Magnifier?

[outrunner]

I really feel the need for a head mounted magnifier as age catches up with the eyesight, looking for something that does not cost a fortune but will do the job for occasional use so any reccomendations chaps?

Andy.

 

[GerryW]

I've got a cheapy one from eBay had to buy batteries though - goes up to 3.5x (use it for the watches as well)

 

[boatman]

HI Andy well i use this one off ebay at £8.99p an not brilliant but for me it does the job an no messing about changein lens as they are all built in an held up by springs an it got to bright leds builts into it hope this helps you pic below
chris

 

[PaulTRose]

i got a pair like these.....think they were about 15 quid from a local shop......work a treat for me

 

[Mr Bowcat]

I started with a cheap pair but eventually bought a proper set of Optivisors. Not cheap but the difference in clarity is night and day.

Buy once, cry once.

 

[Mini Me]

I use the same type as Paul showed in his post. Had them for about 15 years.......good news is they come with progressively stronger lenses.........you know, as you get older you can move to the next stronger lens and keep on modeling. Rick H.

 

[Deleted member 5496]

I bought these about 20 years ago.

High Grade Headband Magnifier

High Grade Headband Magnifier non-flipup

www.theloupestore.co.uk

I have tried since then two plastic formed magnifiers both of which hit the dust . Mainly as they were heavy. The plastic support band wide & made my head & skin sweaty. The battery light last not long plus you cannot shine it immediatly onto the work. Also gets in the way.

The above Le Loup is made from metal & is cool to use. Simple headband adjustment. The lens are removable & can be replaced with a higher of lower magnification set. I use an X1 & X2 depnding on what work i am about.

The lens are ground optical quality & are far better than the plastic lens in vision quality & do not scratch.

Bit more expensive than the plastic but for me better quality by far. The lense come with a standard lens

Matter of interest. I got my optician to prescribe specs which magnify more than readers.

Laurie

 

[David Lovell]

Hands up! If you wear reading glasses, or be honest do you need reading glasses ,can you remember when you first went to the opticians had your eyes tested chose the frames and was told come back next week ,so with a dented ego off you went ,he or if your lucky the young and pretty assistant tries them for fit then gives you that card to read......bloody hell just how bad was my eyesight (or my current glasses become) look small print as plain as day no need to squint or move the print in and out till you find the range making it slightly better than before but still squiffy, yes small print no need to get caught out anymore. I'm sixty four hardly ever go above brail scale wear decent reading glasses working at the same distance that I'd read a book at no problems. Thats what the glasses are for if what your doing is that small you have to enlarge it by x? who's going to see it anyway ,get some decent glasses(you might think you don't need them)money better spent on having decent lighting than trying to see in the dark. Dave

 

[GerryW]

I don't wear reading glasses (short sighted), and can comfortably read a standard paperback book without moving it towards or away from me, but when doing fiddly bits on a model and need to see details (removal of seam lines, painting webbing etc) or when I'm inside a watch then I will wear my magnifiers. They are a tool that makes life easier, just like tweezers are.
With my glasses on, I can usually see a pellet mark on a target faceplate at 30 yards

 

[Tim Marlow]

That is a great site Laurie. Quality lenses on magnifiers is the best way to avoid headaches and eye strain. Anything more than times two magnification is probably overkill though.
When I wore contacts I used my optivisor extensively. However, RA meant I sometimes struggled to get them in and out, so I relented and went back to spectacles. The (only) upside of this is that without spectacles I can now use my eyes natural times two magnification at their comfortable focal distance of about ten inches and don’t need the optivisor! I therefore just look over the glasses when I need more magnification. For those that don’t think this is a good idea, it was the solution advised by my optician when I discussed it with him.

 

[GerryW]

Tim, for modelling, perhaps (I use 2.5x) but it's probably a case of 'How much detail are you planning on going to?' - the more detail, the higher magnification and smaller tools (fishing around in a watch, 3.5x is a bare minimum for me - tempted to get one that goes up to a 25x and some folks use a USB microscope - wristwatch springs/tolerances are tiny! )

 

[Tim Marlow]

My optivisor was 2.5 Gerry.....much higher makes the focal distance so short it makes working hard.
Totally get what you mean about watches, it’s a whole new experience compared to modelling. After all, you need it to work, not just look good Surgeons use those really high powered loupes as well, and I for one am really glad they do!
For modelling though, magnification just gives a crisper finish at normal viewing, unless micro detail is really your bag, so around 2.5 is ideal.

 

[GerryW]

My optivisor was 2.5 Gerry.....much higher makes the focal distance so short it makes working hard.
Totally get what you mean about watches, it’s a whole new experience compared to modelling. After all, you need it to work, not just look good Surgeons use those really high powered loupes as well, and I for one am really glad they do!
For modelling though, magnification just gives a crisper finish at normal viewing, unless micro detail is really your bag, so around 2.5 is ideal.

O/T, I do need to get something more powerful than the current 3.5x, as I've got two balance assemblies that aren't working and can't see what's wrong with them - frustrating, as I bought new movements to replace both, but would like these two working, as I've spotted another watch dial that appeals to me, but nothing to put it on

 

[stona]

Hands up! If you wear reading glasses, or be honest do you need reading glasses ,can you remember when you first went to the opticians had your eyes tested chose the frames and was told come back next week ,so with a dented ego off you went ,he or if your lucky the young and pretty assistant tries them for fit then gives you that card to read......bloody hell just how bad was my eyesight (or my current glasses become) look small print as plain as day no need to squint or move the print in and out till you find the range making it slightly better than before but still squiffy, yes small print no need to get caught out anymore. I'm sixty four hardly ever go above brail scale wear decent reading glasses working at the same distance that I'd read a book at no problems. Thats what the glasses are for if what your doing is that small you have to enlarge it by x? who's going to see it anyway ,get some decent glasses(you might think you don't need them)money better spent on having decent lighting than trying to see in the dark. Dave

It depends how small the detail you are attempting to achieve is.

I wear my regular glasses for reading and they work perfectly well for that. They do not allow me to see some detail when doing really delicate work with PE smaller than a human eyelash, painting an instrument panel, threading buckles onto seat belts, etc. I would challenge any human being to build up an RB Productions 1/32 scale harness without magnification of some kind.

Even if I still had the perfect vision of my yesteryear, I would still need magnification to do what I do. It's the same reason a jeweller or a watchmaker uses a loupe. As for nobody seeing it, I will. If you are the sort of person who likes to enter into competition (I'm not) then the judges will definitely see it.

If you are happy with what you do without any magnification, that's fine. I know that I can do better with it, and that's fine too.

Like some others here I tend to use 2.5x for most work, any higher and my nose is in the model. I also use 1.8x (I think) for more general work, it gets the bonce a bit further away from the work in hand!

I agree on lighting. I work mostly in natural daylight and am lucky to have a work area which allows for this, being a glorified conservatory, but otherwise decent artificial 'daylight' lighting is a must.

 

[David Lovell]

It depends how small the detail you are attempting to achieve is.

I wear my regular glasses for reading and they work perfectly well for that. They do not allow me to see some detail when doing really delicate work with PE smaller than a human eyelash, painting an instrument panel, threading buckles onto seat belts, etc. I would challenge any human being to build up an RB Productions 1/32 scale harness without magnification of some kind.

Even if I still had the perfect vision of my yesteryear, I would still need magnification to do what I do. It's the same reason a jeweller or a watchmaker uses a loupe. As for nobody seeing it, I will. If you are the sort of person who likes to enter into competition (I'm not) then the judges will definitely see it.

If you are happy with what you do without any magnification, that's fine. I know that I can do better with it, and that's fine too.

Like some others here I tend to use 2.5x for most work, any higher and my nose is in the model. I also use 1.8x (I think) for more general work, it gets the bonce a bit further away from the work in hand!

I agree on lighting. I work mostly in natural daylight and am lucky to have a work area which allows for this, being a glorified conservatory, but otherwise decent artificial 'daylight' lighting is a must.

Photo etch smaller than a human eyelash? I do enter comps and have yet to have stuff judged with a magnifying glass whats the point of looking for something that can't be seen just by looking, I dont think that what jewelers and watch makers use in their trade has any bearing on building plastic kits. I've yet to walk around Telford and see people looking at the club tables with magnifying glasses.
Yes I am happy without any magnification wich is good by me ,and if you can do better with it thats fine too. Dave.

 

[stona]

I've seen judges shining torches into various openings on models. That throttle lever, about the size of a human eyelash is missing and a good judge will notice.

Most people do not look at models that way, but that's not the point.

If I send you an RB seat harness will you accept my challenge? Make a video on your phone as you thread the buckles onto the paper of the straps. If you can do it without magnification I'll be mightily impressed.

 

[David Lovell]

Strange judging is usually done behind closed doors ,why would I want to build a large scale seat belt plus my eyesight is that bad I cant see the smaller than life photo etch eye lash ,I dont know why some of you guys take such umbrage to a bit if tounge in cheek humour perhaps Andy the paint guy had the right idea.

 

[JR]

As many of you know I can't model unless the left eye is covered. The operations x 3 to save my eye after a detachment have left me a slight sight problem which is helped by having a prism in the left lens in my glasses so I can drive.

Close up work is done with one eye, the hard thing was training my eye to judge depth , I have to use a large optovisor or the head set like below , it comes with a set of 5 lenses. I have daylight bulbs in the main tube , two over head lights on the bench and in the magnifier.


I find that 2.5 is about as large as you need, any bigger just gives me eye ache The large magnifier light has a 1.75 lens and is perfect.

 

[Deleted member 5496]

Heck I do not model make for judges to look at what I have done. I know what I have done also if it is any good.

Rather like gardeners with their huge marrows & mighty parsnips being judged. The only judge for a marrow is to cook & eat it.
Build finish & enjoy making a model.

Laurie