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Hand Lens 10×: a Small, Steep Lens Ground and Mounted
A 10× hand lens is a small convex lens of about 25 mm focal length: held close to the eye, its magnifying power is about a quarter of a metre divided by the focal length. Grind a small pair of discs to a steep curve as for any convex lens, then seat the convex one in a turned wooden ring with a cord to carry it.
The picture: a low-power reading magnifier on a dictionary page; a 10× hand lens works the same way with a much smaller, steeper lens.
Advanced
A week
Instructions
1
1
Two small discs
Two small discs
Cut two small glass discs, about 15 mm across, from glass at least 5 mm thick (each face of the lens goes over a millimetre deep), and pitch each to a short wooden handle.
Materials for this step:
Glass Sheet1 piece
Pine Pitch Glue10 g
Hardwood Strip1 pieceTools needed:
Glass Cutter
Grozing Pliers
Safety Glasses2
2
Grind to a steep curve
Grind to a steep curve
Grind them together with wet coarse grit, the same disc always on top, until the faces are steep enough (see the notebook). Then the second faces. The bottom disc is the lens.
Materials for this step:
Silicon Carbide Grit40 g
Water1 literTools needed:
Digital Caliper 6-Inch3
3
Fine grind and polish
Fine grind and polish
Fine grits, then polish both faces on a small pitch lap with tin oxide and water until clear.
Materials for this step:
Silicon Carbide Grit20 g
Tin Oxide (Stannic Oxide)10 gPine Pitch Glue30 g4
4
Check 10×
Check 10×
Focus the sun through it onto paper: the spot should be smallest about 25 mm from the lens. Grind deeper if it is longer.
Tools needed:
Ruler5
5
Turn the mount
Turn the mount
Turn a hardwood ring on the lathe with a seat a snug fit for the lens and a small lip. Press the lens in, warm a little pitch round the back edge to hold it, drill a hole in the rim for a cord loop.
Materials for this step:
Hardwood Strip1 piecePine Pitch Glue2 g
Waxed Linen Thread0.5 mTools needed:
Wood Lathe
Gouge
Parting Tool
SandpaperDigital Caliper 6-Inch6
6
Curve for 10×
Curve for 10×
Loading Jupyter Notebook...
7
7
Use
Use
Hold the lens close to your eye and bring the object up until it is sharp.
Materials
7- 1 piecePlaceholder
- 42 gPlaceholder
- 1 piecePlaceholder
- Placeholder
- 1 literPlaceholder
- Placeholder
- 0.5 mPlaceholder
Tools Required
9- Placeholder
- Placeholder
- Placeholder
- Placeholder
- Placeholder
- Placeholder
- Placeholder
- Placeholder
- Placeholder
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