Ideal Light for less than 2.5$?

[Lachinoiserie]

Hi,

I'm shopping for the Ideal Light. The one sold by Ideal Scope.
But 30USD... + 40USD to ship to Canada!!! No way, I'm paying that much.

So I've found the brand of the light sold by Ideal Scope, which is Medalight, and the model: SV-4. (It is a pocket slide viewer)

Then, I've found out that SV-4 and SV-5 are both identical with a tungstene bulb, execept for the slide size it is made for. Respectively 35 mm versus 120 format.

So one or the other will do. The 120 format is bigger, and is sold on that website for only 2.49USD!!! What a bargain!

BUT remains a question. What about the 2 "holes" that I can see on the light sold by Ideal Light. It seems that round or funnel shaped holes have been made in order to accomodate a round brillant diamond. (for example it is written in a tutorial: "This is the easiest using an Ideal-light; sit the diamond in the hole and simply put the camera on top and take the photo.")

Do any owners of the Ideal Light can share more info about that holes. Is it something I can do with a drill?

Thank you all!

Ben

(ps: I did not see any mention of a pentent on their design, so I do not think that I breaking any laws or forum's rules. But if I do let me know! Thank you.)

 

[Karl_K]

Without the holes just use your smartphone or computer screen as a light source and hold the diamond in tweezers.
Just bring up something white on the screen.
It is what I use all the time.

 

[yssie]

You don't need the light. You really don't need the light. I have it and I assure you that you'd be jumping through hoops for no reason whatsoever trying to replicate it: it is useful only for stones within a very small size/shape range, and I wish it was considerably brighter.

Come up with a way to prop your diamonds up such that
1. They're backlit (using any mostly-white light of any type and non-blinding wattage)
2. The scope sits on the same plane as the girdle
And you'll have a much more extensible setup.

Now the scopes themselves I do strongly recommend you buy - don't try to make your own. The tolerances are small and they matter (a lot).

 

[Karl_K]

For pictures put a bit of cardboard around the neck of the scope and bend it so you can hold it in front of your phones camera with one hand holding both the camera and the scope with a free finger to snap the picture.
Point it at your monitor with something white on the screen and hold the diamond in tweezers up to the scope.

You can also put it in video mode and take a video and then take a screen shot from the video of when its in proper alignment right from the phone:
iphone: https://www.iphonefaq.org/archives/971782

There are free screen recording apps to do the same thing on android and some of them may have it built in.

 

[Karl_K]

Alignment is very important, you want the camera in the middle of the scope, the diamond in the middle of the scope and you want the scope, lens and table of the diamond parallel to each other with the girdle even with the scope opening.
It sounds a lot harder than it actually is to do. The firet few time will take a bit to get it lined up.
That is why using video can be helpful.

 

[Lachinoiserie]

Thank you @Karl_K & @yssie for your useful replies