Thread: Usb magnification (rant)

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.

I totally agree with Spendur!

Did I just say that?

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!

The most important thing is knowing what you are looking for. Once you figure that out you are set.
It reminds me a rotation at the radiology department. Guy asks me, what do you see. I was like - nothing. He said - obvious metastases in the spine based on the equal density.
What one sees the other doesnt.

The problem with cheap USB microscopes is that they provide plenty of magnification, but insufficient resolution to go with the magnification. The first one I purchased was a Plugable scope with 2 MP resolution. It was not very useful.

Then I purchased a Celestron 5 MP scope
https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-Mic...s&sr=1-23&th=1

It provides sufficient resolution. However, when attempting to view the edge of my blades, I found that the plastic ring that protects the lens prevented me from lowering the scope close enough to see what I wanted to see. Thus, I took the scope head to my belt sander and removed the bottom half of the ring. I probably could have done the same thing with a Dremel tool and cut-off wheel.

Celestron had similar scopes on their clearance page recently... might still be there... noticed it when I was trolling for telescope items...

Originally Posted by RayClem

I found that the plastic ring that protects the lens prevented me from lowering the scope close enough to see what I wanted to see. Thus, I took the scope head to my belt sander and removed the bottom half of the ring.

That's funny Ray. As I did the same thing. Where the belt-sander. I can fix this! Mine is the cheapo knock-off of yours. 5mp and the same stand and all. Just doesn't have the name on it. I find it helpful to a point. I feel it did help me to learn and now it's great for checking the first step or two in honing. But after that, it gets turned off. I don't use it to look at a bevel above 4k anymore. No need.