Microscopy; Relatively large spots on unknown surface obstructing view

the methyl orange and methylene blue are stains for use on thin
plant sections to show cell structures.
the gum is to attach coverslips to slides.
Try Googling microscopy there is one particularly good site
something like microscopical discussions but you could start with
microscopy-uk.org.uk.
Have fun

check out the essays posted on http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/x_indexmag.html

In the Optiphot there are two small grub screws under the left hand side of the condenser column. Once loosened the metal housing of the pinion can by pulled or pushed out and the new one inserted. You may need a small mirror to see the screws due to their hidden position. You can then replace the pinion in which the black nylon gear will have broken

http://www.microscopy.olympus.eu/microscopes/39_manuals.cfm?prodID=P_T00004&cm_mc_uid=24669203090613385112351&cm_mc_sid_90274701=1338511235

I did a bit of research, and it looks like the only way that you can use the "Mac OSX compatible" microscope, is using it the same way one would plug in a webcam via USB. Essentially, you can plug in the Microscope, open up the Image Capture Utility, PhotoBooth, or Quicktime/iMovie (I'd recommend one of these two), make sure you have the Capture Device set to the microscope and you'll be able to "project" the image that you are seeing through the microscope onto the computer.
The Motic software does not have a counterpart for the Apple OS, and can only be used if you have a Windows BootCamp Partition, or if you have a Parallels installation of Windows that can use the Motic Software. There are other pieces of software out there that can utilize microscopes, but may not have all the same features as the Motic Bundled software. One that I found that may be of some use is called miXscope. It can be found here: http://www.edhsw.com/mixscope/ , and it is relatively inexpensive in terms of licensing.
This may also be of some help for selecting compatible microscopes in the future: http://www.apple.com/science/solutions/microscopy.html
Hope that helps!

There are a few things that could cause a shadow in the field of view. First if the condenser is not centered, this can create a crescent shaped shadow and rob your image of light. Center the condenser and raise it to within about a 16th of an inch from the top of the stage.
Second, the slider on the head which diverts light from the eyepieces to the camera must be fully engaged to the "camera" position
Third, make sure that the diaphragm on the condenser is not closed too far. There is an adjustment ring for this. Set it to 70-80% of the numerical aperture of the objective you are using.
Fourth: if there is a "swing out" condenser lens you will need it completely in or out depending on the objective you are using. for 2x-5x you need the swing out condenser lens completely out of the light path. For objectives 10x and up you need the swing out condenser lens completely in and centered in the light path.
If these things are properly adjusted you should not have a shadow in the field of view. If you still have a problem, let me know.

You will need a Trinocular head and a digital microscopy camera. Contact Leica at their website. A Google search will get you well on your way.

You don't need a specific microscope manual for that microscope, any old microscopy guide will do as at that level, all microscopes work pretty much the same way. Enjoy.

www.zeiss.com/C1256F8500454979/0/1890F238E9747195C1256F8F0032D082/$file/b-40-016axiolabpol.pdf

Try on this page.

Under some circumstances when using the Coolpix 4500 attached to a microscope concentric rings are visible as in the below. The COOLPIX 4500 aspherical lens surface is ground to create the ideal curves to gather rays at the focal point with an extremely high accuracy. Such minute lines are not visible in the image taken with a camera alone, however if the camera is used with a microscope, the lines become visible as the depth of field is increased due to the combined F numbers of the camera lens and microscope lenses.