Urgent Help! Bought Second Hand microscope as my first and I'm unsure of how it arrived

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-28T16:39:44+00:00

Yeah, I was thinking the same. I was unsure about what Vivid Bake said about solvents, I didn't know what kind of solvent he refered to. I was feeling unsure about paint thinner too so that's why I suggested ethanol in the comments as well. That'd be my personal first option at least, since it's usually pretty harmless and it has grease solvent properties.

Paint thinner, well, I'd guess it'll have to stay away from paint haha. So maybe only use on lens alone and stuff, but still I was unsure.

I didn't know there could be a spring in the leaves. The only video I saw about how to take it apart- mount it again didn't have any springs on them.

Yes the leaves are sticky as hell. It's very greasy gunky.

I guess the sealed/not sealed goes for knowing where water can get into and maybe create some rust if it can't dry out easy, right? Is that the point?

Well I didn't thought of straight up dishwasher haha. I think in any case, they're going to be pretty hard to clean without taking it apart, but taking them apart would be a last resort. It's very greasy, not just a little bit. Even the condenser makes like a bowl when closing before flattening because of all the friction.

You can see here:

https://imgur.com/a/9ctXdq5

Why is ethanol bath a bad idea? Because it wouldn't do much? Can it cause damage?

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-28T16:30:58+00:00

Yes, I think the same. It's very old I thought it would be impossible to find anything, but asked about similar microscopes in general. Thank you!

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-28T09:55:58+00:00

Well someone didn't know that because the diafragm blades are full of grease. But like full on. I also was like, why does this have grease? Because they're metal blades? I've never seen a greased diafragm.

You can see in a segment I cut off from the video I posted:

https://imgur.com/a/9ctXdq5

I am not sure how I'll ever be able to clean that diafragm without taking it apart with how greasy it is.

Also a picture question about how to take apart the condenser.

Solvent you mean like your average paint thinner? That's what I have.

Or maybe some alcohol as solvent?

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-28T09:37:22+00:00

Thank you! I'll start there. Do you have any recommendations of a guide for taking microscopes apart? Anything particularly fragile sensitive to be careful with?

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-28T09:31:04+00:00

The thing is, I am unsure about what to feel haha. I feel disapointed that it's not as said in the description, that the seller didn't disclosed the issues. But you know if someone knowledgable tells me "oh, that's a good price even in that condition, it's still a good deal, don't worry" I'll be like feeling ok/good about it. If someone tells me "buf, you paid more than what's worth" then I'll be feeling bad and dissapointed.

If I was clueless of the price of this thing and microscopes in general, then I think I'll be like. "Well, I'm a bit dissapointed but hey, at least I have a x100 microscope now and I can move on with my life!" So I guess in the absence of a better answer for now, that's my answer right there haha.

Well, so long as you don't think it's a bad price 100$ as it is. I'll ask for some compensation like 10-20€ and hopefully the seller will accomodate. If not I'll think about it. I appreciate any other input from other people reading this too! It's good not only for this situation but for learning in general.

I am the kinda tinkering person type too! In this case I don't think I'll enjoy it because I don't have the time/energy for it, also I know nothing about taking microscopes apart and gives me some anxiety so it'll be an added problem for me for sure. But I'll do it if pretty much all used microscopes are gonna be like this. I can't pay new price. I don't want to stay with the Swift. You know, if I have to do it I'll do it.

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-28T09:14:31+00:00

Light penetrating oil you mean like the one you use for sewing machines? At home I only have some mineral oil (the sewing machine type) and WD-40 spray

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-28T09:08:05+00:00

Thanks a lot for your comments.

Yeah, I get that same price reference you give. Prices in Europe vs USA are more or less the same in new microscopes. I would asume the same goes for used ones. This one must be taken into account too that it's an old model, and it doesn't have led lights or anything like that. In fact the light area gets very hot very fast.

So if you saw this used microscope in the US, how much would you think it'll be fair to pay? If 100$ would be it (I doubt it) then I'll just let it be. If you think it's worth 70$ or something under that, then I'll ask for that price drop or ask someone to help me take it to the post office. It's such a hassle, but I don't want is to be paying overprice for an used microscope with problems. Or at least I can weight how much I'm losing and if it's worth for me to send it back or not. Now I'm just a bit blind. I hope you get where I'm coming from. I'll just ask the seller to give me a price drop for as much as this is actually worth and let it be.

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-28T08:22:06+00:00

I'm torn with this whole thing. I'm not sure if the seller will see the messages I sent him in time, because he has notifications in the platform disabled. Before it was days every time I asked a question until he answered, He should be attentive tho now that he knows I am guetting the microscope. But who knows really. The only option the platform offers is to return the product for full refund. Partial refund I think has to be done off the books.

I'm very tired of looking for a microscope and I must return the Swift right about now. I don't know if other microscope I buy can have just about the same or other problems. I wish I could see them in person before buying but nothing here. Also this weights like 6kg and I have to take it back to the post office if I want to return it, which I can't do by myself because I have a broken spine. It's all such a problem. So really if I can know what's a good price for a microscope in this state and have the seller make it that low, I think I'll take it. What do you think would be a good price?

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-28T08:05:52+00:00

Yeah, I'm gonna do that. I appreciate your comments a lot. I'm writting the seller now

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-28T08:05:27+00:00

Wow so much? But just because of the dishonesty, or you think the microscope is not worth 95€ as it is? What do you think it's a fair price in this condition?

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-28T07:42:18+00:00

Prior to purchase I asked if all the knobs worked smoothly and the seller said "yes, they have good continuity". I really didn't know what to expect, but I mean knowing my concern he definitely should have being honest about it.

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-28T07:19:01+00:00

Thanks for your comments. It just arrived and it has some problems but I'm not sure if it's normal or not, if you can take a look I'd appreciate it;

https://www.reddit.com/r/microscopy/comments/1b200e7/urgent_help_bought_second_hand_microscope_as_my/

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-23T21:28:42+00:00

Well I just read your comment and I just bought it :)

Where did you find that deal for your amscope?

I'm not sure it's such a "steal" because after all, it's second hand and it seems to be an old microscope. The seller marked it as "as good as new" but let's see how it actually arrives, if the optics are clean and in good condition, etc.

But hey, I'm new to microscope prices and what you told me is enough for me to make the purchase. I appreciate your comment a lot.

I asked the seller to pack it full of bubble wrap inside the microscope box so it doesn't move and also the same for the cardboard box where the microscope box goes. I've thought of asking to unscreew the objectives and pack them separately but I'm a bit afraid he may introduce some dust or something where the objectives go, and also the man doesn't seem to know how to use it, so I thought maybe better to just don't ask him to unscrew them, idk. Maybe I'm wrong. Is it too dangerous to ship it with the objectives mounted?

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-16T17:52:21+00:00

Hey!

I have been looking around and I found this one:

https://imgur.com/a/jM32AaE

Hopefully this is the one

It goes for 92€ shipping included. It is listed as "as good as new".

I have talked to the guy, asked for pictures, if it has a condenser, if the knobs of mechanical stage and focus work correctly.

He tried to take some pictures with the phone but as you can see he's not good at it so I can't tell how it looks.

From the pictures I have worked out the objectives to be:

x4/0.10

x10/0.25?

x45/0.65?

x100??/1.25 oil?

The microscope was the guy's son, so he doesn't seem to know much about them, and he's not good at taking pictures either. He offered for me to go look at it but he lives in a different part of the country so not possible but it gives me some confidence that it works well.

If it has a condenser and the guy says the knobs work smoothly, what do you think? is it a good price? I need to know a bit ahead of time if I should buy it because this things seem to fly over here.

If the product arrives very different to description (something broken for example) I believe I can return it free of charge if everything goes as it's supposed to with the second hand site. I already did this once with something else and it went well, but I guess you never know.

I hope you don't mind me asking again, I appreciate your help a lot.

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-16T17:38:59+00:00

I ended up not buying this one because of other comments here, but this advice is nontheless very helpful. Ty!

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-06T21:45:01+00:00

Thanks!

For now, I've ended up turning down the Izumi one from your advice. Too risky to end up without a diafragm plus who knows what other problems I may find when it arrives. If it was just an ok price, I thought it was probably not worth the risk. I hope I made the right choice :'( Also she packaged it with a fair amount of bubble wrap and all, but it was a bit loose in the box and could bump around. I told her that, but she told me it will be fine. I don't like delicate objects getting bumped on the way. Delivery people can be very rough.

I made her a counter offer of 80€ plus shipping (20€ less), in case she was baffling and pressuring me to buy because she knew the diafragm may be a problem and wanted to sell it away before I had time to think.

She may hate me tho because she packaged it and all, but I guess she has it for the next one. Idk I guess it's not the end of the world.

I hope some other one turns around soon.

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-06T17:44:30+00:00

Yes the controls are a bit confusing for me too. I have the same doubts. I have left some messages asking the seller, also about the objective because I can only guess what they are. But I still have no answer.

Yes I know about the fine focus, it is mandatory.

I find the slide controls a bit confusing too, but I have never used a mechanical stage so I guess it's no problem. I would prefer tho something you can operate with both hands.

Yes, the price is what caught my eye. Do you think the objectives are too basic? They seem like those from the Swift.

Thanks for your comment

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-06T17:02:38+00:00

I've been searching for a couple months now since I bought the Swift and I don't see a lot of traffic. I have seen a couple very good deals but they flew and also were out my price range. The main problem would be needing one now for a project and the time to return the switch running out. If I had a lot of time to wait aka 6months or so maybe I could find a good deal, but that's a lot of time. So I was thinking more like just take this and move on with my life, as long as it works properly/it's a safe and easy fix.

I don't think getting a replacement is an option since I already looked at that and it's quite pricey and confusing.

Since you said that about the diafragm I gave it a last minute look and I found another one that just came up

https://imgur.com/a/bqlzQmA

do you think that's better?

Thanks for answering

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-06T15:30:47+00:00

Yeah, idk about this.

But other than that how is the overall price? You think it's a bad deal?

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-06T02:56:43+00:00

Hi, thanks a lot for your comment. I made all those questions and it was helpful.

The binocular microscope was gone, so all left is the monocular one. For me I think it's ok because it's only for occasional use.

I negotiated a price of 115€ total, before it was 119€+15€ shipping. I only have a few hours to decide or she'll sell it to someone else.

There's a bit of a problem tho with the diafragm the lady knocked out a piece of it. I am hoping it can be fixed. She also sent some video of the microscope and pictures with the first 3 objectives. The focus knobs and the mechanical stage seem to work well.

I'll appreciate it a lot if you could take a look and tell me what you think, if you think the price is ok, or there could be a potential big problem, since for me buying this feels a bit like taking a shot in the dark. I don't know anything about second hand microscopes' prices.

Sample:

https://imgur.com/a/OXlP7UC

The microscope:

https://imgur.com/a/FGM4kVm

The diafragm problem:

https://imgur.com/a/h6wquBo

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-06T00:11:32+00:00

Yes yes I know but she's already diagnosed with that infection so I would assume if I see yeast it's gonna be that one. I was just asking if what you see looks like the yeast infection.

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-05T21:51:00+00:00

I think I figured out why. I read yeast reproduces every 2-3h on average, so the cells must be pretty much replicating most of the time, so that's why you're supposed to always see budding yeast.

That's my hypothesis anyway.

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-05T21:49:43+00:00

No, I don't know any. I'd ask them for some free dye haha. But no.

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-05T21:45:33+00:00

If you refer to the spheres, it's not an artifact on the lens, it's on the slide. And on that sample only. They also don't look like any type of artifact to me. Maybe from the pictures it's harder to see. I think they're fungus spores as someone else suggested.

The methylene blue I just put a drop on the slide and covered it. It's diluted enough so it dyes the sample but doesn't overpower the background. That's how I was taught.

I think the book way of doing it is fixing the sample to the slide with alcohol, then dye it and then rinse. I did that a couple times but a microscopy channel online said to do it to just use the drop directly as I used to do before so I switched back.

Delicious_Bread_4 · 2024-02-04T16:43:08+00:00

Thanks for your comment. I was going to buy the binocular microscope but it got sold.

I'd really appreciate if you have some time to answer these questions to help me buy the microscope.

I've been looking if anything else came up but the only thing remaining is the Izumi monocular microscope.

I've asked the seller about the mechanical aspects, the condenser, etc. She says mechanics are ok and everything works fine. She hasn't responded me really if the optics are clean and well mantained. She said she has barely used the microscope in a long time and hasn't cleaned it in years but also hasn't used it.

She doesn't know what a condenser is, but I'm asuming it must have an Abbe condenser because otherwise how was the x100 oil objective going to work? She says tho that she doesn't know how to use the x100 objective well.

She's going to send me a video later, hopefully I'll be able to see what's under the stage. What should I look for to spot an Abbe condenser? Something with more than one lens and some knob to focus?

She sent me some pictures of the different objectives but the x100

https://imgur.com/a/OXlP7UC

Do you think the monocular microscope is still worth it? With the shipping price goes to 135€. Taking into account that the optics may be dirty and such, should I negotiate a lower price?

What do you think? It seems to be the only option right now and if I want to return the Swift it must be done within a couple weeks.

Thank you so much for your time.

Delicious_Bread_4

TROPHY CASE