Glasses for close-up work?

I bought a very large pair of x3 glasses (at a car boot sale). These go on top of my main specs. Could you not find a pair of similar to go on top of your readers?

Have you considered using two pairs of glasses at once? Like I'm wearing now. As seen on 'The Repair Shop'.

I use ugly (but who is going to see em) and large +3.5 readers from poundland. being relatively new to any form of glasses the worrying thing is how close my head has to be to the subject for these large magnification to be in focus. OK with a screwdriver, not so good with a soldering iron.

Out of interest I just did a search for poundland specs to see if they did anything higher than +3.5. (Seems not)

Having found the readers page I thought to search by magnification - not an option but I could search by price from High to low or From low - high. Didn't make much change to the listing order :-))

In true DIY style a relatively cheap x3 loupe with a piece of bent wire threaded through to allow it to clip onto my glasses. Sacrificing binocular vision for high magnification to inspect solder joints. Tow drilled holes and a spot of epoxy completes the job.

For general use I use my reading glasses and long distance one stacked. (much like the clock guy on the repair programme)

For very close fine work I have a x10 loupe.

. . .

I use reading glasses quite a bit.

Then one of those headbands with fold down lenses of varying magnifications - in front of the glasses.

For close up stuff, a jeweller's loupe (I have two different magnifications). I take the glasses off when using them. There is no loss of binocular vision since the other eye is missing and I'm used to it. I also wear a monocle quite a bit so it's no strain to use the loupe for longer periods.

I also have a USB microscope but use it rarely.

I'm intrigued how that works, optically. How would a high positive-dioptre lens (reading glasses) close to a lower positive-dioptre lens (distance glasses) increase the effective power of the reading glasses to give greater magnification and/or allow you to focus closer to the work? I've just tried it with my reading and distance glasses (both with reading and with distance glasses closer to my eyes) and it makes no difference to magnification or closeness of focussing

I'll have to watch The Repair Shop and see if I'm doing it correctly...

Various types available on ebay.

I have read there is a legal limit - 4.00. But it isn't entirely clear if 4.00 is the highest allowed or the lowest not allowed!

The problem with using strong reading glasses for this is that while they sort out the focussing, you still need both your eyes pointing inwards at a close object. This can cause strain and headaches.

Ideally, you'd need lenses with some 'prism' to allow you eyes to be relaxed, but this isn't reading glasses. Maybe the repair shop man has special glasses.

Head mounted magnifiers do this (at least, mine do) but I mostly use a binocular (aka stereo) microscope - 10x is good. Good quality second hand for <£100 or new for possibly less but cheaper quality. Or very much more. Even a cheap one is much better than glasses or loupes.

This sort of power is sometimes called a 'dissection microscope'. I wouldn't be without mine. A long reach is good.

Here's a cheap one, eBay 303745343001

I've just checked my readers (with my x8 loupe) and they are 2.5 and I wear them for all day for everything. The last time I had an eye test (not that long ago) my prescription came out about that for reading and I actually had some glasses made to that prescription but never really worse them (too heavy and restrictive compared with these all plastic eBay readers). ;-(

I also had some made for driving and another for more close up work but I haven't worn them either. Whatever gain I might get optically is offset by the inconvenience of the other facets.

It's only when putting other glasses on do I realise just how much I rely on *all* the facets of these cheapy plastic readers. They never just fall off, they are really light and being frameless, don't obstruct my peripheral vision in any direction.

The X4's are (were, while they lasted) 'ok', but not quite strong enough for anything but a slightly better close-up of stuff. Like, when servicing the front brake caliper from daughters new (21 year old) motorcycle the other day, I wanted to scrape the corrosion out of the dust seal groove and whilst the X4's allowed me to do so to a greater level of clarity / detail than my std readers, I really could have done with a bit more magnification (and light).

It's like not feeling I'm able to judge what I'm doing as accurately as I would like, as I would want to do ... (so end up doing more of it by feel or sound that I might normally).

I think I have tried wearing two pairs of glasses at once but don't remember it giving me the sort of level of detail I would like?

Cheers, T i m

Yeah, I guess.

;-)

Cheers, T i m

Eh, why?

Why would there be a need for it to be either?

Cheers, T i m

I have but don't remember it working very well Dave?

Yeah, I've noticed that ... so are yours both just 'normal' glasses?

Cheers, T i m

I use an 8X loupe or viewer thing (a lens in a plastic holder with a clear skirt underneath that if you put it on something, would keep it at the right focal length (well, you have to lift it up a bit)).

Sounds a goodun. ;-)

I'll have to give that another go as there seem to be a few here doing similar. Maybe when I tried it it worked but just not enough to get the sort of magnification I am looking for?

Yeah, my X8 is pretty good (with (or without) my 2.5 readers) for inspecting solder joints ... just not really 'live enough for the sorts of things I might be doing.

Like, when I was scraping the corrosion out of the groove that holds the dust seal on the motorcycle brake caliper the other day ... I was wearing the X4's that weren't quite good enough to give me a clear / accurate view of my progress and I didn't need anything else to be in focus as I could find the tools and brake cleaner well enough. However, if I was to walk to the house and doing anything other than having a P and / or washing my hands I would go back to my 2.5X readers to make that process safer (tripping over stuff on the way). I can use the PC with the x4's on but I have to put my face closer to the screen. I wouldn't drive with them on.

Do varifocals ever go from say x2.5 to 6? ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Yeah, I saw quite a few before posting but wasn't sure how suitable they might be for my usage?

I can see x8 being useable for say close up soldering, and maybe the greater mags for inspection or even finer work but not sure I could walk about whilst looking through them so would have to take them off and put the readers back on, assuming they don't go over the readers?

eg, Probably great for when you are sitting at a bench and rebuilding a watch or doing some surface mount soldering work (so they would be ok for me for that) but not when standing / moving in the workshop and needing to quickly / regularly swap between general vision (the readers) and seeing something in better detail (holes though a carb jet or some fine turning on the lathe).

Cheap enough to get and try though so thanks. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Thinking more about my typical usage I think I like the idea of a flip up lens ... but knowing how much I didn't like even the weight of some 'proper' prescription glasses, I'm not sure how I'll with cope with possibly doubling the weight of my existing glasses over having an additional pair I can slip into place when needed?

Plus it may well depend how well they clip onto my existing glasses, although at the cost of my existing (£2.99 or summat) I would be happy bonding the flip up mech to the front of a pair of these if it makes them lighter and more predictable / comfortable.

That said, I do tend to wear either the X2.5's or x4 separately, because I can sill move about (reasonably safely) whilst wearing the x4's.

Cheers, T i m

That was the sort of thing I was thinking might have been the most common reply Bob but I guess it's how to how good other peoples eye are and what they are doing.

The loupe works for me for inspection but not for actually doing the job where I need two hands.

A mate has a really good (and expensive) binocular microscope but then he repairs mobile phones for a living. ;-)

Is the headband elastic on yours or do you have to fit it etc?

Cheers, T i m