4msterdam
New Member
Introduction
Okay, its not going to be one of those two scoped microscopes that let you look into the belly of a viron, or into the kush a mushroom is growing.Basic Microscope.
Lets you view your buds to see if she's ready, [as you wait for your (cheapest) alternative?Y/N]If you are someone like me, who likes to try the budget method (good to know as a backup) then read on!
Requirements
1. Any Solo cup/ (I used a thermocol cup)2. Sharp paper knife
3. Scissors
4. Pencil/pen for marking your incisions (if you require to
)5. Some clear plastic. (I recycled some packaging material)
6. Glycerine/Oil/Even water (Highly refractive fluid that is resistant to vibrations; I used olive oil in this project)
7. Some bud growing to test the microscope
Method
1. Cut around the base of the cup. This is where your "viewfinder" will be. Try to get it as smooth as possible. This is why i used thermocol, to prevent personal trauma.
2. Mark an area to make a slit. You should run a slide (see next step) through this.
3. Make it on the other side. Same dimensions.
4. Mark and cut out a "slide".
5. Run it through the "slits" made at step 2.
6. Cut the base to make it short. The shorter the better.
7. [OPTIONAL] I cut out 2 triangles. I did this to make a sort of "diffraction" microscope. To see the trichs light up from an angle to check the color in detail.
8. Put a drop of olive-oil*on it. (Any highly refractive fluid. Other better options : Glycerine, Clear oil, Water!)
Make it as round, and small as possible that is viewable.
Then test it and see if it works out as a makeshift lens.
Results/How to use
1. Check if the drop is round. The rounder the better. 2. Go grab your bud. Put it over the bud, and view! As simple as that. As any DIY-er, please practice? The drop is probably fine, try to relax the eye and view. It should pop into focus. adjust your eye distance, and the plant-lens distance till the right distance clicks.
I used my cheap phone camera to capture some images from this olive oil magnified image because I could not balance my camera and my plant plus the microscope.... SO OBVIOUSLY trichome pics are not the best quality, but however i wanted to demonstrate the capabilities of this apparatus. On the human eye its much better.
Needless to say, I chopped a tree, dried a bud, and this microscope did not fail me!
Have you made one? Comments?
Please check out my first indoor OG Kush budget grow. (10-12$ lights+fan, and a recycled carton DIY)
