Engraving Microscopes
Omano Microscope
I had the opportunity to try a scope from The Microscope Store, LLC (Microscope.com)
that was made in China. The optics in Microscope Store scope are very good, and overall, I was impressed. I spoke at length with the owner of The Microscope
Store -a US company, and have found the company to
be friendly and helpful.
The Microscope Store imports several scopes and together we were able to put together a scope and stand that
lends itself to engraving. The scope is a OM99. The scope comes with a 0.75x reducing barlow lens, optionally, if desired, the scope can come with a 0.5x
reducing barlow lens.
When using the 0.50x barlow lens the zoom range is 3.25x-22.5x with a working distance of 7.5 inches.
When using the 0.75x barlow lens the zoom range is 4.80x-33.7x with a working distance of 4.6 inches.
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An alternative to microscopes are surgical loupes. These are the type of loupes surgeons and dentists
use. There are quite a few brands available, but by far the best, and the clearest and brightest, are the loupes made by Carl Zeiss. They
are available in a variety of powers (4.5x to 8x) and working distances.
The cost
of Zeiss Loupes are $1499 and they are available
directly from Zeiss. with
a 30-day loan program. 1-888-773-2790
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Carl Zeiss OPMI1 Microscope
The scope Steve Lindsay uses
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Carl Zeiss Surgical OPMI 1
I've found the Zeiss OPMI 1 scopes to be the clearest optically, and
their smaller size is a plus. The optics in the Zeiss are as daylight.
The Zeiss OPMI 1 is more expensive, but if you plan to spend a lot of
your life looking through a scope, it is worth watching ebay for a few
months to find one in good shape. The Zeiss OPMI 1 bodies in good
shape seem to sell on ebay for around $2,000 to $3,000. From a dealer,
a used body is around $7,500. New, the OPMI scopes are out of reach
staring at
$20,000 from Zeiss
www.zeiss.comLeft: Zeiss Surgical OPMI 1
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A stereo microscope can be a great aid to the engraver who desires to engrave intricate designs. There are a variety of
brands of scopes that will work for engraving, including American Optical, Olympus, Meiji, Bausch & Lomb, Zeiss, Wild, and Nikon. The scope I favored for eighteen
years was a Bausch & Lomb. I'm currently using a Zeiss Surgical OPMI1.
Bausch & Lomb no longer makes scopes. I believe the company merged with Leica, or was bought out. It is still possible to
find B&L scopes. Sometimes nice scopes at reasonable prices can be found on
ebay.com. B&L made a nice boom stand, and finding a scope with the boom
stand would be ideal. B&L also made scopes with fixed power, however, they do not work well for engraving. Watch for the ones with variable zoom. $800 is probably
about the going rate for a B&L scope in good condition on ebay.
I believe Meiji microscopes have the same zoom power that the old B&Ls had: 7x through 45x, with 10x eyepieces that give
a 3.6" working distance. A .5x reducing objective can be added, which makes it 3.5x through 22.5x with the 10x eyepieces, and the working distance increases to 7.2".
I used a B&L scope without a reducing lens while engraving, but if more clearance was needed (i.e. sawing with a jeweler's saw under the scope), a reducing lens would
have doubled the distance and cut the power in half.
Zoom Information Tip The zoom of the Zeiss OPMI 1 doesn't "zoom" like most
other scopes. Instead, it has a separate fixed lens for each power. There are a total of 5 powers that are clicked through as you turn the dial on the side of the
scope. Fixed lenses are clearer and brighter than an adjustable zoom lens, which is also true with camera lenses.
If a traditional zoom scope is going out of focus when zoomed from one extreme to the other, this can sometimes be adjusted simply by setting the height at the point
that the eye pieces are setting in the eyepiece tubes. If you can pull an eyepiece up slightly and it will stay, try going through the zoom to see if it is better or
worse. It takes some trial and error, but sometimes this is all that is needed. If it does improve, take a look at how the eyepiece tubes are connected, and check to
see if they are adjustable in height. This way you can adjust the tube height instead of the eyepiece itself. Since the Zeiss OPMI1 uses a different lens for each
power, this tip won't work with it. The barrel mechanism in the body of OPMI1 scope holds each lens. These are adjustable independently of each other should you find
one power to be out of focus compared to the others.
Custom Boom Stand for a Zeiss OPMI1 Scope
The Zeiss OPMI1 scope I'm using did not come with a stand, and I ended up making my own. Below are pictures of it. I wanted it to be as
rigid as possible to prevent vibrations, and also to have a long reach for engraving items such as gun barrels. I'm sure the stand could be made with some revisions,
but if you build your own, the pictures might help to give you some ideas.
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