LINKS TO BUYING GUIDES

and other information pages on this website

DOWNLOAD SUMMER 2012 MAIL ORDER CATALOGUE, click here to open the catalogue on your computer as a flip-book. Then drag the pages over with your mouse (great fun), jump to any section in the index, or print it out. This is a copy of the paper catalogue that we are posting to customers this month (May 2012), it is just a catalogue, you cannot order goods online from it.*

* if we have sent you the catalogue in the post, you will find an order form on page 31 (it's for customers who don't have a computer, they fill in the form and send a cheque). The download version does not have the order form. This is because some customers were telephoning to say they were looking at the order form and couldn't work out how to order online. If you want to order online, please go to our online shop.

If you prefer, you can download the catalogue as a .zip file (it's zipped so that the .exe isn't blocked), either for windows or for Mac. Do this if you want the files to reside on your local machine rather than on a server; you will need to un-zip the files and run the .exe. If you understand this paragraph you are probably OK to continue.

FREE GIFTS

Many items for sale on this website come with a free gift (you select one from the drop-down list). The drop-down lists don't give any additional details, you need to look at free gift. (updated may 2012)

MAGNIFIERS and MICROSCOPES

All about magnifiers and magnification: How to choose a magnifier (updated April 2012)

and the same article is available in large print

Magnifiers for the partially-sighted

and the same article is available in large print

Loupes compared (updated April 2012)

Binocular magnifiers compared

Review of professional USB microscope (eyepiece attachment) (updated April 2012)

BINOCULARS

Binocular repair price list

Three binoculars compared
Zeiss 7X50B, Swarovsky 7X50, Zeiss 8X50 classic, evaluation by myself, Raffi Katz

Three binoculars compared
Fujinon 10X50, Zeiss Noblem 10X50, Zeiss Jenoptem 10X50
- summary of a very long technical article by Holger Merlitz, with my own comments

Fujinon Binoculars

Military binoculars

Reviews of binoculars with compass, 6X30 (updated March 2012), or 7X50 (updated April 2012)

The standard Raffi method of grading binoculars

Evaluating binoculars you have for sale (updated April 2012)

PRECIOUS METAL TESTERS

Testing gold and silver
Details / comparisons of various gold-silver-platinum testers

AGT1 GemOro AuRACLE electronic gold tester, Review. (updated May 2012)

Troytest and Quicktest testers

Plastic bottles or glass bottles?

Acid safety

CLEANING AND POLISHING GOLD, SILVER, PLASTICS AND GLASS

Polishing

How to remove tarnish from silver without using polish

DIAMOND AND GEM TESTERS

Guide to buying diamond testers

Measuring Diamonds (updated February 2012)

Instruction manuals for old models

Electronic Gem testers

Chelsea Filter instructions

OTHER TESTERS

UV (ultra violet light) testers (updated May 2012)

Geiger Counters, general article about testing antiques with Geiger counters

Measuring Radioactivity (pdf), technical article about measuring radiation and its hazards, including cps (counts per second), Sieverts, Becquerel (Bq), Curie (Ci) and conversions. (updated May 2012).

WEIGHING

Weights and weighing (updated May 2012)

Approved weighing machines

How to calibrate weighing machines

WINDERS

Conversion charts for the winders for antique clocks and watches

Types of screws and screwdrivers

ANTIQUES FAIRS

Antiques fairs in Britain updated May 2012

Clock & Watch Fair

Directions to antiques fairs

Photo Gallery

Directions to antiques fairs (old but still useful)

ABOUT QUICKTEST

This week, including cut-off times for Next Day Delivery, postage rates new items, out of stock items, updated once or twice per week.

Contact details and opening hours

Posting Methods, the services, speed of delivery and costs. (updated May 2012)

Items bought by mail unseen maybe be returned, Download a returns note (updated January 2012)

We use Interlink Express (updated May 2012)

How to Buy from us (updated April 2012)

How to sell to us, location, and remember to bring identification (updated March 2012)
and if you are selling binoculars, please check them out first

Subscribe to our mailing list

Overseas payments (updated April 2012)

Directions to office by any conceivable means or (updated May 2012)

if you have a sat-nav. just print directions for the last few yards (updated May 2012)

Credit cards with Actinic

Credit cards with Nochex (we send you an email, you click on a link to pay by card)
or if you have a policy of never clicking on links to pay for anything, you can pay manually by going to the Nochex website, this page tells you how to do it. (updated April 2012)

Paypal (updated May 2012)

Bank Transfers (updated May 2012)

Equifax (Transax) (updated April 2012)

Returns policy

Privacy policy

Terms

Wholesale (updated March 2012)

VAT-free Exports (updated May 2012)

OTHER

Conversion charts (updated March 2012)

Measuring diamonds (updated February 2012)

Free gifts

Identification required when selling items to us

EFHC, workshop with classes and special courses on horology (clock & watch rennovation)

Published articles by Raffi Katz

Raffi's hobby, not related to Quicktest in any way: radio drama (pdf) (updated January 2012)