[Jewelry making - Article 00045] - [Orchid] Nikon SMZ-10 Stereo Microscope for engraving?

[Alberic]

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Greetings folks.

Boy did I score today....

    Went to an estate sale, and picked up (among other things) a Nikon
    SMZ-10 stereo microscope. (it's actually a trinocular, but that's the
    easy part.) 

    I've already got one of Otto Frei's Chinese Meiji clones on an
    acrobat stand for engraving. Unfortunately, the SMZ has a smaller
    body diameter, and the switch for the trinoc is in the back, so it
    doesn't quite fit the mount right. I'll have to machine up a new
    bracket to go on the end of the acrobat. 

    My question is mainly does anybody know anything about the SMZ-10
    for engraving? It's got a slightly smaller zoom range than the Meiji
    clone, and the ultimate power isn't quite as high. (40x as opposed to
    50x) Believe it or not, I actually do use 50x every so often. The
    main improvement is that it holds focus as it zooms, and it has Nikon
    optics, as opposed to off-brand Chinese. The price was right, so I
    grabbed first, asked questions later. 

    So now I'm asking questions. Anybody used one? Opinions? Should I go
    through the hassle of making a new bracket to mount it? I actually
    really like the Chinese clone, so I don't want to end up
    frankensteining my acrobat rig to finish off with a less useful
    scope. 

    I've looked on the web, and mostly I find auction listings for them,
    rather than any real info. 

Thoughts?
Brian.
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