Goodies from Micro-Mark

If you detect a distinct lack of whoopee-do about today's purchases that is entirely of my making not Micro-Mark's.  They turned up trumps as always - fast delivery and items at a good price.  Basically, because I have mini money right now, I have gone bonkers and not really given things my usual days and days of consideration before parting with a cent.

Here's what arrived followed by what I think...

click to enlarge photo

At the top are some clip-on lenses for magnification.  At the bottom left: a handle for the surgical blades which are lying next to it in the photo.  Finally, bottom right a spiral hand drill (or Archimedean drill).

The drill should be perfect for drilling holes for lighting.  When I did my first quarter scale lighting here in the Gate House, I hadn't thought about how thin the wires were and what small holes I would need.  I had the perfect drill bit but had no means of holding it as the swivel pin vise I used (and others) didn't have a collet small enough for the bit.  I ended up drilling slightly bigger holes than I would have liked and even that was a struggle with a pin vise.  

This one claims to range from zero upwards - perfect.  I won't know for sure until I get home - the drill is here and the bits are in the UK!!!  Peripatetic lifestyle strikes again.

I owned the scalpel blades and handle about two minutes before I was wearing a band-aide.  I find the blades a pig to put on and take off.  You might notice I bought a slightly upgraded handle to the usual one as it was described as more comfortable....  mmmmm.... don't think so.  The plain old every day one would have been fine.  After eventually fitting it with a blade it is now standing in an empty plastic container away from everything else.  These knives are lovely at the moment when only they will do BUT the rest of the time I am terrorised by them.

click to enlarge

Now to the clip on lenses.  They are just as described and do clip on my specs and lift up and down and do magnify a picked up object about half way between table and my face.  So they are exactly what I ordered.  Now I think I don't want them.  Right now I use my reading glasses and occasionally a magnifier on a stand.  I am not sure I gain a lot using the clip-ons.  I get slightly more magnification and the ability to move me and the object around where I like, unconstrained by something stationary on my desk so I can see some advantage.  If I had another pair of readers I might just keep them and these lenses together in my mini kit stuff and wear them when needed.  As it is, I am incredibly lazy and I don't think I will bother to put them on my specs when fiddling around with minis and then take them off again.  I do use my only pair of readers for other stuff.  Yes, I know I can just flip up the lenses but I doubt I will want to read a book in the park with glasses perched on my nose and lenses flipped up!

So out of sheer laziness I think I will have to sell them on.  They cost $9, I can send them back probably costing $4 or $5 or so in postage and packing so I can sell them on to someone for $5 and come out no worse off and do someone else a favour.  If they wanted them from Micro-Mark they would be paying $8.95 on top in postage.  If you want them let me know or I will EBay them eventually.