Thread: Using a loupe when honing

Anyone use a loupe when honing to get a better look at your edge?

I bought something similar to this Amazon.com: SE 30X Illuminated Jewelers Loupe: Toys & Games a while back not knowing what to use it for and it has come in handy to examine an edge..

Really lets you know if you are done with a grit, just jump to 8k for a couple of passes and if you see deeper grind marks then move back to 4k. It takes the guess work out of it. Also good if you have any very small chips in your blade.

I recently got a 10X loup (non-illuminated) from Amazon. I was wondering if 30x would be too much (too hard to hold steady and too close up).

I do have to use a flashlight with it however. It's helpful while I'm learning the finer points of honing. I don't rely on it all that much for details but do use it to make sure I'm not missing something.

I'm not sure at this point that I could tell the difference between 1k, 4k, or 8k grind marks or marks from the original grinding for the edge.

I bought a cheap LED illuminated loupe on Ebay a few months back and am finding it to be very useful when honing. In addition to small flaws on the edge that would be invisible (to my eyes at least) I find it helps give a better idea of the geometry of the edge. I.e. is the bevel even? Do I need an extra layer of tape? Am I missing any parts of the edge?

Mine says it is 40x, but I'd definitely take that with a grain of salt. I wouldn't worry too much about holding it steady as I generally brace my right hand (holding the loupe) against the blade so it's pretty steady.

My biggest advice would be to get one with an integrated LED light.

To the OP: mine looks pretty much exactly the same as yours and I'd be surprised if they hadn't come off the same production line. The only visible difference is the nominal 40x vs 30x, and as I suggested above I'd be surprised if they weren't actually identical.

Cangooner you're right on the money with checking geometry. It lets you know if you are missing an area of the edge. I dont doubt that your loupe came off the same line as mine as when I did a search for it I found 10 different brands selling the same product. Mine was actually marketed by Hydro-farm for use in identifying insects on your marijuana plants, I work at a hardware store it was available for a cheap price, and no I do not grow marihuana.

gcbryan, I have a 10x loupe and while that might help it is nowhere near as good as the 30x-40x range it really makes you work visible. This can also help to prevent over honing.

while searching for this product on amazon I found a pocket microscope that goes from 60x to 100x I bought it as it was only $12 and will be interested to see what that shows of the blade. I bought that out of curiosity I think that with a 30x you can get all the information you need.

I used a similar microscope in the early stages - now I just go by feel, most of the time.
I do use a loupe when setting the bevel just to make sure it is even all the way along the blade.

I find a loupe very useful. I bought mine for around $4 on ebay; it has an led light.

I got the same one as the OP....It really does come in handy when bevel setting...

I use 10X under a study lamp. I don't worry about removing scratch marks from earlier grits although they usually do get removed. I am more concerned with the edge than the smoothness of the bevel. By the time the edge goes through the whisker, the work has been done and any scratch marks on the bevel are so small they cannot be felt. I sure don't feel them.

I hone under a window that receives direct sun. I use a slide viewing lens to check my bevel setting (it's 10x and 2 inch diameter).

More power might be nice but I find its tough to get enough light and field of view to get things done as quickly as I like. After setting the bevel, I basically use a lens only to appreciate what I feel on the hones.

I have a SE-30x illuminated loupe and a BeIOMO 20x. I don't know what kind of math tricks they do at SE because the BeIOMO is wayyyyyyy more powerful. The BeIOMO requires a lot of light but I haven't found one with a LED light. That's why I use the SE-30x.