Thread: Using loupe for honing

I honed my own razors successfully for a long time before I ever thought about looking at an edge under magnification. That's something that I learned here.

Magnification does two things for me:

1. Tells me when to stop. I'm sure that I did way too many laps before.

2. Quickly identifies problems that I previously couldn't really figure out. Points me to the part of the blade needing attention. Before, I just kept honing until all was well.

Since I know what a good edge looks like, I really don't need more than 10x to do what I need to do.

Originally Posted by kelbro

Since I know what a good edge looks like, I really don't need more than 10x to do what I need to do.

Wait till you get one of those 1%ers that look like a hacksaw but shave like a dream. Really messes with yer head

I have a little experience with microscopes, hand held magnifiers, loupes and other stuff.
They all have their strong and weak points.

What I can tell you is for a couple of years this is my "go to" magnification.
Nice wide field of view and great optics.
On eBay for $8-9 dollars.

Here's a link : https://www.ebay.com/itm/US-SHIP-30x...-/323353337333



Pete <:-}

Originally Posted by petercp4e

I have a little experience with microscopes, hand held magnifiers, loupes and other stuff.
They all have their strong and weak points.

What I can tell you is for a couple of years this is my "go to" magnification.
Nice wide field of view and great optics.
On eBay for $8-9 dollars.

Here's a link : https://www.ebay.com/itm/US-SHIP-30x...-/323353337333



Pete <:-}

I have one of those. Quite good for the price & shows you only need 8-10x for honing. The 30 is actually the diameter in mm's.

Originally Posted by celticcrusader

I use a Belomo loupe 10x, especially useful if you restore razors where most of your honing will start at a new bevel set, I personally like to look at the bevel quite closely at the bevel set stage If I'm happy with what I'm seeing then I can put the bevel away for the rest of the progression.

Originally Posted by Brontosaurus

I have an 11x achromatic triplet (analogous to a 10x Bausch & Lomb Hastings achromatic triplet loupe) that I use to check the edge and bevel. For the bevel, I look at it with reflected light on the blade, with the light source at around a 45-degree angle to the blade. The edge, I view in silhouette with the light source behind it. 10x-11x suits me fine. A higher magnification like 20x (B&L Hastings achromatic triplet loupe) brings me too close to the bevel; and the edge viewed in silhouette there can open up a never-ending quest for visual perfection rather than the quality of the shave itself.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

I never used more than 10X.
I want to send hairs flying and see a gleam!

Originally Posted by BobH

The need for good optical quality applies to loupes as well as microscopes. An optically good low powered triplet loupe with low distortion and coated lenses is not inexpensive. There are loupes and then there are loupes.

For me a low powered good quality loupe is enough to get the job done to my satisfaction. Higher magnification is alright once you have learned to hone. I say that because of the number of threads on this forum from beginners to honing using high magnification that appear to be driving themselves crazy by trying for perfection at high magnification. Seems like there are too many imperfections seen at high magnification that mean nothing to getting a good shaving edge. Anyway, that is just my impression of using high magnification at the start of a honing career.

Bob

Originally Posted by kelbro

I honed my own razors successfully for a long time before I ever thought about looking at an edge under magnification. That's something that I learned here.

Magnification does two things for me:

1. Tells me when to stop. I'm sure that I did way too many laps before.

2. Quickly identifies problems that I previously couldn't really figure out. Points me to the part of the blade needing attention. Before, I just kept honing until all was well.

Since I know what a good edge looks like, I really don't need more than 10x to do what I need to do.

Using my recently acquired BelOMO 10x loupe has changed my honing life for the better. It's akin to finding a rare, bad-ass loot weapon in the Borderlands 2 video game when all you've used previously vanquished adequately at best.

Since I started to hone in 2012, I've always used a crappy LED 30x loupe that cost $5 but strained my eyes with poor quality optics. A 10x achromatic triplet simply blows away the 30x plastic crap in all regards. For me, those LEDs never worked well for seeing edges.

Turns out Amazon is presently running a 25% off deal on this loupe, so it's about $30 instead of just under $40. For those of you still using crap "30x" loupes, consider a small investment in certified optical quality glass (think camera lenses). Your eyes will thank you, and your honing results will no doubt improve as mine have.

Just ordered one. Thanks Mark

one thing I have noticed lately using optics is to be able to double check your strop technique, and I just did this this evening with a 10x and I could see what I was after with it.

so you hone a razor, so that the edge makes a perfect triangle with the bevels. then go and shave a couple times with it. then take a look at your scratch pattern, to remember which direction your finishing strokes were the last time you honed it. now take a couple strokes in a different direction, now look at the edge with your 10x from heel to toe on both sides, and you should be able to see where you have rounded the edge off with your strop as the original scratch pattern will be visible at the very edge. how far up the bevel it extends, lets you know where you are being heavy handed or light handed with the strop.

I noticed on a couple razors that it seems ive been putting more pressure on the left side of the blade near the heel, so I need to lighten up on the return stroke near the heel coming back.

I would bet that you can use the same technique to double check the evenness of pressure on different strokes. say you are pretty even doing xstrokes, but when you do half strokes, you put more pressure on the heel on one side or another. then you know there is a problem and can start playing with different variables until you find what it is and fix it.

I've bought all the loupes, and have gotten rid of all but the 16x jewelers loupe. It lets in enough light and has a high enough resolution.
Add a felt block and you are set.

I have a few different loupes, I have the cheapie ones like Glen used in one of his vids as it has a pretty decent view with an led light and then I have Belolo 10x triplet but to be honest the cheapie one is the one I reach for and I just use it on inital inspection for chips and such but after coming off the 1K I rarely use one.

I always use a loop. The peak of the cutting edge should never reflect light. Thats when you know you have a proper edge