Photographic wonder

[bugbear]

Over the weekend, I wanted a way to hold a sheet of glass at 45 degrees, for a photographic lighting trick.

I needed to cut a slot of just the right thickness in a piece of wood, and at first couldn't think of a way to do it - no saw I own cuts a kerf thick enough, and widening a saw kerf is difficult.

(with a table saw one would probably just make two overlapping kerfs, but a hand saw won't do this).

The final solution was "obvious"; I used my tiny Ulmia 348 mitre saw to make TWO cuts, rather(!!) close together, and then simply snapped out the tiny remaining piece. A couple of trials got the slot width I wanted. The blade was narrow enough, stiff enough, and held in place accurately enough for this technique to work.

BugBear

 

[Racers]

Pepper's ghost?

Pete

 

[bugbear]

Pepper's ghost?

Pete

In that line, yes. Axial lighting for coins. I needed to photograph some WW1 medals for my genealogical research.

Coin photography:

http://www.sigma-2.com/camerajim/cjgcoins.htm

BugBear

 

[Racers]

Looks good BB, any good for makers marks?

Pete

 

[bugbear]

Looks good BB, any good for makers marks?

Pete

What an interesting thought - I haven't tried.

But I will.

This would seem a good test subject:

another-plane-blade-maker-id-request-t24023.html

BugBear

 

[bugbear]

Looks good BB, any good for makers marks?

Pete

What an interesting thought - I haven't tried.

But I will.

This would seem a good test subject:

another-plane-blade-maker-id-request-t24023.html

BugBear

OK. The simple rig was set up (including a cheap s/h camera from eBay)), and I waited for dusk (other the ambient light messes things up).

Here is the conventional use of axial lighting, on a coin:

But following Pete's excellent suggestion I tried the worn mark on the plane blade.

Wowza.

BugBear

 

[AndyT]

Definitely a success and much clearer than the earlier photos. I suspect it's a lot clearer than looking at the original iron!

So now we just need to track down Leadbeater and Scott ...


My guess is a fairly short-lived general tool dealer.

 

[AndyT]

Well that proves I ought to try the obvious sources before guessing wildly in public

http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Leadbeater_and_Scott

 

[Cheshirechappie]

What a fascinating thread! Photographic excellence, tool history and tricky woodwork - what more could you want? (Don't answer that...)

My father was a commercial, industrial and architectural photographer. When I was a nipper, I saw him set up camera and lighting to photograph documents, paintings and similar on many occasions (camera dead square to centre of subject, two diffuse lights equidistant from camera and equidistant from subject, all checked with a tape measure) but I've never seen the axial lighting technique before. Thanks for that, BB.

 

[bugbear]

What a fascinating thread! Photographic excellence, tool history and tricky woodwork - what more could you want? (Don't answer that...)

My father was a commercial, industrial and architectural photographer. When I was a nipper, I saw him set up camera and lighting to photograph documents, paintings and similar on many occasions (camera dead square to centre of subject, two diffuse lights equidistant from camera and equidistant from subject, all checked with a tape measure) but I've never seen the axial lighting technique before. Thanks for that, BB.

You're describing class "copy stand" technique; you can get rigs that physically (and permanently) embody the important features you describe;

BugBear

 

[MusicMan]

Interesting. Must try this for makers' marks on woodwind musical instruments. These have the extra problem that the surface is usually cylindrical. I have got best results in the past by grazing incidence light but haven't tried axial (other than a ring LED, which was not outstanding).

Keith