Thread: Magnified view of edge

After reading a thread regarding the use of microscopes to view edges, I borrowed a 20x jeweler's loupe from a jeweler friend of mine. While it isn't the 40x or 200x microscope that I've seen used for pictures in some of the threads, I was surprised at how clear and detailed the view was under good lighting.

My hone/strop progression is the Norton 4k/8k, yellow coticule, linen, and, finally, leather. Assuming I've used proper techique, and I believe I have, what kind of scratch patterns should I see under the glass after honing/stropping? What I did find was a very fine but distinct pattern spread evenly over the edge. Not knowing what to expect, I thought the edge would have been smoother considering the reputation of the coticule. Is this normal or do I need to go back to the drawing board.

I gather that the uniformity of the bevel, micro chips, tiny rust spots, etc., will be readily apparent under the glass but what else should one look for through magnification of the edge?

I suspect that time and experience with the glass will answer my questions but your advice is appreciated.

Originally Posted by lawman2

I gather that the uniformity of the bevel, micro chips, tiny rust spots, etc., will be readily apparent under the glass but what else should one look for through magnification of the edge?

I suspect that time and experience with the glass will answer my questions but your advice is appreciated.

You pretty much summed it up there in relation to what you're going to want to look for. I would recommend using the 20x loupe to focus on the scratch patterns for each grit during your honing progression. Identify the scratch pattern of the 4k side and hone on the 8k until you've removed the 4k's scratch pattern, same for replacing the 8k with the coticule's scratch pattern. I'd also recommend spending more time on the coticule and see if the bevels take on a more polished look with more laps.

I hope that helps.

Chris L

Since a lot of the razors I have gotten and continue to get are used I mainly check for micro chipping and to see if the bevel is uniform. Since I aways tape the spine I have to make sure that I have a single bevel on each side after setting the bevel as most of the used razors I get have been honed without tape.

Once I have the edge cleaned up and the bevel set I don't worry too much about removing scratch patterns. I continue to look at the edge to see how things are progressing but I rely on the TPT and popping hairs more then the visual appearance of the edge. When I am satisfied that the razor is as sharp as I want it to shave with I am done.