I'm new to this whole thing, and as an amateur who doesn't expect to pursue a career as a gemologist or mineralogist most of the equipments are either too expensive or hard to get (as I would have to import them). Nonetheless, I've found on the internet some DIY projects that could probably be used as gemological tools for the amateur - so I decided to share the findings. I know they probably won't have the same quality as the purchased equipment. But at least they may help the student to understand the principles behind the instruments used. Here is a short description:
1) Specific Gravity Balance: here in the forum there's projects for a DIY hidrostatic balance, using a single pan precision scale (very cheap). I think it's the most useful equipment to distinguish between a lot of minerals. Here -> http://gemologyonline.com/Forum/phpBB2/ ... 11&t=11405 and here -> viewtopic.php?f=11&t=8096
2) Spectroscope: there are a lot of DIY projects using a CD/DVD as a diffraction grating. I found the most interesting and precise the one proposed by Public Labs. It makes easy to take pictures of the spectra, making possible the analysis in a computer and sharing the findings. It would be nice to have a collective database of spectra, wouldn't it? Here -> http://publiclab.org/wiki/spectrometer
With all the real microscopes that are available almost for free , I don't really see much point of making a stage, where you have to turn two or three nuts, on a threaded rod in synchrony, to focus. The lenses used on lasers are single solid lenses. Since the light going through them is monochromatic they don't need (nor have) any correction for chromatic aberrations. And being single element and very thick they have a lot of spherical aberrations. This is all evident in the photos. Why not use a a 20x triplet taken out of a magnifier. That would work a lot better. Also 4x or 10x microscope objectives can be bought on ebay every day for the price of a laser pointer and they would also, give an a much better image. Even a DinoLite scope would be a better way to spend your time and money.
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 3:42 pm Posts: 4091 Location: the Netherlands
Eugene! You cynic!
Have you forgotten why you like your work so much? You get to create and fix things.
That's what DIY stuff is all about... some like the sport of recycling stuff that is laying in a corner into something they can use. If you can use it to look inside a gem: even cooler!
Have not forgotten at all. But if I don't have, even the slightest idea of what the heck I'm doing , I don't video tape it and publish on the internet.
I have lots and lots of DIY pages bookmarked. I don't find Instructables very good. JMO
Well, I didn't have much luck with the DIY spectroscope - so I bought an OPL one! But it's kinda fun to try this MacGyver type stuff! If I'm ever somewhere and I need one of these things, I can build it from scraps of junk lying around!
as the DIY way of life is a hot topic, I took the time to rewrite my DIY SG Kit tutorial with more details. I also added another possible SG kit design. At last, I described some crude do-it-in-the-jungle technique
see first link of this thread
let's also mention that a triplet loupe can be used as a conoscope, and that a computer or smartphone screen can be used a a dichoscope (although that might get tricky when it comes to distinguishing close shades)
Last edited by cascaillou on Thu Nov 14, 2013 7:31 pm, edited 5 times in total.
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:42 pm Posts: 2846 Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Sally M wrote:
Well, I didn't have much luck with the DIY spectroscope - so I bought an OPL one! But it's kinda fun to try this MacGyver type stuff! If I'm ever somewhere and I need one of these things, I can build it from scraps of junk lying around!
Trivia: the scientific advisor and the guy who came up with most of those nifty solutions was none other than John Koivula.
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