Headband Magnifier with Light, 5 Detachable Lenses

The Headband Magnifier with Light is a binocular head-mounted visor with its own illumination and five detachable lenses. It is the instrument you wear while working, not one you pick up to examine and then put down: during cleaning, both hands are occupied—one holds the swab, the other holds or stabilizes the piece—and a handheld magnifier takes up precisely the hand that is not spare. Being binocular, it maintains stereoscopic vision, which is what is used to judge pressure and depth when applying a swab.

Applications

• Manual cleaning: see the exact edge of the layer being removed and stop in time
• Swab winding and application with both hands free
• Detail work on surfaces with relief, craquelure, or polychromy
• Classroom and prolonged practice work, with self-contained light on the area

Choosing the lens: the important data is the distance, not the number

In a single-lens magnifier, the working distance is its focal length: the higher the magnification, the less space between the lens and the work. And in restoration, that space must accommodate the hand and the tool. That's why a headband magnifier is sold with a set of lenses: not because higher magnification is better, but because each task requires a different distance.

• Choose based on the millimeters you need between the lens and the work, and check that the scalpel or swab you are going to use fits there. This is the only check that needs to be done, and it can be done in a minute with the tool in hand.
• Stacked lenses add diopters, they do not multiply magnification. Putting two 2X lenses together does not give 4X: it gives something in the order of 3X. This is published by the manufacturer of other headbands of the same type in their combination chart.
• The "X" labels for this product family are not comparable between brands. There is no standard that requires declaring the reference on which the figure is calculated, and there are two legal formulas that differ by a full point of magnification on the same glass. (Our calculation based on the focal lengths published by manufacturers of this family: the labels are constructed on 500 mm, not the conventional 250 mm; on the standard scale, the figure is halved.)
• Higher magnification costs depth of field. On a surface with relief—an altarpiece, craquelure, a carving—this means continuously refocusing by moving your head. HEINE, which does publish depth of field in millimeters, recommends the opposite: "choose the lowest magnification that meets your needs."

Features

• Binocular head-mounted viewer: both hands free and stereoscopic vision
• 5 detachable lenses, to change working distance according to the task
• 3 integrated LED diodes: at 15-25 cm from the work, the head itself blocks ambient light
• Rechargeable battery, no cable hanging from the head

Technical Specifications

• Type: Binocular head-mounted magnifier
• Lenses: 5, detachable and interchangeable
• Illumination: 3 integrated LEDs
• Power: Rechargeable battery
• Mount: Adjustable headband
• Use: Manual work under magnification in conservation and restoration

Cleaning with solvent is done under magnification, to immediately see any damage that begins to occur. And it is advisable to frequently return to an overall view: the color and general appearance of an intervention are judged at normal viewing distance, away from magnification.

Have questions? Message us on WhatsApp, visit innovart.art or email us at info@innovart.art and we will advise you.