Welcome to the Empire of Dirt Workshop!

This site is dedicated to the BH2 series of microscopes, which were manufactured and sold by Olympus in very large numbers from 1980 through about 1993. BH2 scopes are professional quality microscopes which were used extensively in research labs, veterinary clinics, doctors offices, and pathology labs. They are in a whole different league, in terms of build quality, expandability, and optical performance, than the low-cost scopes sold today for the amateur and educational markets.

Because of the large market share the BH2 enjoyed in its day, there are a great many BH2 scopes available on the used market at prices affordable to amateur microscopists.  These scopes are several decades old now, so there is a good chance that any BH2 you buy will need a comprehensive service to return it to its original performance.  However, if you purchase a BH2 and perform the necessary service (or have somebody else perform this service for you), you will be rewarded with a high-performance scope that absolutely eclipses the generic re-branded commodity microscopes manufactured and sold today.

Purpose of This Site

This purpose of this site is three-fold: 1) To educate amateur microscopists about the BH2, so that they can decide if a BH2 is right for them. 2) To help BH2 owners who wish to service and maintain their own microscopes. 3) To provide those who do not feel comfortable tearing into their BH-2 a low-cost option for obtaining service for their scopes.

Many of the original Olympus brochures, operating manuals, and service manuals for the BH-2 scopes are available on this site in PDF form.  Additionally, there is an extensive collection of PDFs and videos produced by the Empire of Dirt Workshop for BH2 scopes available here.

The quality of the Empire of Dirt Workshop PDFs are generally good, because I put real effort into their development. I mean like hundreds of hours. The videos? Let’s just say that these represent a whole different level of effort. These were shot quickly on an ancient Samsung S5 cellphone, without the benefit of studio lighting or even a real microphone, and put together with minimal editing. To be frank, the production values are bad, and that’s OK with me. My goal was to get the information out there for the small group of people who may benefit, and I think I succeeded in that. Just take them for what they are. That is to say me, working on BH2 microscopes, talking about what I’m doing with a camera pointed in the general direction. These is no production quality in these videos, but I believe there is valuable information. 

About the Empire of Dirt Workshop

So now, a few words about the Empire of Dirt Workshop. First off, don’t fall for the hype. As you may have already figured out, the Empire of Dirt Workshop is kind of a “royal we” thing. In reality, it’s just Carl Hunsinger, alone in his dungeon of a basement workshop, with an ultrasonic cleaner, a few 3D printers, and YouTube on the wall TV for company. Just me doing what I love to do, while my wife and our two dogs, Wally and Lokai, wonder what the heck I’m doing in this hell-hole. Actually, I take that back. Susan may wonder, but Wally and Lokai don’t really care, so long as they get to come down now and again for “basement treats”. The place totally creeps Lokai out, but nonetheless, he powers through for an occasional Milk Bone or two. Believe me when I tell you that if you saw the cramped, cluttered shop, you would totally understand the “Empire of Dirt” name. “We”, at the Empire of Dirt Workshop, do not take “ourselves” too seriously. So, how did I get into this as a hobby? Click here to see my story.