articles/Nature/extrememacro-page2

Extreme Macro - part 2 of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

by Mike McNamee Published 01/10/2010

The best starting point for small aquatic insects, imaged at between 1:2 and 2:1 is a compressorium. This gloriously named device (compressoria in the plural) is a small tank sometimes with an additional glass wall in the water to control the space in which the subject is able to move. They are easily made (hence the DIY theme in this feature) using glass microscope slides, which brings three benefits: relatively thin glass, optical quality and handy sizes. The standard microscope slide is nominally 3x1-inch but if you can also get some 3x2-inch slides the tank will be more useful.

We made our tank as shown in the accompanying images using superglue to tack the sheets in a simple jig and then we sealed around the joint edges with fast-setting Araldite. We were able to make about four tanks in an hour. The finished tanks were water tested for leaks then filled with filtered water - pond water is very mucky and even the residual detritus brought in on the subject can be something of a problem. You should observe the following precautions when making and using the tanks

1. They are delicate and sharp when broken, keep them out of the reach of small children.

2. Use the superglue sparingly (just the tiniest drop is required) and ensure that you don't glue your fingers together or to the jig-work.

3. Keep the glass spotlessly clean from start to finish; it is either difficult or impossible to clean a tank once finished and thumbprints show up spectacularly well in dark field illumination!

4. The glued surfaces have to be pressed together for 15 seconds; make sure you don't press too hard and break the glass. Safety glasses are always advisable when doing this type of work.

5. When collecting live specimens do not damage the environment, do not trespass and return the specimens to the pond within a couple of hours or they will probably die.

• Extreme Macro page 1
  
• Extreme Macro page 2
  
• Extreme Macro page 3
  
• Extreme Macro page 4
  
• Extreme Macro page 5
  
• Extreme Macro page 6
  
• Extreme Macro page 7
  

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