Magnifier

[rollmyown]

I know strictly speaking it's not reloading equipment, but I'm considering getting one of those illuminated bench top magnifiers. My nearly 50 YO eyes aren't what they used to be. I think they could be a very useful tool for the caster and recycler of fine ammo. Anyone got one in the man cave? Suggestions?

[Ubet]

I don't have one of those, but I do have a small magnifier with the clamps that act as extra hands. I have been considering picking up one of the illuminated ones to clamp on my bench.

[AbitNutz]

You don't know how useful! I bought one from Harbor Freight last week.

http://www.harborfreight.com/fluorescent-magnifying-lamp-60643.html#.Uydw7PldViM

I had a 25% off coupon so it ended up at $27...I was shocked how decent it is. The light is bright, the lens is clear and it is shockingly well made.

I was building a Ruger Blackhawk and added a Super Blackhawk Hunter stainless grip-frame. This frame needed so much fitting and finishing it was't even funny. Looking through this lamp really, really saved the day.

I wish I had bought one a long time ago.

[hornetman]

It's one of the most useful pieces of equipment on my bench.

[shooter2]

I've had one for years and find it useful for many jobs. Reloading tasks included. Cannot speak to the quality of Harbor Freight.

[1bluehorse]

different strokes I guess....I have one, had it mounted on the bench for awhile, now it resides in the closet...it was more in the way than it was of value...if you were next door I'd give it to you...

[bear67]

I use mine a lot. I sometimes move it from the machine shop to the room in the house I use for guns. At 70 my eyes are my downfall--just can't see like I used to. Been working in the cabinet shop last few days and had to rig up some portable clamp on lights to give me an edge reading tapes and scales on machines.

One of the best advantages of the clamp on light/magnifier is that you have both hands free to move work into focus or focus first and work with both hands on the project.

[Hawkeye45]

I have one that has the two jointed arms that I got at an estate sale for 10 bucks. It is great for me, when I don't need it, just push up out of the way. Every little bit helps with these old eyes. BTW several pharmacies have them to be able to read the letters and numbers on those little tablets.

Mr. Ed

[fatboy]

I use an old lens from an 80's model projection tv all the time. bad thing is I still have to hang onto it myself. no hands free operation yet!!

[TCFAN]

I have two. One on each end of my reloading bench. They are very handy when inspecting cast boolits for flaws.

[imashooter2]

I'm 56 and I've worn glasses since I was 4 years old. Like many, even using progressive lenses I need help for close work. I bought a Donegan Optivisor with a plate that provides 1.75x at 14 inches focus distance and added the 2.5x fold out loupe for real detail work (gives 4.375x total magnification). That was 2012 and I can't believe I suffered without one for so long...

Here is a link at Midway. You might want to shop around for price. They have a bunch of different magnifications. I chose the 1.75 since the 14 inch focal range would allow me to sit naturally and work on my bench top without being hunched over.

http://www.midwayusa.com/find?userSearchQuery=donegan

[bangerjim]

I have several in my shops. Make sure you get the one that has the circle-line fluorescent tube in it and not incandescent lights! I even have a small one that has hi-intensity LED's around the mag glass!

They are most valuable for close-up work and (as I) "olde-tymer's disease of the eyes" creeps up on you!

banger

[sprinkintime]

I have one that has the two jointed arms that I got at an estate sale for 10 bucks. It is great for me, when I don't need it, just push up out of the way. Every little bit helps with these old eyes. BTW several pharmacies have them to be able to read the letters and numbers on those little tablets.


Mr. Ed

That is a+1, have been using mine for about ten yrs. for just about everything, those eyes are going. Sprink.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I have a lighted magnifier in my machine shop that I use occasionally,,,

however I have an Opti-Visor that I use every day..

I highly recommend this type of magnifier since it is on your head and it moves with you. It is simply much easier to use and it is infinitely more versatile than any magnifier that is hooked to a bench.

I recommend this brand as being the best and the one you'll be able to get parts for in a few years. Others not so much.

http://www.doneganoptical.com/products/optivisor

I have two of these and one is set up with a DA 4 lens which is the one I use most, and it has a focal length of 10". The other has a DA 5 lens (focal length of 8") along with a separate magnifier that rolls in front of the lens to increase the magnification for really small stuff.

I have used these tools every day for the last 20 years and they are still serviceable, and I just bought new headbands for both a year or so ago. Point being the company has been around for along time and the product is well established and parts are readily available from most any decent hobby shop or tool catalog.

I couldn't do my work without these devices. You will benefit greatly from using one for the simple reason that,,, you can't work on things that you can't see.

Hope you find this post useful.

Randy

[Norbrat]

I bought a cheap copy of the Optivisor one of these from a discount type store for about $5 and use it a lot for fine detail work.

[dbosman]

If you purchase new, get an LED model. A good LED model. No heat out the front and no bulb or lamp to change - ever.

[EDG]

The magnifier is only part of the improvement.
If you get one with a strong light source the extra light will cause your pupils to close increasing the depth of field of your eye's focus. The smaller pupil will also expose less of your defective/old retina. The result will be much better vision. Add a pair of +1 to +3 diopter reading glasses (depending on your eyes) and you will really improve seeing small detail. I have used these magnifiers when required to view fine machined components for more than 40 years.
After the ring light is determined to be inadequate we would normally go to a B&L or Nikon stereo microscope.
The magnification range is usually 7X to 40X with 7X to 15X being the most used. For this much magnification a fiber optic flexible lamp is used. The ability to see with this combo is amazing.

[sidecarmike]

I also have a couple of these. One on the reloading bench and one out in the shop. Mine have incandescent bulbs, but I use the squirrelly things to get a bright white light. I'd be lost without them. The most important feature I've found in the shop is the cover for the magnifier. I'm constantly cleaning the one that doesn't have it.
Mine are from Harbor Freight, but were both purchased in the 80's. The biggest drawback is the plastic mount that clamps to the bench. I just drill a hole in the bench top.

[orbitalair]

I use one of these, http://www.circuitspecialists.com/csi929.html
$15

Its a ~5 inch lens, 2x, with a flourescent light around the outside, bendable neck. It has a small 20x inset lens too.
So its more like a small office desklamp.

I originally got it for tiny electronics soldering work.

[Walter Laich]

I got mine to make stained glass windows. Followed me over to the reloading bench. Nice to see what my fingers are doing

[Hickok]

I would recommend putting a cloth or cover over it when not in use. Sun light through a window came through mine and worked on a wooden bookshelf that was near it. I caught the smell of burning wood, and found the problem.

[rollmyown]

It looks like these are a popular item in the bench. With some of the suggestions in mind I'll start looking. Good point about covering the magnifier to prevent fire if you have sun come on to your bench. I guess there's the extra benefit of keeping dust off the lens as well.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I have one of these left on my repairs bench. I had another one on my loading bench till a good friend of mine absolutely wanted it, claimed he didn`t know where to find one as good as mine was.Robert

[c1skout]

My wife just got me one for my birthday. She said she saw them on sale at Staples. I haven't used it yet but I know it will be a valuable addition.... my eyes ain't getting no younger!

[dragon813gt]

I have the HF one linked above and think it'a worth the money. I ditched the clamp because it's only good for slightly more than 1.5". My bench is 3" thick so the clamp was worthless. I ended up drilling a hole in the bench for it to pivot in and it works great. The lens is surprisingly clear and the light is even and bright. But the focal distance is slightly off for me to work comfortably. But for what I use it for the price was right. It paid for itself when I had to sort 10k 45acp cases by primer size. Now I sort them in small batches when I get them.

[country gent]

We used them at work in the tool room alot. hey were very helpfull when handfirring ad looking for little rub marks,burrs or other issues. We had them in stock in the parts crib. Another plus was or gage blocks and pins had seen alot of use and some of the etching were worn and the lense/light combo made it much easier to read. Im going to get one for home and mount it on a standfor inspecting sorting brass and other fine chores as my eyes just arnt up to reading headstamps any more. fine cracks and other defects show up much better too.

[BNE]

You don't know how useful! I bought one from Harbor Freight last week.

http://www.harborfreight.com/fluorescent-magnifying-lamp-60643.html#.Uydw7PldViM

I had a 25% off coupon so it ended up at $27...I was shocked how decent it is. The light is bright, the lens is clear and it is shockingly well made.

I was building a Ruger Blackhawk and added a Super Blackhawk Hunter stainless grip-frame. This frame needed so much fitting and finishing it was't even funny. Looking through this lamp really, really saved the day.

I wish I had bought one a long time ago.

We use these at work all the time. The price listed above is great.

[MrWolf]

I have one also with the swing arms. Moves out of my way when not in use. Think I got it at staples but along with aging eyes my memory is starting to go - and I am only going to be 54 soon :violin:

[Three44s]

Been using a swing arm lighted magnifier for years now with my loading. Found mine at a sewing shop! Bought some pillow stuffing for my cast bullet endeavors at the same time!

My switch went haywire and I fooled around and broke the circular bulb after lots of use.

Long story short, I want to set my magnifier back up with LED lights or sent it to the farm shop and buy a new one for the load room with LED's and be done with it.

In the meantime, I am using a hand held magnifier with built in LEDs.

Gots to have my "eyes" to go with my tired eyes!!

Best regards

Three 44s

[lancem]

I'm 56 and I've worn glasses since I was 4 years old. Like many, even using progressive lenses I need help for close work. I bought a Donegan Optivisor with a plate that provides 1.75x at 14 inches focus distance and added the 2.5x fold out loupe for real detail work (gives 4.375x total magnification). That was 2012 and I can't believe I suffered without one for so long...

Here is a link at Midway. You might want to shop around for price. They have a bunch of different magnifications. I chose the 1.75 since the 14 inch focal range would allow me to sit naturally and work on my bench top without being hunched over.

http://www.midwayusa.com/find?userSearchQuery=donegan

+1 worn these for years at work, and now at home. The best part is you don't need to be at your bench to use them.

[bedbugbilly]

A very useful tool! I also use an opti-visor quite a bit when working on bench projects. I'm 61 - have been a diabetic for 47 years and have a few eye issues as a result but can still see well enough to drive, shoot, etc. I use the illuminated magnifier often and fine it handy to closely examine small items - brass, cast bullets, etc. Don't think of it as a "crutch" - think of it as a tool. Once you have one you'll wonder how you got along without it! Good luck and shop around as the prices can be all over the place. I have had mine for a number of years and don't remember where I got it - I think at an Office Max possibly? Check Harbor Freight as mentioned.

[CastingFool]

I worked at one place where they had bought a bunch of the pivot arm magnifier lamps. After a while they guys just stopped using them. Eventually, they were removed and stacked under a bench. I thought about inquiring about them, but nevergot around to doing so, before I left the place to go work somewhere else.