0.1mm metal scale -- any other suppliers?

[mkbn]

Does anyone know of another supplier of something similar to this, but more affordable or just a metal ruler that I could cut with 0.1mm or similarly small gradations?

https://macroscopicsolutions.com/produc ... 5mm-range/

[Beatsy]

Does the "ruler" itself need to be tiny? If not, there are several kinds of smallish eyepiece reticles available (<20mm diameter) with the kind of scale patterns of the size you're looking for. Cheers. Beats

Edit: here's a snap of the sort I mean. This one is 20mm diameter but the glass is pretty thick. Cheap ones tend to use thinner glass and could probably be quite easily cut smaller.

[lothman]

beside the glass scales Beatsy mentioned, there are also microscope calibration target made of plastic available which can be cut to any size.

Link to Ebay

[CrispyBee]

I've only ever seen 0.5mm metal rulers (mostly from art suppliers), I think 0.1mm metal rulers are only available als sliding rulers.

[mkbn]

beside the glass scales Beatsy mentioned, there are also microscope calibration target made of plastic available which can be cut to any size.

Link to Ebay

Plastic, thin, and flexible has an appeal, may try to check this out for field use.

Thanks Beatsy and fotochris too. Mostly want something non-glass for breakage, tiny, and that could be cut or shrunk down for framing for some field uses. Attachable to a small dowel has the appeal for positioning in field. That's why the original metal one had an appeal, but might also be pesky in a certain way due to illumination intensity and reflection.

0.25mm would be fine too probably, but just playing around with the idea and seeing what could work. 0.5mm just feels a bit large, but may work even.

[rjlittlefield]

Visit http://www.minitoolinc.com/smallprecisiontools.htm and search for "Miniature Measuring Scales".

The fine print at the bottom of the page references tedpella.com.

Searching there finds https://www.tedpella.com/tools_html/Mic ... ement.aspx .

I think tedpella's 13623 is exactly what macroscopicsolutions sells.

--Rik

[bobfriedman]

Visit http://www.minitoolinc.com/smallprecisiontools.htm and search for "Miniature Measuring Scales".

The fine print at the bottom of the page references tedpella.com.

Searching there finds https://www.tedpella.com/tools_html/Mic ... ement.aspx .

I think tedpella's 13623 is exactly what macroscopicsolutions sells.

--Rik

+1, Nice catch Rik! Although only ~$5 dollars less expensive with the handle.. which may or may not be needed.

[rjlittlefield]

Nice catch Rik!

I cheated and read the manufacturer's name from macroscopicsolution's image.

It also worked OK to crop an image of just the head, and Google image search for that.

Although only ~$5 dollars less expensive with the handle.. which may or may not be needed.

The description of 13623 says "scales and ruler are spot welded to bendable stainless steel shafts and mounted in gold colored, non-rolling handles. ... Overall length is 83mm (3-1/4")."

That matches what I see in macroscopicsolution's image, for about half the price.

I think you're looking at 13635. That's a different model, a double-sided ruler. I have no idea why it is so much more expensive.

--Rik

[mkbn]

Nice catch Rik!

I cheated and read the manufacturer's name from macroscopicsolution's image.

It also worked OK to crop an image of just the head, and Google image search for that.

Although only ~$5 dollars less expensive with the handle.. which may or may not be needed.

The description of 13623 says "scales and ruler are spot welded to bendable stainless steel shafts and mounted in gold colored, non-rolling handles. ... Overall length is 83mm (3-1/4")."

That matches what I see in macroscopicsolution's image, for about half the price.

I think you're looking at 13635. That's a different model, a double-sided ruler. I have no idea why it is so much more expensive.

--Rik

Sweet, thanks Rik, nice find!

I didn't notice the manufacturer name and my Google image search was the entire pic, so it didn't end up fruitful.

Handle or not , very easy for me to fabricate+weld or print and heat set one if it hadn't been the handled version, but what ya said about the description including handle for the one sided one makes sense.

Also some other interesting products on that page you linked. A much more palatable price, to me.

[Lou Jost]

You might want to consider just a regular ruler. As long as one or more whole divisions appear in the image, you can measure the longest possible interval on the ruler in pixels and divide by whatever to get the fine scale you want. In some cases this procedure may even be more accurate than a mass-produced 0.1mm ruler, especially if you average your result over several bars.

[bobfriedman]

The description of 13623 says "scales and ruler are spot welded to bendable stainless steel shafts and mounted in gold colored, non-rolling handles. ... Overall length is 83mm (3-1/4")."

That matches what I see in macroscopicsolution's image, for about half the price.

I think you're looking at 13635. That's a different model, a double-sided ruler. I have no idea why it is so much more expensive.

--Rik

Yep.. quite right!.. should have looked closer.

Interesting set of micro tools as well.. https://www.tedpella.com/tools_html/Min ... Table.aspx

[Lou Jost]

A bit off topic but the Ted Pella catalog offers many amazing things! I just noticed their "Lacey" net films for electron microscopy. It occurs to me that we could support diatoms on this film and dispense with the slide completely. This would eliminate some limitations of a condenser: there would be no critical angle for light rays illuminating the subject from nearly parallel to the plane of the subject. This could boost resolution.

[fleegix]

In addition to Ted Pella there is Electron Microscopy Sciences (EMS):
https://www.emsdiasum.com/miniature-measuring-scales

[mkbn]

You might want to consider just a regular ruler. As long as one or more whole divisions appear in the image, you can measure the longest possible interval on the ruler in pixels and divide by whatever to get the fine scale you want. In some cases this procedure may even be more accurate than a mass-produced 0.1mm ruler, especially if you average your result over several bars.

Ah, so, it's a bit less about actually measuring things at the pixel level -- i definitely do that for microscopy -- but more about having a general, tiny size reference I can place and look back to when I'm taking pics of tiny things like ascomycete fungi in the 0.5-5mm range or so.

I'm trying to balance taking some photos for the photog sake with also having a few references snaps of the sporocarp so I can give a general size range estimate. Though with things like polypores with tight pore spacing, providing a pores/mm range is helpful. The thought was it would be appealing to me to be able to look back and quickly eyeball that ah, this one was about 1.5mm or this feature was approximately .3mm wide etc. I will play with it a bit and may experiment with different measuring devices brought up here to find something I like.

A bit off topic but the Ted Pella catalog offers many amazing things! I just noticed their "Lacey" net films for electron microscopy. It occurs to me that we could support diatoms on this film and dispense with the slide completely. This would eliminate some limitations of a condenser: there would be no critical angle for light rays illuminating the subject from nearly parallel to the plane of the subject. This could boost resolution.

Off topic is super welcome by me at least in this thread (and I guess pretty much all I make hehe, I have an off topic style brain) and I was also very interested in all the micro tools. Though I'm definitely curious about everything that is going through others' minds on seeing the tiny tools. I didn't see the lacey net yesterday at first glance, I'll look again.

In addition to Ted Pella there is Electron Microscopy Sciences (EMS):
https://www.emsdiasum.com/miniature-measuring-scales

Ah, sweet! And their "full" double sided ruler version is closer to $50 versus the $75

[ray_parkhurst]

Some great links to precision tools in this thread.

Personally I use microscope calibration slides for adjusting magnification. I have several of different lengths. I will often use a regular metal ruler as well, but I've never found one with really good etching, so the measurement is always a little ambiguous due to the width of the markings. I'll often calibrate to the edges of the marking rather than middle, and that seems to work OK.

I also don't think I have enough room on my stage to place these things so they won't fall off, so I'd have to hold them. I'd much prefer if they had no handle.