Thread: Usb magnification (rant)

I use a light in front of my usb scope. Shinning down straight in front. It helps a lot as that right of lights reflect too much. Ive also put tape over a few of those lights. You just got to play with it.

Carson makes a usb microscope that is decent. Takes some fiddling to get it to show an image similar to the 60x-120x, but the quality is nice. I do recommend using a small box to prop up the razor instead of shaky hands or bending the arm all the way down.

A regular scope wont help much, since they are typically bottom lit. Light is not going to go through the steel and those images will be darrrrrk.

I wish I could use the Carons handhelds... I do have two of them. I wear glasses, though, and have to take them off to use those scopes which make them a pain in the butt. So they dont get pulled out very often.

It's just the 40X lit loupe and the Plugable x50 to x250 USB microscope on a drill press like mount when I want more detail. I like the mount... much more stable and easier to get a clear image.

Originally Posted by Aldwyn

A regular scope wont help much, since they are typically bottom lit. Light is not going to go through the steel and those images will be darrrrrk.

I wish I could use the Carons handhelds... I do have two of them. I wear glasses, though, and have to take them off to use those scopes which make them a pain in the butt. So they dont get pulled out very often.

It's just the 40X lit loupe and the Plugable x50 to x250 USB microscope on a drill press like mount when I want more detail. I like the mount... much more stable and easier to get a clear image.

the rule in photography is angle of incidence = angle of reflectance. lighting reflective object is 4th year material. without getting too technical you have to light from what the razor reflects. thinking to build something that reflects a white surface to bevel/ razor

Light and reflexion is where I shake my head the most when I see some guys post bevel pics on FB. The bevel is shiny, great, tilt that light or razor and things will be revealed to you. A lot of badness can be hiding behind that reflection.

Originally Posted by alex1921

Light and reflexion is where I shake my head the most when I see some guys post bevel pics on FB. The bevel is shiny, great, tilt that light or razor and things will be revealed to you. A lot of badness can be hiding behind that reflection.

My thoughts also.

You can also make good look terrible if you would want to.

When I was just starting to hone I used a cheap USB scope, but I'm not sure it helped that much. Maybe a little, I guess, but in retrospect the hassle wasn't worth it. Especially since it meant going back and forth into another room to go to the computer. Now I find it way easier to just use my $3 loupe. Although I think I'll upgrade to a better loupe one of these days....

It's like Hollywood magic. You can make a terrible edge look great with the right lighting and angle.

What I learned long ago is a quality 10x loupe or hand lens with great eye relief is all you will ever need to maintain your razors.

Any more than that and it becomes like a guy with two watches. He's never sure of the correct time. I have a Nikon Stereoscope I bought back in the 70s but I stopped using it for razors years ago.

Originally Posted by 32t

My thoughts also.

You can also make good look terrible if you would want to.

I hear you you all! Smoke and mirrors...... thing is even with all the horizontal, vertical diagonal scratch marks that are visible dependent on light angle. It still was a spectacular shave. Which makes me think unless you can get consistent appropriate light, and consistent blade angle....... the usb game is much ado about nothing...... full of hype

Strops will smooth all that out!