Monday 9 June 2014

A magnifying lamp and two giant robots

After what seem like an eternity of searching, I finally found a magnifying lamp that's suitable for my miniature hobby needs. As fate would have it, I was actually looking for something else - a six-year old desktop graphic card for my ancient PC - in an IT mall. Instead, I came across a small shop in which the owner was using a magnifying lamp. An enquiry as to where he had gotten the lamp from revealed that he also sells them. Lucky me! In fact, the lamp wasn't even on the retail selling floor so I am guessing it was being sold direct to other retailers who fix electronics for a living. 

It's an arc reactor, no it's a robotic eye ... meh, it's just a magnifying lamp's diopter lens

As for my quest to replace my broken down (did I mention old) graphic card, needless to say that after getting looks of bemusement and a couple of sniggers, I had no luck locating a new one. One salesguy told me they don't even stock one-year-old technology let alone six years! Well la-di-da ... there are still dinosaurs like me who take careful care of their stuff to make it last as long as possible. 

Packaging for the Quick 228 Magnifying Lamp

This particular magnifying lamp had a magnification of 5X and a light source comprising a 22W circular lamp. In terms of size, it's rather big and cumbersome and pretty much dwarfed my small work table which was sourced from a community kindergarten that no longer needed it. If you look closely at one of the photos below, you can just make out a very small and short red plastic chair (also from the said kindergarten) which I use with my work table. Some Transformer stickers on the table edge kinda rubs in the fact it's a table meant for those aged six and below.

My humble work table used for painting among other things
Stickers on the table are courtesy of my son when he was younger
Packaging for the Quick 228 Magnifying Lamp

Speaking of Transformers, at a different mall I stumbled upon two almost life-sized replicas of the robots i.e. Optimus Prime and Bumble-bee. Frankly I prefer Decepticons to the self-righteous-do-gooder Autobots. More so when the bad guys always seem to have cooler looking vehicles. 

Optimus Prime in a local mall ... towering all the way up to the 2nd floor
Another autobot replica in the form of Bumble-bee

Whether my painting can improve with the help of a magnifying lamp is open to debate although I am sure it can't hurt. So far I haven't used it yet and plan to do so only when painting very small details. While it's less restricting to paint without the magnifying lamp, there is only so much one can make out with the naked eye. As such, this is still one hobby tool I am happy to have at my disposal.

http://shireworks.blogspot.com/

10 comments:

  1. That looks like some serious kit dude! Which reminds me, I've been needing a new lamp for 8 years now ...

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    Replies
    1. Why a new lamp? Is the current one not powerful enough ... wattage-wise?

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  2. That looks like a splendid piece of kit!

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  3. good purchase, i have one for ten years and i always found it extremely useful!
    about "la-di-da": are you a fan of Woody Allen movies like me?
    bye

    PS: i like transformers too!

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    Replies
    1. ^_^ Not specifically a Woody Allen fan but more of a fan of all good movies and movie makers. I was using 'la-di-da' more as a putdown for snobbish behaviour. That this term was made famous by Diane Keaton in the Woody Allen movie Annie Hall just shows you how some good movies can influence popular culture.

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  4. I found a similar lamp at an estate sale. The 'on' button is kind of picky about working I don't mind though since it really has helped me with the lighting and magnification. Now all I need is a new work table.

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    1. Me too ... using a kid's table means I am hunched down most of the time when I am painting which can't be good for my back. :)

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    2. If I remember correctly, I believe I got this lamp from a shop in Low Yat Plaza. I was lucky because the shop wasn't displaying the lamps for sale for some reason but I saw the owner using it to fix some electronic stuff and asked him where he got it. Turns out he had a few magnifying lamps in stock and sold me one. My apologies but I can't remember the name of the shop but I think it's a shop that sells parts to other shops in Low Yat.

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