I just got (thanks to the miracle of eBay) a reasonably priced Bausch
& Lomb Stereozoom 4 stereo microscope, which goes from 7x to 30x
magnification.

I am hoping to use it when assembling prototypes of surface mount
boards; my ICs seem to be getting smaller while my focus distance is
getting longer.

But after getting it, I realized that soldering under it will probably
result in gunking up the objective lens.

The working distance on the scope is about 4 inches; a 0.5x objective
lens would extend that to 6 inches. So soldering under it would
probably subject the objective lenses to smoke, rosin, etc.

There are (apparently) objective lens shields for this scope, but I
haven't seen one yet.

I can and will provide some kind of fume ventilation, but I can't
guarantee that the lenses won't get spattered.

Do any of you solder under a microscope? If so, how do you keep the
crud off it?

Thanks,
--
Ned Konz
http://bike-nomad.com
GPG key ID: BEEA7EFE

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