Measuring microscope

[Gray Wolf]

Hee, hee, hee...........Check out this measuring microscope!

Just picked one up from this link, and am impressed!

http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Insp...OZYA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321033975&sr=8-2

 

[mad librettist]

heya gray, you may want to look into a good macroscope for better quality. Mine has a reticle and it's fixed magnification, so if you focus the reticle first, then adjust the focus, you have 1mm increments in your field of view.

 

[titoon29]

Hey Grey Wolf, Interesting link, thanks for sharing, always wanted to have a system to measure size of my trichomes, their concentration.

but I'ld Rather get a USB microscope, quality is certainly lower than manuals, but it is so much more convenient to explore your plants alive with the USB ones, and you can share !

I plan to do some experimentation soonish with one I got at work. My cheap chinese 200x microscope lasted around a month before the CCD inside starts shutting down in some parts, so just unusable anymore... but check picts below it was still pretty cool for 30$



++

 

[eloquentsoution]

gee, i thought it was cool and about to order one for self. skunk pharmers have a number of scopes but this was cheap and much more user friendly for the grow room.

 

[Chunkypigs]

what do you measure with this? or is it just for trich inspection?

 

[G.O. Joe]

A reticle and stage micrometer slides can be bought separately for existing non-measuring microscopes.
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~bioslabs/methods/microscopy/measuring.html

 

[Chamba]

Good one GW!

it will be interesting to measure the diameters of fresh trichomes and then months (and years) later the diameters of the same trichomes......I don't remember reading anything about the shrinkage over time with trichomes, but I have seen macro photos of aged trichomes and they looked slightly wrinkled..

 

[Gray Wolf]

Good one GW!

it will be interesting to measure the diameters of fresh trichomes and then months (and years) later the diameters of the same trichomes......I don't remember reading anything about the shrinkage over time with trichomes, but I have seen macro photos of aged trichomes and they looked slightly wrinkled..

Good idea! I will.

 

[Gray Wolf]

heya gray, you may want to look into a good macroscope for better quality. Mine has a reticle and it's fixed magnification, so if you focus the reticle first, then adjust the focus, you have 1mm increments in your field of view.

Thanks, I'll check it out!

We have a 1000X binocular Zeiss for getting down and dirty, but what I was looking for here, was a portable capable of measuring trichome and filter mesh sizes.

I was throughly impressed by the robustness of this portable unit, as well as with the optical quality.

I also ordered a USB port electronic microscope for testing, but it arrived defective and I am trying to get it exchanged.

 

[Gray Wolf]

A reticle and stage micrometer slides can be bought separately for existing non-measuring microscopes.
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~bioslabs/methods/microscopy/measuring.html

Good link. Thanks!

 

[Psuper]

A reticle and stage micrometer slides can be bought separately for existing non-measuring microscopes.
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~bioslabs/methods/microscopy/measuring.html

Thanks to both of you for the great links.

Good one GW!

it will be interesting to measure the diameters of fresh trichomes and then months (and years) later the diameters of the same trichomes......I don't remember reading anything about the shrinkage over time with trichomes, but I have seen macro photos of aged trichomes and they looked slightly wrinkled..

I don't have all the equipment yet, but I've wondered this same thing. Or perhaps shrinkage from losing water soluble terpenoids. Or how much that shrinkage (from either curing or cold water) could differ from strain-to-strain.

 

[Chamba]

I don't know, but I would imagine the shrinkage and wrinkling of trichomes as they age and dry would be due to the loss of water, (much like nectar is turned into honey, if that's the right analogy) though it might also be to due in some part to the loss of terpenes.....I would also guess that the size shrinkage would be minimal. I'd be interested in the time frame of shrinkage (samples of individual trichomes would need to be isolated and measured weekly or monthly) and the weight loss (you'd need a highly accurate digital weighing machines that could tell you weights of 1/100 gram) .....I just read Clarke's "Hashish!" and there was no mention of the reduction in size or anything else from the change in state from fresh to dried/aged trichomes and I don't remember reading about this in any of the online forums...if anyone has any relevant links, please post them here.
hmmmm ....just when you think it's all be written about and there's nothing else to learn about trichomes, another point pops up.

 

[Chamba]

here's an off topic whinge......it's rained here every day for the past 40 days!........I've got a few little ones in the bush and I can't believe they haven't turned to mold and mush yet!(if I knew it would be this bad I would of built an Ark for my plants!)....but the lack of sun and the cold has definitely slowed things down and reduced the size. This time last year I was in a t-shirt most of December, now I'm wearing 4 layers. Last year I was giving away handfuls, this year I'm counting bracts...lol...

argghhh, such is life

 

[Psuper]

I don't know, but I would imagine the shrinkage and wrinkling of trichomes as they age and dry would be due to the loss of water, (much like nectar is turned into honey, if that's the right analogy) though it might also be to due in some part to the loss of terpenes.....I would also guess that the size shrinkage would be minimal. I'd be interested in the time frame of shrinkage (samples of individual trichomes would need to be isolated and measured weekly or monthly) and the weight loss (you'd need a highly accurate digital weighing machines that could tell you weights of 1/100 gram) .....I just read Clarke's "Hashish!" and there was no mention of the reduction in size or anything else from the change in state from fresh to dried/aged trichomes and I don't remember reading about this in any of the online forums...if anyone has any relevant links, please post them here.
hmmmm ....just when you think it's all be written about and there's nothing else to learn about trichomes, another point pops up.

I agree that any size difference would be minimal. Accurately weighing some batches over a 12-18 month period could be interesting as well.

Let me debate/discuss your first point though brother Chamba, that is in regards to the shrinkage and wrinkling of the resin gland heads being due primarily to a loss of water.

"Terpenoids...along with the cannabinoids, make up almost all of the contents of the resin glands." --Robert Connell Clarke (2010, pg.202)

Now, is there more water contained in the resin gland than there is volatile aromatic compounds?

I don't know....but another possibility is that this difference in the appearance of the resin glands is caused instead by a change in the physical structure of terpenoids that started as more "solid" compunds.

"the cannabinoid and terpenoid constituents range from soft solids, through oily liquids, to thin, volatile aromatic compounds. As resin powder ages, some of the most volatile terpenoids evaporate and others become more viscous." -- Clarke (2010, pg.203)

So perhaps what appears to be shrinkage is certain terpenoids becoming increasingly viscous and pulling on the cell wall of the resin gland, instead of any loss of its contents. Perhaps it is a combination of these factors?

 

[Hashmasta-Kut]

glands seem to shrink a huge amount, like at least to a third of the original size if not smaller even.

 

[mayan]

Thanks so much for the link and the discussion.

Remaining a bit off-topicoff but following up on Chamba's observations - I've always been very curious about what happens to trichomes as they age. In other words, aging trichomes become amber but does that process stop with the chop? That's a bit counter-intuitive to me unless there's something about the life process of the plant that causes the glands to amber. So...do milky trichs remain milky after drying/curing? Do clear remain clear? Guess I'll have to get one of them there microscopes but in the meantime, I was wondering what other's may have observed.

Thanks!

 

[Gray Wolf]

Thanks so much for the link and the discussion.

Remaining a bit off-topicoff but following up on Chamba's observations - I've always been very curious about what happens to trichomes as they age. In other words, aging trichomes become amber but does that process stop with the chop? That's a bit counter-intuitive to me unless there's something about the life process of the plant that causes the glands to amber. So...do milky trichs remain milky after drying/curing? Do clear remain clear? Guess I'll have to get one of them there microscopes but in the meantime, I was wondering what other's may have observed.

Thanks!

The trichomes stop changing color at harvest.

 

[jump117]

How long after the harvest you have watched the immutability of color?

 

[Gray Wolf]

How long after the harvest you have watched the immutability of color?

The longest harvest I hold in reserve, is about 5 years old. The trichomes may change size, but so far they are retaining color, or close enough that I am not picking up on any changes.

 

[G.O. Joe]

There is a photo of some 3 year old trichomes in the Potter thesis that everyone here has read several times. There's a lot about trichomes there, not as comprehensive as we'd like still. A lot that makes sense but contradicts others. For instance I remember before the trichome advice instantly became standard. Never did get a loupe much less waited on trichomes, and didn't miss anything it seems.
http://www.gwpharm.com/uploads/phd_david_potter_jp.pdf