Hi y'all
Do any of you use something different than "well" or "depression" slides when viewing/photographing "pond-critters"? I've been using depression slides and have noticed a great deal of distortion as I near the edge of the depression. What other alternatives are there?
Thanks, my friends.
Alternative to "well" or "depression" sl
Moderators: MacroMike, nzmacro, Ken Ramos, twebster, S. Alden
- twebster
- Site Admin
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Alternative to "well" or "depression" sl
Tom Webster
Administrator
Phoenix "The Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA
Think about this...maybe Murphy is an optimist!!!
Administrator
Phoenix "The Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA
Think about this...maybe Murphy is an optimist!!!
Hi Tom,
I 'roll my own' using a ringing table made from a VCR head bearing set with a 3/4 steel turntable (will rotate for >5 minutes with a good spin!)
Recently I have been using clear nail polish, right from the jar applied with the little applicator brush in the bottle cap. The cosmetic industry spends $$$$ to get thixotropes that will cause the polish to flow and 'level' to a smooth finish, and by using single or multiple coats, I can make shallow or deeper 'wells'.
Obviously, you should make the rings to fit the diameter of the cover glasses you are using.
Works a treat, and you can't beat the price.
All the best,
Mike
I 'roll my own' using a ringing table made from a VCR head bearing set with a 3/4 steel turntable (will rotate for >5 minutes with a good spin!)
Recently I have been using clear nail polish, right from the jar applied with the little applicator brush in the bottle cap. The cosmetic industry spends $$$$ to get thixotropes that will cause the polish to flow and 'level' to a smooth finish, and by using single or multiple coats, I can make shallow or deeper 'wells'.
Obviously, you should make the rings to fit the diameter of the cover glasses you are using.
Works a treat, and you can't beat the price.
All the best,
Mike
I would have to agree with KenV there Tom. I use a regular flat slide and coverslip myself. Well slides are nice for large critters like worms, hydra, nymphs, etc. at 50X and 100X but well slides above those mags. seem to hinder observation because you give the critters more room to scoot around and it makes it much harder to keep them in focus. If you want a well, someone posted a set up here some months back using in O rings and coverslips for sand samples. You could probably do the same with a very thin teflon washer, vasaline (for a non toxic sealant), and coverslip.
Site Admin.
Kenneth Ramos
Rutherfordton, North Carolina
Kens Microscopy
Reposts of my images within the galleries are welcome, as are constructive critical critiques.
Kenneth Ramos
Rutherfordton, North Carolina
Kens Microscopy
Reposts of my images within the galleries are welcome, as are constructive critical critiques.
- gpmatthews
- Posts: 539
- Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2004 11:54 am
- Location: Horsham, UK
- Contact:
The original idea comes from Freshwater Microscopy by Garnett, 1953 (see diags). The spacer can be made from polystyrene sheet and glued to the slide. Polystyrene sheet for modelling purposes comes in a range of thicknesses such as 5, 10, 20, 40 thousandths of an inch, hence different depth aquaria can easily be constructed. The sheet can easily be cut to suit the sizes of coverglass available. The coverglass may be held on by capillary action of water alone, or by a smear of vaseline (white soft paraffin) on the top of the spacer. It's easier to clean if you avoid vaseline. The water will not escape, being held in place by surface tension.
This method has the advantage that the slide and coverglass are both planar, so there is none of the distortion you can get with the depression type of cavity slide. You can also introduce new material into the open edge easily with a pasteur pipette drawn to a fine tip. Great for anaesthetics, dyes, or just topping up water lost by evaporation.
Graham
- twebster
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- Location: Phoenix "Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA
Hi ya' guys
Thank you so much for the responses. There is a lot here for me to digest. I have tried gluing flat nylon washers to a standard slide but the glue I used didn't hold. What glues should I use? Ken, believe it or not I'm allergic to Vaseline! Certain types of petroleum products make me break out in hives.
I've seen plans to make a ringing table from a VCR head, Mike. They do look like they work well. I think I've got an old VCR someplace in my mess. I'll try making one.
I've tried flat slides with coverslips, Ken. I agree they work well but evaporation here in Arizona is a problem. I think I'll try Matthews method this weekend. I have some very long coverslips that just may work for this idea. In the meantime I'll go back to flat sides and try to keep the water level up.
Thanks for your help, gentlemen
Thank you so much for the responses. There is a lot here for me to digest. I have tried gluing flat nylon washers to a standard slide but the glue I used didn't hold. What glues should I use? Ken, believe it or not I'm allergic to Vaseline! Certain types of petroleum products make me break out in hives.
I've seen plans to make a ringing table from a VCR head, Mike. They do look like they work well. I think I've got an old VCR someplace in my mess. I'll try making one.
I've tried flat slides with coverslips, Ken. I agree they work well but evaporation here in Arizona is a problem. I think I'll try Matthews method this weekend. I have some very long coverslips that just may work for this idea. In the meantime I'll go back to flat sides and try to keep the water level up.
Thanks for your help, gentlemen
Tom Webster
Administrator
Phoenix "The Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA
Think about this...maybe Murphy is an optimist!!!
Administrator
Phoenix "The Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA
Think about this...maybe Murphy is an optimist!!!
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- Location: Tucson, AZ USA