Quote Originally Posted by 6x6TLL View Post
. . . First thing I need to do is get a dark cloth, . . .
Holy diopters, no wonder you're having a problem!

I tried this once, when I had left my dark-cloth at home. It was near to impossible to focus, much less copose.

Consider getting a good loupe that's intended for focusing on a ground glass. You can find them made by Schneider, Rodenstock, Fuji, or Toyo. Or, others? For me, it was literally a revelation when I went from a cheap loupe to a good one made by Schneider.

Especially as I get older, I've found that a pair of glasses optimized for about a 11 inches to be essential for viewing. An optometrist can prescribe these. Or, I purchased two drugstore glasses, one for the left eye and one for the right. With difficulty, I can switch lenses on one side for correct viewing in both eyes. (Depends on the brand.) Prescription glass work better; but, the drug-store glasses will suffice.