Thread: Using loupe for honing

I have a jeweler's loupe 10x that I use when honing. I don't know if it helping much. How should I use it and check for when honing?

Joe

There are plenty of picture threads on the forum. The one below may help. Pics are a bit higher than 10x but you should still get some ideas.

Basically you want to see an evenness all the way to the edge. No differing scratch patterns & no or minimal sparkley bits
You still need to develop the skills to achieve this but the loupe will give you visual feedback.

https://straightrazorpalace.com/honi...pictorial.html

I havent use a 10x. Mine is 40x i think so 8m not sure this will worl for ya. To check t9 see if the bevel is set, i look directly down on the edge. If i can see where both sides come together then its not. When they meet at a the tip of the bevel i can just barely make out the thinnest of lines. And i mean barely see it. The basics of looking down on the edge, your looking for any shinny spots at the edge. If you see a shinny spot then the two sides are not meeting at an apex.you have a flat spot or a chip in the edge.

After bevel is set, then what your looking at is the scratches. You will see that they are deep and wide at first. Then after going with light preasure they will get shallower. When you progress to the next stone, you will find the scratches thinner. So as you go up thru the grit of stones it will be less and less.

Thats is the basics IMO.

A loupe is an aid to honing and trick to using one is to know what you are looking at and for. In post #2 the link should give you a good idea what you are looking at and for. You then have to figure out what strokes to apply to correct any deficiencies that you see. That can take some time to learn how to interpret what you are seeing and how to apply corrections if needed. At least it took me awhile to be able to use a loupe successfully.

It helps to view the edge under a bright light source. For that purpose I have an old goose neck table lamp with a bright LED bulb placed at the end of the hone I am using. It is bent over the hone so I can see how the water is moving at the edge of the blade while honing and to check the edge with a loupe.

Bob

I use a 30x loupe. But I only use it for checking for micro chips.
I look at the the edges from the sides at a 90°angle. This allows me to see if the scratches are uniform, and reach completely to the apex. Also, if you have a well lighted wall you'll be able to see the micro chips, by twisting the blade one way or the other till the bevel looks black to the eye, then move up n down the edge with the loupe to see

The creation of the apex is super important. For that I look nearly straight down on the apex and watch for any white lines or sparkles, as they indicate places wher the apex does not create a perfect or complete ‘V’. A nice bright light source is needed.
https://straightrazorpalace.com/honi...ggestions.html
There are some good pictures in this thread too.

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.

One thing to bear in mind is that all loupes are not made equal. Celticcrusaders Belomo 10 x loupe is a 1st class loupe that is a lot more powerful than a cheap Chinese one at double the magnification.
I have a cheap 30 x loupe like Outbacks that does the job just fine.

I use a loupr to check if bevel is polishing evenly as I hone. I use a paramag that does not distort to check edge for nicks.

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.