Thread: Microscope use when honing

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Here is the one I've been very happy with. Not cheap but not junk either.

Jimmy,
I got the same loupe and also this:
30 x HANDHELD LIGHTED MICROSCOPE for JEWELRY etc & CASE - eBay (item 370326809866 end time Jun-03-10 03:15:25 PDT)
(370326809866)
the difference is huge, the scope gives higher mag than the loupe. The loupe also is not a triplet(3 lopue construction) its one thin and one very thick grooved loupe. I wonder if what I got is not new version made cheaper to save cost?
This scope by the way is better than the Radio shack one, it has brighter illumination, great detail, the position of the light source and be adjusted. The scope is much easier to move along the edge.
I am actually impressed.

Originally Posted by mainaman

Jimmy,
I got the same loupe and also this:
30 x HANDHELD LIGHTED MICROSCOPE for JEWELRY etc & CASE - eBay (item 370326809866 end time Jun-03-10 03:15:25 PDT)
(370326809866)
the difference is huge, the scope gives higher mag than the loupe. The loupe also is not a triplet(3 lopue construction) its one thin and one very thick grooved loupe. I wonder if what I got is not new version made cheaper to save cost?
This scope by the way is better than the Radio shack one, it has brighter illumination, great detail, the position of the light source and be adjusted. The scope is much easier to move along the edge.
I am actually impressed.

I got this one here, Carson Micro Max 200, and I wouldn't recommend it. Poisoned my mind against those hand held types. My Widget supply 30x is at home and I am at work. I am pretty sure mine is a triplet. I got it a couple of years ago at the recommendation of Kaptain Zero on the forums IIRC. At work I have an old B&L Hasting's Triplet in 20x. A great little eye loupe optically but a 7mm objective takes some getting used to.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I got this one here, Carson Micro Max 200, and I wouldn't recommend it. Poisoned my mind against those hand held types. My Widget supply 30x is at home and I am at work. I am pretty sure mine is a triplet. I got it a couple of years ago at the recommendation of Kaptain Zero on the forums IIRC. At work I have an old B&L Hasting's Triplet in 20x. A great little eye loupe optically but a 7mm objective takes some getting used to.

those radio shack type sopes have adjustable eyepiece that can easily be moved from the optimal focus position and that makes it PITA to deal with(and the shallow depth of field). This 30x one does not have moving parts on it and once the focus is established its locked in place unless its intentionally changed. @ 30x the magnification is not much less than the Radio shack scope , just for illustration if the bevel looks like 7-8mm on the 100x radio shack scope , on this 30x one it looks like ~5mm wide with a lot more light, I was very pleasantly surprised by that.

I use a 30X handheld microscope on every razor that I hone. It tells me all that I need to know.
Forget the Radio Shack 60-100.

Thanks to Randy for posting the link to that nice little scope.

Originally Posted by mainaman

those radio shack type sopes have adjustable eyepiece that can easily be moved from the optimal focus position and that makes it PITA to deal with(and the shallow depth of field). This 30x one does not have moving parts on it and once the focus is established its locked in place unless its intentionally changed. @ 30x the magnification is not much less than the Radio shack scope , just for illustration if the bevel looks like 7-8mm on the 100x radio shack scope , on this 30x one it looks like ~5mm wide with a lot more light, I was very pleasantly surprised by that.


Thanks to Randy for posting the link to that nice little scope.

Which one did Randy post? Are you talking about the one on Ebay from the science seller guy? If so, they are sold out of those...anyone know where to get one?

Originally Posted by rickboone

Which one did Randy post? Are you talking about the one on Ebay from the science seller guy? If so, they are sold out of those...anyone know where to get one?

yes that is the one, after I got mine there were only 2 left.

Originally Posted by mainaman

yes that is the one, after I got mine there were only 2 left.

Ahh....darn.

Here are a few shots from my Veho USB microscope (Veho VMS-001 200x 1.3 Megapixel; $79.95 at JR.com) taken just a few mins ago after I started to perform the marker test on an Ontario cutlery razor that was part of a batch buy. This was really just a practice razor.

The nice thing about a USB micro is that you can take and save pix and use them for reference either during the initial honing process, or later, when you might want to do touch ups.

This one turns out to have a fair amount of chipping / pitting right where the bevel is.









Another nice thing about the photo feature is that I can come back to these photos after I worked out the chips and have a gander. BTW, this was probably taken at 100x; I did not check.

I find the microscope most useful on flea market find blades. I don't bother for touching up previously honed blades, or bother when honing something new out of the box. I just use a loupe to see how the bevel is progressing with the latter stuff.

Originally Posted by crankymoose

I have a few question for anyone who owns a microscope and uses it to help with there honing.

What make, model and power of microscope are you using?

Did it help you achieve better and or more consistent edges?

I use an very old light microscope with the 100x objective. Yes it helps sooo much. you can visualy verify what good edges look like and relate it to the shave itself. You begin to try for a certin finish that helps you to define your own standard and preferences. The microscope will help you more and more over time, depending on how deep you enter the "honing for sport" category. Yet i doubt people who do it for a living day in and out would hardly need one at all.
Mike

Really good optics and very high magnification (over 500 power) will take more of the mystery out of blades and honing than a lot of people are comfortable with. But around 100 power will certainly be extremely helpful.

Has anyone used a stand up microscope for checking edges on straight razors. I see some really nice looking antique units for sale and might go that route.

Thanks