Thread: Scanning electron microscopy and straights.

I put my razor in the SEM at work to see how sharp (or dull) it was. I stropped it, just like I would for a morning shave, just before putting the razor in for analysis. Check out the pics to see the results. The measuring scale on the pictures is calibrated correctly.

This is my H. Boker that I use every day and is a great shaver, but...


Here is the edge of the razor at 50x magnification. The edge is the darker shade of grey. It looks pretty defined and sharp at this magnification.


Here it is a little closer at 500x. Looks like I need to go back a few microns during the hone.


Finally here is the very edge of the blade at 2000x!


The radius of the edge is about 2-3 microns, which is pretty good; however, knowing that those grooves are there I can go back a few stages during the honing process and get rid of those grooves which will reduce the surface roughness and decrease the possibilities for pitting corrosion of the blade. Corrosion is what really makes the blade dull after all.

The overall condition of the Boker razor examined above can be seen here.


I found this to be the absolute best way to see how sharp my honing skills are. This lets me aspire to increase my honing skills and get an even closer shave.

-Ross