I'm probably around the age of OP's dad. I use one for everything these days. This is the one I use and it works well enough. Looks pretty similar. There are four or five different lenses in the box. Pretty handy for lubing switches, getting out splinters after a weekend of home repair work, etc.
I don't mean to presume anything about your eyes and their needs, but I found a lighted magnifying headset that I found on Amazon to be absolutely amazing to help with stitching. Yoctosun Headset I hope that link works, I'm terrible at reddit formatting. Good luck and I love your stitch!
These are what I had prior to getting a good microscope and they worked fine. As others have said, you have to get somewhat close to what you are soldering but overall they do a good job.
I like these. I just flip up the glasses part and turn off the lamp when I move or go do something else.
YOCTOSUN Head Mount Magnifier with 2 Led Professional Jeweler's Loupe Light Bracket and Headband are Interchangeable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H8808H6/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_66D9Z4ZM5NDM7P1HEDRF?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I have used these for a year or so and love 'em. I can even wear them over my glasses if I need to.
YOCTOSUN Head Mount Magnifier with 2 Led
They're $17 and work perfectly for mini painting. I've tried many different solutions over the years, but these are hands-down the best solution.
Thanks!! 🐀🤘🏻There’s a bunch of similar ones on Amazon but I think these are the ones I got. Not the most comfortable to wear but you get used to them. I also stripped out the LED light and battery parts to lower the weight a bit. Hope that helps! https://www.amazon.com/YOCTOSUN-Magnifier-Professional-Jewelers-Interchangeable/dp/B01H8808H6
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H8808H6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
they're ok, but they don't offer much magnification and the led is finicky. there's a makerspace by me with a microscope and it makes me really want my own for small smds, but i think you can get down to 0805s at least without needing that, and i dont need to go smaller than that yet
I have these. They're pretty nice but way too heavy for the small little nose piece. I have to take breaks from them. I think I'm just going to a regular old magnifying glass and light on a stand for my desk.
Hehe I’m still relatively new too. And I too make polymer clay things, the tiny stuff really does hurt your eyes. I bought one of these things as it helps for the tiny stuffs: head mount magnifier
Yeah, I wasted so much paint on my partchment paper pallet prior to buying the wet pallet. I dunno what I was doing... I was planning on making one out of tupperware, but couldnt find a sponge at Michaels, so just bought it instead.
I actually purchased a jewelers headset that I love, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H8808H6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It has a light and interchangeable lenses from 1x to 3.5x
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I have been in the hobby for about a year now. Picked up on things really quickly, assembled and modded a lot of boards, lubed a ton of switches, but all the PCB's were hot-swappable. After spending way too much money on boards like we all do, I took a break from the hobby for a little while (Got into lawn care, killed all my grass, planted a Kentucky Bluegrass, Ryegrass, Creeping Red Fescue mix that looks like a golf course now, but I digress). Decided it was time to get back into the hobby but wanted to do it a bit differently this time. Been keeping up with some interest checks of some really cool boards and realize the first time around, I missed a lot of cool boards because I feared the solder. initially I just wanted to try every switch I could, but by this point I know what I like and what I don't. Last time I soldered was when I was at a 4-H camp when I was like 10. Finally decided I wanted to try and solder my switches in. Picked up some already lubed Gateron Milky Reds from the Market for a good price, $40 knock off 9009 set from HK Gaming on Amazon, used some C3 screw in stabs that I had leftover, and the Practice65 (uses Savage65 PCB) keyboard kit from Cannonkeys. I also picked up these wearable magnifying lenses from Amazon for $17 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H8808H6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). Bought the soldering iron kit from amazon as well (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082HP4513/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). Why in the world was I afraid of this. Not hard at all! I watched this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpV-eJNrXjk&t=740s It took me about 90 minutes to put the entire kit together and that is only because I started out slow. Once I got going it was a breeze! For anyone just getting into the hobby, or if you were well versed in the hobby but weren't sure about soldering, get this kit and try it (I am in no way affiliated with CannonKeys, just a really good kit if you want to practice and if for some reason you do mess it up, the kit was only like $50.) I even desoldered a switch just to try it and that was not that hard either. The amazon kit comes with a solder sucker. Really looking forward to some group buys that are coming up, mainly got my eyes on the Box75! That thing is beautiful and it will be mine and it will be soldered!
I wear something extremely similar (same brand and style) except it isn’t rechargeable, it uses regular batteries. If you don’t plan to use the light, I would recommend the non-rechargeable one because you can remove the batteries to make it lighter. I actually don’t like using the light as it’s so small; I have a larger, bright lamp to shine down on my work. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H8808H6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Even without the batteries it does still get a little uncomfortable around the bridge of the nose after a while. (I haven’t tried the optional headband which seems to me like it would be awkward.) I don’t have time for super long stitching sessions, maybe a couple hours on a good day, but it never gets too bothersome. The bridge of my nose is always a bit red and indented-looking for a while after I’m done, though.
I like that it's really adjustable, so you can angle the magnifying glasses exactly the way that works best, and adjust their distance from your eyes. It took me a little getting used to at first, but since they're further away from your eyes you can also easily see things in the distance without hurting your eyes or removing/adjusting the glasses. You just get used to looking directly through them while stitching, and angling your head to see around them when you need to look elsewhere.
Not recommended: I have this and it works great in terms of vision and light, but it's uncomfortable and heavy.
I found these. They have an elastic band strap you can put on.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H8808H6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A2TVO1AK6HUF1H&psc=1
Amazon of course! YOCTOSUN Head Mount Magnifier with 2 Led Professional Jeweler's Loupe Light Bracket and Headband are Interchangeable https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01H8808H6/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_SQ2PXM90KB2QYSCK0C2B?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I use one of these, powered with rechargeable batteries. For me the magnification is more helpful than the light.
Omg 18 count is the smallest I’ve done! It was HARD! I was struggling with it honestly. But part of that was because I had the same eye glasses prescription for 5 years and my eyes were soooo bad. (I have old lady eyes but I’m only in my 20’s) I recently got new glasses and everything is sooooo much better! I don’t think I could do 28 ct if I was still using my other ones. And of course, I NEED my magnifying head gear and this light is a must for me too.
I use these
YOCTOSUN Head Mount Magnifier with 2 Led Professional Jeweler's Loupe Light Bracket and Headband are Interchangeable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H8808H6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_SD974330A8TFGW7BJW7H?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
My main project is on 28-count, stitching 1 over 1, although it’s a lighter color fabric. My eyes are in their mid-40’s (as is the rest of me!) and they don’t focus as well as they used to, especially on tiny things like holes in the fabric. The only way I can stitch comfortably anymore is with magnifying glasses. I use them no matter what count I’m stitching on because even if I can kind of see the hole on smaller counts without them, I prefer being able to see everything crystal clear so I can tell if I’m making neat stitches or not. I have up-to-date glasses and contact lenses with my current prescription, but they really don’t help me with cross-stitching.
I use these glasses (there are several similar brands and varieties, but this is the one I have) and they work wonderfully for me. I can see the holes and my stitches perfectly. I also like that they’re very adjustable, so I can get the exact perfect position, and they sit a little way away from my eyes so that I can see around them with my normal vision to look at other things, like the pattern or the nearby computer, or whatever. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H8808H6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The only problem is that they get a bit heavy, and the bridge of my nose starts to get sore if I use them for very long. Since I have a separate light already, I’ve taken the batteries out to reduce the weight because I don’t need the light on the glasses. That helps, but it still gets to be a bit much after a while. I foolishly threw away the optional headband before ever trying it, so I don’t know if that would have been more comfortable. I believe I’ve seen some people with a similar model say that it is.
I’ve tried a couple other things, with less success. I tried reading glasses, and they did work pretty well vision-wise. My problem was that, with them completely covering my eyes, I couldn’t comfortably read the pattern on my tablet or see anything else further in the distance without taking them off. I also tried the Mag Eyes and those were a complete bust for me, although I’ve seen a lot of praise for them so it may just be me. For me, I couldn’t get a good focus with the magnifying glasses so far from my eyes. You can only adjust them up or down, not closer or further from your face. I also found, at least at that distance, that they didn’t give me enough of a viewing space to cover what I wanted to look at through the lenses. Maybe I would have liked them better if I’d tried them first, but I hated them as compared to what I’ve been using. One thing I haven’t tried is a separate standing/clamping magnifying glass that I can position over my work. I might try it someday, but I suspect I’m spoiled by having wearable magnification because then it follows my eyes wherever they move without needing readjusted.
Sorry, that was a really long post to say… “Get magnifying glasses of some sort and everything will be perfect, but you might have to try a few styles to find one that works for you.” :)
not sure if you're looking for practical advice ... but i got into warhammer last summer. being a somewhat oldz I literally couldn't see/make out the tiny details. got one of these dorky headsets https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H8808H6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
really helped to be able to actually see what i'm painting. bigger areas... no big deal, but fine detail. being able to see where my brush is going. really helped with control and being able to .... just see what i'm doing.
other generic advice. just paint. first models always look fucked. just roll with it. youtube is a great resource. look for a beginner guide. or general knowledge video on how to prime... do base layers. shading. details. etc etc ...the techniques like dry brushing or edge highlighting come with time. And as others have said... it's easy to strip paint off minis. so no real risk. if it's a colossal fuck up can always rinse/repeat
I use these. Love them. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H8808H6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I don't use the light, I have a stand alone light that I use.
I have the 2nd choice listed, except I have the non-rechargeable version that uses regular batteries. Since I have a separate larger, brighter light, I don’t need the light in the glasses so I just don’t put any batteries in and that keeps the weight down. Even without the batteries it does still start to hurt around the bridge of my nose if I wear them for maybe a couple hours or longer, but for me I find it easy to ignore. I don’t usually have that much non-stop time to stitch anyway. There’s an alternate headband option that came with my version, but I never tried it.
I’ve had it for over a year and have been really happy with it. One of my projects is 1 over 1 on 28 count and I have no problems easily seeing the holes and my stitches. One of the things I especially like about it is that I can wear it and still peer around the glasses to look at other things with my normal vision. It was a little weird at first to adjust to my eyesight going from magnified to non-magnified, but now it’s second nature. The position of the glasses is very adjustable, so you can change the angle and change how close it is to your eyes.
The only issue I’ve had is that I’m clumsy and have knocked the lenses out multiple times. They stay in securely if I’m just sitting there stitching, but I find they knock out pretty easily if I’m adjusting the position so I have to remember to hold onto the glasses so they won’t fall out while I adjust it. The glasses are thick and don’t break easily, but I did have one of them where the part you put in the slot broke off so I couldn't insert it anymore and had to switch to a different magnification size.
Here’s the link to the non-rechargeable version I have:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H8808H6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
If you’re having trouble seeing the holes in general, magnifying glasses could make a big difference. It’s hard to make neat stitches when you can’t see what you're doing clearly in the first place. There are a lot of different types. I use the kind you wear on your head like glasses and that works great for me, but some people prefer the kind you wear around your neck or the kind you don’t wear at all that stands on its own.
This is the kind I’m using, to give you an idea of one option. I think there are a lot of other similar brands, so I don’t know which is best, only that I've been using this one for about a year without issues. I don’t use the light on it since I have a separate larger, brighter light, so I keep the batteries out to make it lighter as it can start to feel heavy on your nose after a while. If you would use the light, I think there’s also a rechargeable version that might be more convenient. This version takes regular AAA batteries. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H8808H6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'll also second the railroading; I've been doing that for years and do think it improves neatness. It also helps to just take general care not to cross over or split threads from other neighboring stitches while you're adding new stitches.
> X5 headband
It's served me well for years.
I use these. I frickin' live in them when doing electronics. They fit over my glasses, and work really well straight out of the box.
I bought one from amazon that was prettys wide and it still didnt work. Give this a try! It works for me:) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H8808H6/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_Guuvzb7QXP4D4