Imhof thorn needles under the microscope

[IainP1]

Here's more gifted needle loveliness: two freshly sharpened IM thorns.
I'm told these Imhof thorns were a competitive product to BCN thorns back in the day, and were often coated in shellac, as these two seem to have been.
These are slightly different colours, one being a deeper blue than the other, which is more turquoise, though the colours are not as clear through the microscope as they are in real life, probably due to the ongoing problem of getting enough light on the subjects, working at such high magnifications.
Something I didn't spot until post-processing was the tiny "craters" on the surface of one of them. Does this mean there were "thorns upon thorns", and these even tinier ones were broken off, I wonder? The first 2 pictures were taken with a macro lens, and the others through the microscope, with composite and focus stacking of several hundred images, so these are the highly detailed ones if you click on them. Edit: Looking at a close crop of the blue one, you can make out the individual cells - rather like the BCN cells, I'd say - showing through the shellac, if that's what it is! (final image).
Iain

[Lah Ca]

Again, thank you.

I am wondering if some of the little craters, particularly the ones with groove scraped between them are not vestiges of the manufacturing process.

[Orchorsol]

Again, thank you.

I am wondering if some of the little craters, particularly the ones with groove scraped between them are not vestiges of the manufacturing process.

Thanks yet again Iain! I think those indentations are simply 'bruises' left by soundbox thumbscrews in use.

[IainP1]

Again, thank you.

I am wondering if some of the little craters, particularly the ones with groove scraped between them are not vestiges of the manufacturing process.

Thanks yet again Iain! I think those indentations are simply 'bruises' left by soundbox thumbscrews in use.

Ha yes! In fact looking at the top one, I could convince myself there's an impression of the screw thread, but that's probably going too far....