Thanks Jan
Your suggestion is probably the only real alternative. I have tried doing
what you suggest using an old screen bought cheaply. My first attempt
using what I thought was a sharp scriber resulted in extremely coarse lines
when viewed through the viewfinder. I am not sure what an Xacto knife is,
but I made another attempt using a double edged razor blade (the type used
in old fashioned "safety" razors) drawn lightly across the surface as you
suggest. This seems to work well.
I suspect from experience that the 2 series screens are not as tough as the
one series and may pick up blemishes if badly handled. This may preclude
actually placing a straight edge on the screen surface. I have been
thinking about fixing the blade and moving the screen. The blade could be
fixed to some type of shaft so that it pivots up & down with no lateral
movement, and counterbalanced so that it rests lightly on the screen to be
engraved. A macro focusing rail fixed to the bench top with a custom made
jig to hold the screen could be used to move the screen. If 2 focussing
rails were used together at right angles (like a compound vice used with a
bench drill), re-positioning the screen for the subsequent parallel grid
lines could be achieved easily and with precision.
The advantage of this is that the spacing and layout of the grid lines can
be custom made to suit the user.
I haven't much time to put this into practice at the moment but I'll
certainly give it more thought.
Ross Waite
-----Original Message-----
From: Jan Steinman [SMTP:Jan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Thursday, July 08, 1999 5:19 AM
To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [OM] Focusing screen characteristics: OM 2-x series vs.
Beattie?
>From: Ross Waite <rmwaite@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
...
>My ideal screen would be a
>2-10 (2-4 with grid). I spoke to the Australian Olympus dealer about a
>special order to have the Olympus factory etch a grid on to a 2-4 screen
>(similar to the 1-10 screen). His reply was that the screens are not
>etched subsequent to the moulding, but the grid is part of the
>manufacturing process. He indicated that the factory may consider
>producing a 2-10 screen if 1000 units were ordered...
That sounds expensive, even in a 1000 lot!
Here's a different idea. First, go to eBay or elsewhere and pick up a
dirt-cheap 1-1 screen to practice with. Then use an Xacto knife and a
straight-edge to lightly add your own grid! I've been thinking about doing
that for a while.
As with most such work, the REAL work would be in the prep and set-up. I'd
carefully attach the screen to a workplace using a tiny dab of hot glue on
opposite edges, and at the same time, lightly attach two aligned millimeter
rules to the workspace. Lightly score the ground side of the screen, then
move the rules to the other dimension and repeat.
My guess is that even if you ruin one brand-new 2-4 screen before you
succeed on the second one, you'll still be saving money over a custom or
der.
: Jan Steinman <mailto:jans@xxxxxxxxxxx>
: 19280 Rydman Court, West Linn, OR 97068-1331 USA
: +1.503.635.3229
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