Thread: Honing Progress pictures

Hey guys, I've seen pictures here and there of zoomed in bevels and had an idea....particularly because I'm going to be working on honing a razor soon from BK status on up. Also, I'm getting a jewelers loupe to help inspect the edge during the process.

But I'm new at honing, and the guides on how to hone, and the different strokes are pretty good; But I feel that maybe if someone posted zoomed in pictures of a blades edge during the different processes of honing, it would help a lot of the newbies (like myself).

I.e. "This is a picture X strokes into a 220 grit stone after BKing; you can see it needs more laps on a 220 because it looks like such and such."

"This is a picture after setting the bevel on a 1k and is sharp enough to start polishing on a 4k. You can tell because it looks like such and such."

Maybe I'm completely off on the idea and the honemeisters use more of a feel than a visual inspection for progressing through honing stones, But in everything I've been reading and all the "veteran honers" profiles and pictures, it seems as though all of them have some type of magnification device they use throughout their honing process.

I figured a bit of elaboration and pics on what you guys see step by step would help some of us that are starting out. Kind of matching up the feel of a razor with the looks of the edge.

Just an idea; sorry if it's a stupid one.

I pretty much just use mine to check for micro chips and use other tests to evaluate as I hone.

This may just be because I suck though...

I have not trusted microscope pictures since this thread
Same edge, same spot, same magnification, different light... - Straight Razor Place Forums

Just curious, but if an experienced honer was to take the photo's, wouldn't they be able to upload the one with the "true" and correct image of the actual edge?

Then the readers would view their blades at various angles to ensure that their edges match up with what's shown.

I see your point on pictures lying; I would just assume that it would only be an issue with people that didn't know what they were photographing or how to photograph it properly.

Again, I don't know enough about stars; which is why I just threw the idea out there.


Edit: Also, I looked at the link and the different photo's. I can see the double bevel in each of those pictures. And I was actually able to see it before it was commented on. Not sure if that means anything.

It's not so much about the pictures lying or looking at the bevel "incorrectly." The edge will just look different depending on how light is being reflected off it. Actually, the same thing applies to the finish on a razor (and it's easier to demonstrate because of the size). Here are two photos of the same razor. I didn't do anything to the razor between the photos, but the finish does look different. It's because of the lighting and what was being reflected. "Mirror" and "not mirror."

+1 on there being too many variables for photos being useful beyond general interest. For that purpose here are bevels produced by various hones photographed by Tim Zowada and here are edges further refined on various hones. These are from the SRP Wiki thanks to Tim's generosity in allowing permission for SRP to use the material.

Yeah I saw those in the wiki, but one showed the edges at various "end points". i.e. 8k stones and above.

And the other just showed the edges of various types of stones, not necessarily the different grits of stones that most people go through to sharpen a blade from beginning to end, which is what I was looking for initially.

If you look at every single picture out there, you very very rarely see the edge...
Therefore all you are really seeing is the scratch pattern on the sides of the bevel...
So there is NO way of knowing if the edge is even sharp, they might as well have taken pics of just the sides of pieces of steel, same, same...

Everyone tries like crazy to nail down the "science of honing" honestly there just isn't one there.. This is the real difference between Straight Razors and all other types of honing/sharpening, it comes down to the "Face Factor"... SR's not only have to get sharp they have to feel smooth too, which is a personal thing...

So taking pics of the bevel while honing would just show the scratch pattern of the hones nothing more...It could never define sharp... The best you could ever hope for is to see the bevel reach the edge of the blade...

My honing got a lot better once I stopped worrying about what my razors look like under a microscope.

The problem I had was that I could have a beatiful looking bevel under the microscope, but an edge that wouldn't cut arm hair.
I have no idea where the disconnect is, but I do know that there is a disconnect...

The microscope will tell you if you have a single bevel or multiple bevels. It will also tell you if you have chips or pitting on your bevel or at the edge.
Beyond that, it is important to have other means of judging where you are at with an edge.

That's JMO of course...

I only use an 8x loupe when honing & all I look for is a gradual reduction in chip size & the bevel meeting in the least sparkly way possible but ultimately the visuals are only a reflection of the performance not the other way round.

I too use my scope to monitor for edge problems and that is about it.