Thread: Question about magnifiers?

Loupe here too 30x LED lit,,, Never really needed more

I am planning on getting something I can take some edge pics with though but just for fun not for honing

Under good lighting it is amazing what you can pick up with the naked eye(for me that means glasses) let alone a loupe.


Richard

Originally Posted by stonehenge

The rage here used to be a cheap microscope that was available 5 or 6 years ago. A microscope of any quality has it all over a loupe, no matter how good it is. Just not enough magnification in a loupe.

Once I got both, I never used the loupe again except for checking for pits in the blade, razor condition etc.

If you are interested, the microscope was a 60-100x with a built in light and adjustable focus and zoom from RadioShack. Slick, inexpensive unit, but don't know if they are still available.

I picked this little scope up about 4 months ago. I like it. You just have to shop a few Radio Shacks, not every Shack carries it.

I use the microscope to observe how the stone performs on the edge, I don't use it to determine the sharpness of the edge. I shave test it for that.

Originally Posted by binder

I have a KPI Hastings Triplet loupe 10x.
I would like to know what a person needs to check as they hone a razor. I don't know if I should keep this or look for something else.

I have tried several cheap loupes from 8x-30x. They all do about the same job but the one I preferred was the 8x because it is 1.5" wide.

What you need to check is that the scratches go all the way to the edge & there are no odd shadows or glints possibly denoting multiple angles or bevels.
It takes time to get your eyes familiar but here's a few pics to help. These are done with a cheap USB microscope but should give you an idea

First pic is @20x. If you look hard at the centre of the edge you can see the remnants of a rust pit. Small dark shadow.
2nd pic is 200x & you can see a couple of shadows from pitting there. All this will clean up thru the progression but at this point I see if I can shave arm hair as a confirmation. I can't remember if this one was 100% set but it would be close. Visual cues are not always WYSIWYG, just another aid.
Both pics are at 2k stone.

There are also some pics of an incomplete bevel & its correction here : http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...tml#post892889

I know that a while the image of a bevel won't let you know the effective sharpness of an edge, it does tell you lot's about what's going on with the edge. The flatness of the bevel, the completeness of it. And of course, the striations and polish of the bevel. These are important thing's to get out of the way before final polishing/finishing of the edge. Once all the above is dealt with, it's time to go to the finishing stones and polishing paste's.
I prefer for the unseen part the TNT at the 1k level, and arm hair shaving before going to the higher grit's, after the first attempt's on the 8k, I look for arm hairs to POP when addressed from just above the skin's surface. Then and only the the all important shave test!! And even if all the nail and hair tests are passed, without a great shave, your efforts are for nought!!
But that what it means to fine tune an edge, going back to the stones and get that great shave we all look forwards to.

Have a great shave on me and BBS at that!!

tinkersd