What it is used for?

The glass is about the size of a quarter.

It looks alot like a tool we used to check our engraving on injection molds many years ago.A little more user friendly than an Opti-Visor.

[b][color:#3333FF]Folding Magnifying Loupe...[/color][/b]

I wonder why my grandfather would have had one of those, he wasn't a jeweler. ??

Found it in my parents garage in a small leather pouch with my grandfathers name and addy on it.

DW that was my guess as well.

stamps, coins, engravings, bugs??

Or maybe he's like us and just wanted to collect things he didn't have.

You know, taking a second look at it, I don't think so, the one I have pictured is opened all the way, there is no way to put something into that measured area, and look down through the magnifier at at.

It either lies open and flat, or sits on a 45 degree angle, but either way you cannot look through the magnifier and see the measured square.

If you laid the measured square on top of a stamp or book, you could not position the magnifier to see the object.

This one lacks the middle piece that would allow it to look down, and if it had one it would not fit in the pouch.

Photography or light metering?

This one lacks the middle piece that would allow it to look down, and if it had one it would not fit in the pouch.

The above could be the missing ingredient for solutioning.

You sure the round piece doesn't pivot up 90 degrees like the side with the hash marks? Looks like that side is hinged as well...

Larry Root penis finder? That would definitely fit. And no, do not ask me how I know cos I don't.

You keep that up, he'll send you a pic via PM

Hole inspection tool!

Ahh, you are right, I had tried that, but just threw a little break free on it and was able to work it open.

I'll have to ask my uncle what he did for a living and why he had this, maybe he was a stamp collector.

Thank you!

It's used for burning insects on a sunny day.

That's how it starts, you know?

OK, that was really troubling. Even more so since I about fell over laughing myself silly.

Not that I ever did such monstrous things as a young lad...

It could be a loupe for viewing colour transparencies (slides)

used for all kinds of things....had one at the print shop to help check when i had a job with really close registration....seen them in different peoples shops that do widely different things and a few people had them just because.....basically used to get a close look at any sort of flat object you can come up with, mainly things on paper but yo can also cheak out things like coins and whatever else, just doesnt work well on heavy 3D surfaces as they have a very limited focal plane designed to look at the space within the square when its flat against something....

Barkoff-
It's probably a textile thread counter, also known as a textile loupe:
[color:#0000FF]threadcounters.com[/color]

If you shoot a patched round ball in a muzzleloader, it can be useful in experiments trying to find an optimal patch.

--Bob

Who stopped?

Looks like a bed spread or comforter, it's used to cover bed sheets. Don't know why you would need a magnifying glass to try to determine that though.

Also useful for finding those miserable mini-slivers you get in your hands.
They're useful for all kinds of things. How was Gramps' eyesight? He might have got it to be able to see small things.

What it is - is a magnifying glass.

What it is NOT is a folding magnifying loupe thread counter.

I have had these types for years.

For The interested go back to the website posted above and see the two types. The thread counter has tiny little stripes along the edge. Individual threads are counted in various types of woven cloth. For example go to Costco and look at the selections of bed sheets available and the various thread counts at various prices. The greater numbers of threads per inch the greater the price. Presumably the higher thread counts are smoother and last longer in certain types of threads.

In my work/career I dealt with geology and topographic maps a lot. I used them to count topographic contours *( elevation ) on maps of many different scales.

Around the house I use them for just about anything that I can't see well. Splinters in the fingers for example.

The thread counter loupe with the little lines is 10 power. Pretty strong. Sometimes it is too magnified.

Universal penis enlarger
(Do not use in direct sunlight)

Barkoff, those magnifiers were commonly used in printing. Specifically in the laying out and registering of negatives, (a process known commonly as stripping) and for proof making.

I've spent hundreds of hours staring through one of those to line up the registration marks on negatives when I was in the printing trade.

You phuggars, why can't I keep you guys serious and on point, WHY?

+1

Contour reader on topo maps!

Use one just like it to identify tree species from ariel photos.

third eye

It ain't no dot glass.

KG-
Stick to lighting paper , leaves, and grass.