Ron,
I think I will buy some of those clamp-on reflectors and the compact fluorescent bulbs. What wattage would you recommend that would be bright enough going through the light box?
I think that 100w equivalent (about 25w actual) would be the minimum I would use. In fact, in my search for a good system for photographing orchids at society meetings and events, I tried a number of different fluorescent combinations, including clamp on reflectors, before settling on speedlights. BTW.. I know that term (speedlights) can be confusing to people. It's simply an old fashioned shoe mounted flash like we used to use before the advent of pop up on camera flashes. Anyway, because I most often use black backgrounds which suck up light like you wouldn't believe, I had to give up using fluorescent bulbs entirely. They just weren't powerful enough. On a light background, however, they should be more than adequate.
I can't find the actual pieces I cobbled together to make my lighting setup but it was similar to this one.
https://www.bhphotov..._Light_Kit.html
As you can see, this kit does not include a softbox but it does have a speedring that allows you to add a softbox or other light modifier. I eventually added a four lamp head to this as well as a softbox but it was still insufficient but the type of work I was trying to do.
For your work, I would think that a single bulb and a simple shoot through white umbrella would suffice as long as you're shooting against a white or light colored background.
Also, for the type of work you do, you might want to consider using a light tent or table such as this one.... which is specially made for photographing small objects.
https://www.bhphotov...udio_Table.html
I hope this helps a little... feel free to ask about anything you have questions about.
--Ron