'd
appreciate any advice you could give me.

TIA .... Lobo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delete the obvious to reply to me personally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



After you obtain a loupe, sort your needles by size and place them in
individually marked containers. Should make life easier. Will E.