Thread: What is Grit in Japanese Natural Stones, and How Important Is It.

I do like the idea of checking the edge with under a microscope, but, I'm not sure if you will need a 400x or more microscope. Steel has its limits, and you can see them at 50x. With 2000 magnification, if you look straight at the edge, it looks flat, not sharp, no matter the abrasive material you use. For broken glass, you might be able to see for edge a line of single molecules, but for steel, that's as fine as it can get...

I am game, but need a game plan. Alx

Originally Posted by Vasilis

I do like the idea of checking the edge with under a microscope, but, I'm not sure if you will need a 400x or more microscope. Steel has its limits, and you can see them at 50x. With 2000 magnification, if you look straight at the edge, it looks flat, not sharp, no matter the abrasive material you use. For broken glass, you might be able to see for edge a line of single molecules, but for steel, that's as fine as it can get...

50x is the most magnification needed to show all the significant detail of a razors edge? really? then why do all these pics at at even higher magnification seem to be grossly lacking in detail? the resolving power of the microscope or the focal range?
WONDER PHOTOS REVEAL UNSUSPECTED FACTS ABOUT Razor Blades and Shaving (Oct, 1931)
maybe you are thinking of the above article? i dont think 50x shows the detail of the steel to its limit.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/79125884/K...arpening-Study
i think this may explain why you find 50x sufficient, but why i dont think it is.

No, I wasn't thinking a specific article. But i will read those. I am sure that at 2000x magnification we will see many more details, and they do look really cool. But this 50x, it's enough to show us if it's sharp enough for shaving. and the scratch pattern of the hones. As I said on my last post, and looking the pictures of the article, the edge of the sharpest razor under a 2000x magnification looks like half melted cheese. And the surface you see is just the 1/10000th of the whole length of the razor. to check the rest of the edge, it will take you hours. Of course, the higher the magnification, the more details you are able to see, but for the purpose of finding a very very fine hone, and checking the edge, with a 50x we will see enough details.